Prescription Drugs: Maine Drug Use Fact Sheet

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Fact Sheet

Recreational Prescription Drug Use Among College Students

NASPA Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan A Kolek
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Research University ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Other Substances

The purpose of this study was to explore recreational prescription drug use among undergraduate students. Although anecdotal accounts on this subject abound, empirical research is extremely limited. Data from a survey of a random sample of 734 students at a large public research university in the Northeast were examined. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of students reported having used prescription drugs for recreational purposes in the year prior to survey administration. Recreational prescription drug use was positively associated with the use of other substances including alcohol. Recreational prescription drug users were also more likely than other drug users to report negative consequences as a result of their drug use. Implications for future research and for student affairs are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring the use of cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs in a convenience sample

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinikka L. Kvamme ◽  
Michael M. Pedersen ◽  
Kristine Rømer Thomsen ◽  
Birgitte Thylstrup
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Patient Organizations ◽  
Public Media ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The use of cannabis as medicine (CaM) both prescribed and non-prescribed has increased markedly in the last decade, mirrored in a global shift in cannabis policy towards a more permissive stance. There is some evidence that cannabis functions as a substitute for prescription drugs, particularly opioids; however, more knowledge is needed on the motives of substitution users, their patterns of use, and perceived effects of substitution use. Aims To explore who substitutes prescription drugs with cannabis, the type of prescription drugs substituted and the type of cannabis used, and the impact that substitution with cannabis has on prescription drug use as well as the motives for substitution in terms of experienced effects and side effects. Methods A self-selected convenience sample was recruited through social media, public media, and patient organizations to take part in an anonymous online survey. Inclusion criteria were 18 years or older and use of cannabis (prescribed or non-prescribed) with a medical purpose. Results The final sample included 2.841 respondents of which the majority (91%) used non-prescribed cannabis, and more than half (54.6%) had used CaM with the purpose of replacing a prescribed drug. Compared to non-substitution users, substitution users were more likely to be women and to use CaM in the treatment of chronic pain and other somatic conditions. Pain medication (67.2%), antidepressants (24.5%), and arthritis medication (20.7%) were the most common types of drugs replaced with CaM. Among substitution users, 38.1% reported termination of prescription drug use, and 45.9% a substantial decrease in prescription drug use. The most frequent type of cannabis used as a substitute was CBD-oil (65.2%), followed by ‘hash, pot or skunk’ (36.6%). More than half (65.8%) found CaM much more effective compared to prescription drugs, and 85.5% that the side effects associated with prescription drug use were much worse compared to use of CaM. Conclusion CaM is frequently used as a substitute for prescription drugs, particularly opioids. More research is needed on the long-term consequences of use of CaM, including the impact from low and high THC cannabis products on specific somatic and mental health conditions.

Prescription Drug and Healthcare Use Among Swedish Patients Treated with Antidepressants

1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Al Bingefors ◽  
Dag Gl Isacson ◽  
Lars Von Knorring ◽  
Björn Smedby
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Ambulatory Care ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Antidepressant Treatment ◽  
Antidepressant Drugs ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prescription Drug Use

Objective: To analyze healthcare and prescription drug use among patients taking and those not taking antidepressant drugs in a Swedish community. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: General population of the rural Swedish municipality Tierp of approximately 20 000 inhabitants. Participants: All residents of Tierp aged 25 years or older during 1988. Main Outcome Measures: Mean number of ambulatory care visits, hospital bed days, and prescriptions per person; proportion of those taking prescription drugs in different pharmacologic classes. Results: Patients treated with antidepressant drugs had a significantly (p < 0.05) greater use of ambulatory care, hospital care, and prescription drugs than those who did not take antidepressants in the study population. They also had an increased frequency of use of prescription drugs from virtually all pharmacologic classes. Furthermore, the risk for polypharmacy was high in patients treated with antidepressant medications. Conclusions: Those who took antidepressant drugs consumed more health services and prescription drugs than did those not taking an antidepressant. Patients receiving antidepressant treatment may be at serious risk for iatrogenic disease and should be evaluated carefully with respect to concomitant drug use.

