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Abstract
Objective: We aimed to investigate the effects of Maras powder (smokeless tobacco) on treatment outcomes of patients with anxiety.
Method: Patients between 18 and 65 years old diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified were enrolled. The patients were categorized into two groups: Maras powder using group (30 patients) and Maras powder free group (30 patients). All the participants were administered the Turkish version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at baseline and the 1 and 2 months after the treatment. All patients were given standard pharmacological treatments for their psychiatric diagnosis.
Results: There was a significant decrease of HADS scores within the groups after treatment. The mean baseline HADS scores of both groups were not significantly different. However, mean HADS scores of the groups were significantly different at the first and second months after the treatment.
Conclusion: Maras powder use may negatively affect the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Declaration of interest
Author Serdar Suleyman Can and author Salih Selek declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.