Recreational Prescription Drug Use Among College Students

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.

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Motivations for prescription drug use in a marginalised open drug scene

Drugs and Alcohol Today ◽

10.1108/dat-08-2019-0036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 17-26

Author(s):

Aysel Sultan ◽

Bernd Werse

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Injection Drug Users ◽

Drug Users ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Patterns Of Use ◽

Prescription Drug Use ◽

The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore prevalence, contexts and motives for the use of various benzodiazepines, sedatives and opioids among injection drug users in Frankfurt’s open drug scene. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses quantitative data from ten waves of the bi-annual open drug scene survey carried out within the frames of the Frankfurt local drug monitoring system (MoSyD) and an additional sample of qualitative interviews to highlight the individual user perspectives as well as professional insights. Findings The results suggest that the prescription drugs act as “support drugs” when the drugs of choice are not available or affordable. Patterns of use also show that by acting to manage withdrawal symptoms, insomnia and relieving stress, prescription drugs also contribute to maintaining daily functionality. Originality/value The paper contributes to the discussion on the motives and functions of prescription drug use in an urban open drug scene.

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

Harm Reduction Journal ◽

10.1186/s12954-021-00520-5 ◽

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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Prescription Drug and Healthcare Use Among Swedish Patients Treated with Antidepressants

Annals of Pharmacotherapy ◽

10.1177/106002809502900602 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

pp. 566-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

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.

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Prescription Drug Use among Ambulatory Elderly in a Swedish Municipality

Annals of Pharmacotherapy ◽

10.1177/106002809302700918 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 27 (9) ◽

pp. 1120-1125 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

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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Computerised data bases on prescription drug use and health care in the community of Tierp, Sweden: Experiences and challenges from a study of antidepressant-treated patients

Norsk Epidemiologi ◽

10.5324/nje.v11i1.530 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kerstin Bingefors

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Data Base ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Data Availability ◽

Font Size ◽

Data Bases ◽

Prescription Drug Use

ABSTRACTMuch of our knowledge of drugs originates from clinical trials of drug efficacy performed on stringentlyselected patient groups, often without multiple concurrent diseases. However, the effectiveness of treatmentunder conditions of use in ordinary clinical practice may be very different to conditions in therandomised clinical trial. Use of large computerised data bases and record linkage has thus becomeincreasingly common in pharmacoepidemiologic research. The greatest advantages of using routinelycollected data are the minimisation of study costs and time required to complete a study, considerationsthat are particularly relevant for longitudinal studies. The advantages of using data bases also include thepossibility of obtaining large sample sizes and to retrospectively study long-term outcomes. The risk forrecall bias, a significant problem in interviews and questionnaires, is also reduced. However, computeriseddata bases also have some potentially serious disadvantages, primarily in the areas of data validityand data availability. The Tierp study, including individually based data bases of prescription drug use,will be used here as an example of research. In this paper an example of a comprehensive data base studyconcerning health care and drug utilisation in depressed patients is presented. Methodological considerationsin data base research are discussed in relation to experiences from the antidepressant study. A wellplanned and research oriented computerised data base on prescription drugs represents an important toolin the study of the outcome of drug treatment in real world clinical practice.

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Pharmacare in Canada: The paediatric perspective

Paediatrics & Child Health ◽

10.1093/pch/pxz176 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 113-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tom McLaughlin ◽