Drug Use in the Twittersphere: A Qualitative Contextual Analysis of Tweets About Prescription Drugs

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Shutler ◽  
Lewis S. Nelson ◽  
Ian Portelli ◽  
Courtney Blachford ◽  
Jeanmarie Perrone
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Contextual Analysis

Between smart drugs and antidepressants: A cultural analysis of pharmaceutical drug use among university students

2013 ◽  
pp. 31-55
Author(s):  
Johanne Collin ◽  
Julien Simard ◽  
Hugo Collin-Desrosiers
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
University Students ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Medical Prescription ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drug ◽  
Natural Substances ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Pressure Stress

In recent years, there has been a growing concern for the non-medical use of prescription drugs by young adults, and particularly college and university students. These expanding practices of pharmaceutical drug use have been associated with different phenomena such as physical and cognitive enhancement, non-medical prescription drug use and recreational use. All of these various consuming practices involve a blurring of the boundaries between curing, preventing and enhancing and between recreational and productive activities. Some studies show the importance of linking pharmaceutical drug use with broader issues among students in academic settings, such as competitiveness, pressure, stress, depression and mental health issues. The main objective of this article is to explore some of the perceptions and rationales that underlie the use of non-medical and medical prescription drugs, natural products, energy drinks and other pharmaceutical or natural substances among university students in Montreal (Canada). Focus-groups and indepth, semi-structured interviews were realized with a sample of 42 students in order to link the consumption cultures of the participants with other variables, such as their lifestyle, their experience of psychological distress and anxiety and their need of achievement. Focusing on the young population fulfills the function of sociological forecast about the future trends in the expansion of pharmaceutical drug use for the management of everyday life in contemporary Western societies.

scholarly journals Use of Population-Based Surveys for Estimating the Population Size of Persons Who Inject Drugs in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (Supplement_5) ◽  
pp. S218-S229
Author(s):  
Heather Bradley ◽  
Elizabeth M Rosenthal ◽  
Meredith A Barranco ◽  
Tomoko Udo ◽  
Patrick S Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Persons Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Population Size Estimates ◽  
Prevalence Estimates

Abstract Background In the United States, injection is an increasingly common route of administration for opioids and other substances. Estimates of the number of persons who inject drugs (PWID) are needed for monitoring risk-specific infectious disease rates and health services coverage. Methods We reviewed design and instruments for 4 national household surveys, 2012–2016, for their ability to produce unbiased injection drug use (IDU) prevalence estimates. We explored potential analytic adjustments for reducing biases through use of external data on (1) arrest, (2) narcotic overdose mortality, and (3) biomarker-based sensitivity of self-reported illicit drug use. Results Estimated national past 12 months IDU prevalence ranged from 0.24% to 0.59% across surveys. All surveys excluded unstably housed and incarcerated persons, and estimates were based on &lt;60 respondents reporting IDU behavior in 3 surveys. No surveys asked participants about nonmedical injection of prescription drugs. Analytic adjustments did not appreciably change IDU prevalence estimates due to suboptimal specificity of data points. Conclusions PWID population size estimates in the United States are based on small numbers and are likely biased by undercoverage of key populations and self-report. Novel methods as discussed in this article may improve our understanding of PWID population size and their health needs.

Prescription Drug Use among Ambulatory Elderly in a Swedish Municipality

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1120-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tove M. Jörgensen ◽  
Dag G.L. Isacson ◽  
Mats Thorslund
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Total Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Analgesic Agents ◽  
The Difference

OBJECTIVE: To analyze prescription drug use among the elderly in a Swedish municipality. METHODS: The municipality of Tierp, located in mideastern Sweden, is a well-defined geographic area that includes both rural areas and a few small, industrial towns. All people aged 65 years and older (n=4769) as of 1986 in a total population of 21000 inhabitants were included in the study. Their drug use was studied by registering all prescriptions filled by the pharmacies in the area. RESULTS: Most of the elderly (>70 percent) obtained at least one prescription during the year studied. Drug use was more common among women than men. However, the difference between men and women was much smaller among those aged 85 years or more. The drugs most commonly prescribed were cardiovascular, psychotropic, and analgesic agents. Furthermore, the study showed that simultaneous use of several drugs was quite common. One-fourth of all people aged 65 years and older used drugs from at least four different pharmacologic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed widespread use of prescription drugs among the elderly. An important finding was extensive drug use among men aged 85 years or more. This age group is increasing and there is need for further studies of its medication use.

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