Chemsex and risk of sexually transmitted infections: a perspective from India

Introduction Chemsex, also called as party and play or intensive sex partying, is the intentional use of psychoactive drugs before or during sex, mostly by gay and bisexual men having sex with men (GBMSM) to enable, enhance and prolong sexual interaction.1 The practice is now becoming increasingly common among heterosexual individuals too.1 Various chemsex drugs have been described (table 1), the principal three that are commonly used include mephedrone, gamma-hydroxybutyrate/gamma-butyrolactone (GHB/GBL) and crystallised methamphetamine.1 The injectable use of these substances for similar purpose is called as slamming or slam sex.2 Table 1Psychoactive drugs used in chemsex, their intended desired effects and associated complications DrugCommon street namesPreparationRoute of administrationIntended desired effectsAdverse effects and complicationsGHB/GBL

Source: Sexually Transmitted Infections - April 18, 2024 Category: Sexual Medicine Authors: Juyal, D., Pal, S., Joshi, C., Dhawan, N., Rawre, J., Dhawan, B. Tags: Education Source Type: research