Geert ‘t Jong ◽

Andrea Gilpin ◽

Charlotte Moore Hepburn

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Paediatric Drug ◽

Prescription Drug Use ◽

Child Friendly ◽

Health Canada

Abstract Canada’s drug insurance system is one of the most expensive in the world, yet millions of Canadians still struggle to access necessary medications. As a result, provincial, territorial, and federal governments are considering public pharmacare policy proposals to ensure that all Canadians can access the medications they need. Pharmacare policies offer an opportunity to prioritize children and youth, whose unique drug needs have long been neglected. Prescription drug use is common in this population, with approximately half of Canadian children and youth requiring at least one prescription in any given year. Drug use remains concentrated, however, among those with complex, chronic, and serious diseases. Children and youth rely heavily on compounded and off-label prescription drugs, which impacts safety, efficacy, palatability, and cost. Reimbursement decision-making bodies do not appropriately value the unique benefits of paediatric drugs, including child-friendly formulations, improved quality of life for children and families, and cost-savings outside the healthcare system. Regardless of the pharmacare model ultimately implemented, ensuring universal, comprehensive, and portable prescription drug coverage for all children and youth is essential. To accomplish this, paediatric drug experts should develop a national, evidence-informed formulary of paediatric drugs. Health Canada should also improve processes to make commercial paediatric drugs and child-friendly formulations more available and accessible. The federal government must also support paediatric drug research and development to this end.

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Association of Injection Practices and Overdose With Drug Use Typologies: A Latent Class Analysis Among People Who Inject Drugs in Baltimore, 2017

AIDS Education and Prevention ◽

10.1521/aeap.2019.31.4.344 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 344-362 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rachel E. Gicquelais ◽

Becky L. Genberg ◽

Jacquie Astemborski ◽

David D. Celentano ◽

Gregory D. Kirk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Latent Class ◽

People Who Inject Drugs ◽

Community Based ◽

Prescription Drug Use ◽

Overdose Mortality ◽

Behavior Profiles ◽

Injection Practices

Increasing overdose mortality and new HIV outbreaks in the U.S. highlight the need to identify risk behavior profiles among people who inject drugs (PWID). We characterized latent classes of drug use among a community-based sample of 671 PWID in Baltimore during 2017 and evaluated associations of these classes with sharing syringes, obtaining syringes from pharmacies or syringe services programs (SSPs), and nonfatal overdose in the past 6 months. We identified three classes of current drug use: infrequent use (76% of participants), prescription drug use (12%), and heroin and/or cocaine injection (12%). PWID in the heroin and/or cocaine injection and prescription drug use classes had higher odds of both overdose and sharing syringes (relative to infrequent use). PWID in the prescription drug use class were 64% less likely to obtain syringes through SSPs/pharmacies relative to heroin and/or cocaine injection. Harm reduction programs need to engage people who obtain prescription drugs illicitly.

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Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use Among Injection Drug Users

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/0022042612456015 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 216-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Alexis N. Martinez ◽

Elizabeth J. D’Amico ◽

Alex H. Kral ◽

Ricky N. Bluthenthal

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Injection Drug Users ◽

Drug Users ◽

Injection Drug ◽

Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug Use

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Correlates of non-medical prescription drug use among a cohort of injection drug users in Baltimore City

Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.07.046 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 36 (12) ◽

pp. 1282-1287 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Nidhi Khosla ◽

Hee Soon Juon ◽

Gregory D. Kirk ◽

Jacqueline Astemborski ◽

Shruti H. Mehta

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Injection Drug Users ◽

Drug Users ◽

Injection Drug ◽

Medical Prescription ◽

Baltimore City ◽

Prescription Drug Use

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Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use by College Students for Recreational and Instrumental Purposes: Assessing the Differences

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/0022042617714459 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 606-621 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Nathan W. Pino ◽

Hassan Tajalli ◽

Chad L. Smith ◽

William DeSoto

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Drug Users ◽

Living Arrangement ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

College Campuses ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use ◽

Prescription Drug Use

Nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) is a serious issue on college campuses. We examine the factors affecting instrumental and recreational NMPDU within the same sample, and test the efficacy of learning and strain theories in predicting NMPDU for both instrumental and recreational use. This cross-sectional study utilizes survey data gathered from a convenient but representative sample ( n = 2,466) of students attending a large public university in the Southwestern United States. There is support for learning theory, but not for strain theory, in predicting both recreational and instrumental use. Logistic regression analyses also show that while marijuana smokers, illicit street drug users, and those possessing less of an academic ethic are more likely to partake in NMPDU for both recreational and instrumental purposes, the predictors for recreational and instrumental NMPDU differ in interesting ways with regard to race, gender, binge drinking, living arrangement, and Greek organization membership.

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