Prescription Drug Abuse in Adolescence

2016 ◽  
pp. 204-230
Author(s):  
Amelia Arria ◽  
Brittany A. Bugbee
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Adolescents And Young Adults ◽  
Prescription Drug Abuse ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Nonmedical Use ◽  
New Research ◽  
Drug Problems

Nonmedical use of prescription drugs can pose a variety of serious public health threats. Rapid increases in the use of prescription drugs were observed at the turn of the 21st century and prompted new research and several actions by communities and policymakers. Adolescents and young adults are at heightened risk for this type of substance use. The evidence suggests that nonmedical use of prescription drugs overlaps significantly with alcohol and other drug problems, and it might be a sign of more severe involvement with illicit substance use. This chapter describes the epidemiology, availability and sources, motives, risk factors, and consequences of nonmedical prescription drug use among adolescents and young adults. Special topics include nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and academic performance, associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and mental health, and diversion behavior. Future directions for research and strategies for demand and supply reduction are described.

Prescription Drugs

2020 ◽  
pp. 293-312
Author(s):  
Darius A. Rastegar
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Muscle Relaxants ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Nonmedical Use ◽  
History Of

A variety of prescription and over-the-counter drugs are used for purposes other than intended. Approximately 2% of Americans report current nonmedical use of a prescription drug. Opioids are the class most commonly used for purposes other than intended. Other drugs include sedatives (primarily benzodiazepines); stimulants; and a variety of agents, including clonidine, muscle relaxants, tricyclic antidepressants, bupropion, antiemetics, gabapentinoids, and atypical antipsychotics. Over-the-counter drugs associated with nonmedical use include dextromethorphan, loperamide, and antihistamines. The most prominent risk factor for nonmedical use is a history of a substance use disorder. A number of aberrant behaviors are indicative of nonmedical use. Screening instruments may help gauge risk. The most serious complication is overdose, particularly opioid overdose. Strategies to address nonmedical prescription drug use include limiting the prescribing of controlled substances, monitoring patients who are prescribed these medications, and providing treatment for those who have a substance use disorder.

How Predictors of Prescription Drug Abuse Vary by Age

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1027-1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Arkes ◽  
Martin Y. Iguchi
Keyword(s):  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Prescription Drug Abuse ◽  
Drug Abusers ◽  
Age Group ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nonmedical Use ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Previous studies that have identified the predictors of prescription drug abuse have either focused on a specific age group or pooled all age groups together into one sample. This approach constrains the predictors to have the same effect across age groups. In this study, we use the 2001 to 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to estimate separate models across five age groups for the past year nonmedical use of prescription drugs. The results indicate that several factors (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity marital status, other substance use) have quite different correlations with prescription drug abuse across age groups. This suggests that more accurate profiles of prescription drug abusers can be obtained by estimating separate models for different age groups.

Prescription opioid use in the rural Appalachia: A community-based study

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Havens, PhD, MPH ◽  
Robert Walker, MSW, LCSW ◽  
Carl G. Leukefeld, DSW
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Pain Treatment ◽  
Prescription Opioid ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Nonmedical Use ◽  
Opioid Users

Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the sample characteristics and methods for a study of rural medical and nonmedical prescription opioid users with a history of OxyContin® use.Design and Setting: Snowball sampling was used to recruit 221 rural Appalachian residents. Participants included those under medical supervision for pain (n = 101) as well as those self-reporting nonmedical use of prescription opioids (n = 120). Participants were given an interviewer-administered questionnaire.Outcome measures: Data relating to demographics, illicit and nonmedical prescription drug use, medical, legal, family, and psychiatric status, as well as pain history were collected. The primary outcomes of interest were differences in past 30 day prescription drug use between pain patients and nonmedical opioid users.Results: A significantly greater proportion of those treated for pain reported using oxycodone and hydrocodone prescribed by a physician in the prior 30 days (p < 0.001); however, more than third of pain participants also reported nonmedical use of OxyContin®, methadone, hydrocodone, benzodiazepines, and marijuana in the prior 30 days.Conclusions: A large proportion of rural opioid users who reported being treated for pain also reported nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Similarly, among the nonmedical users, half of those reported experiencing pain that interfered with their daily life. These results suggest that many rural prescription drug users are being either incorrectly or perhaps inadequately treated for chronic nonmalignant pain. Therefore, developing educational materials and training for rural physicians about pain treatment (including drug seeking behavior) is proposed.

What Does the Community Say: Key Informant Perceptions of Rural Prescription Drug Use

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Leukefeld ◽  
Robert Walker ◽  
Jennifer Havens ◽  
Cynthia A. Leedham ◽  
Valarie Tolbert
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
Prescription Drug Use ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Nonmedical Use

This article presents data from four groups of rural Key Informants—Community leaders, educators, health care providers and justice/law enforcement officials—to understand the nonmedical use and misuse of prescription drugs. Seventy key informants were purposively selected from two counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Key informants indicated that the nonmedical use of prescription drugs is complex and has historical roots. Two pathways, or entry points, into the nonmedical use and misuse of prescription drugs were identified: physical pain and recreational use. Data show trends with regard to drug use patterns, drug use education, involvement with the criminal justice system and the role of economics in the prescription drug use problem. Key Informants underscored a common theme that the rural prescription drug problem was fueled by a cultural acceptance of drug misuse. Recommendations are presented for services and research.

scholarly journals Prescription drug misuse during pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-174
Author(s):  
Anand Shankar ◽  
Anupama J Anand
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Prescription Drug Misuse ◽  
Prescription Drug Use

Prescription drug misuse is when someone takes a medication inappropriately. The prescription drug misuse is not an uncommon issue but the use of prescription drugs has significantly increased during the covid 19 pandemic. The major factors that has contributed to the increased dependence to prescription drug use during the pandemic is the increased paranoia about the virus and the drug dependency of the substance abusers. The context of the study is the increased use of prescription drugs among young adults and case reports of violence attributed by drug use. The main aim of the study is to identify the trend of prescription drug use among young adults and the factors that contribute to the misuse. The study primarily focused on young adults and recorded the responses using the questionnaire. The methodology for the proposed study was through online interaction with the participants in the form of survey through google forms. The data collection method included literature review of published articles pertaining to the topic, newspaper articles and websites. The data collection was primarily through google forms and participants response are analyzed for arriving into conclusion. Further-more data from published article, journals, data published in websites like the National Health Portal, National Institute of Health (NIH)- National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), World Health Organization (WHO). Both primary and secondary data is used for data collection. An age group between 20-30 was collected. This age group was selected due to the possibility that most utilization of prescription drugs would be contributed by these groups. Mostly randomized sampling was carried out due to the limitation of collecting data one to one considering the pandemic situations. After analyzing the results, it is inferred that there is a significant increase in use of prescription drugs during the pandemic time and the study also found a trend of alarming concern of buying prescription drug without it being prescribed by the medical practitioner which hence is a serious case of social concern.

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.

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