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The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that nonmedical use (NMU) of prescription attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications is rising, but many previous investigations have used clinical or regionally based samples or limited their investigations to stimulants rather than to medicat...

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Autores principales: Novak, Scott P, Kroutil, Larry A, Williams, Rick L, Van Brunt, David L
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BioMed Central 2007
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2211747/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974020
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-2-32
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author Novak, Scott P
Kroutil, Larry A
Williams, Rick L
Van Brunt, David L
author_facet Novak, Scott P
Kroutil, Larry A
Williams, Rick L
Van Brunt, David L
author_sort Novak, Scott P
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that nonmedical use (NMU) of prescription attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications is rising, but many previous investigations have used clinical or regionally based samples or limited their investigations to stimulants rather than to medications specifically used to treat ADHD. Using an Internet-based epidemiological survey, this paper advances understanding of the prevalence and correlates of NMU of medications used to treat ADHD, sources of diverted medications, motivations for use, and consumption patterns. METHODS: The study used a self-administered Internet survey of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults (N = 4,297) aged 18 to 49 in the United States. National-level estimates were created using propensity scoring methods and weighting procedures using data from three nationally representative probability surveys: a random-digit dialed telephone survey, the current U.S. Census, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). RESULTS: Past-year prevalence of NMU of ADHD medications was approximately 2%, with 4.3% reported among those aged 18 to 25 and 1.3% among those aged 26 to 49. Most respondents reporting NMU used on multiple occasions. Receipt of medications for ADHD was a significant correlate of past-year NMU, though most nonmedical users never had a prescription. Among persons who had never been prescribed medication to treat ADHD, friends or family members were the most common source. Productivity was the most frequently endorsed reason for NMU. Alcohol was the substance most commonly used in combination with ADHD drugs. CONCLUSION: Because most prescription ADHD medications currently are highly regulated, policy options for supply-side reduction of nonmedical use may include identifying those medications with lower abuse liability for inclusion on insurance formularies. Patient and physician education programs also may be useful tools to heighten awareness of intentional and unintentional diversion of ADHD medications for nonmedical purposes.
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spelling pubmed-22117472008-01-23 The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel Novak, Scott P Kroutil, Larry A Williams, Rick L Van Brunt, David L Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy Research BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that nonmedical use (NMU) of prescription attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications is rising, but many previous investigations have used clinical or regionally based samples or limited their investigations to stimulants rather than to medications specifically used to treat ADHD. Using an Internet-based epidemiological survey, this paper advances understanding of the prevalence and correlates of NMU of medications used to treat ADHD, sources of diverted medications, motivations for use, and consumption patterns. METHODS: The study used a self-administered Internet survey of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults (N = 4,297) aged 18 to 49 in the United States. National-level estimates were created using propensity scoring methods and weighting procedures using data from three nationally representative probability surveys: a random-digit dialed telephone survey, the current U.S. Census, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). RESULTS: Past-year prevalence of NMU of ADHD medications was approximately 2%, with 4.3% reported among those aged 18 to 25 and 1.3% among those aged 26 to 49. Most respondents reporting NMU used on multiple occasions. Receipt of medications for ADHD was a significant correlate of past-year NMU, though most nonmedical users never had a prescription. Among persons who had never been prescribed medication to treat ADHD, friends or family members were the most common source. Productivity was the most frequently endorsed reason for NMU. Alcohol was the substance most commonly used in combination with ADHD drugs. CONCLUSION: Because most prescription ADHD medications currently are highly regulated, policy options for supply-side reduction of nonmedical use may include identifying those medications with lower abuse liability for inclusion on insurance formularies. Patient and physician education programs also may be useful tools to heighten awareness of intentional and unintentional diversion of ADHD medications for nonmedical purposes. BioMed Central 2007-10-31 /pmc/articles/PMC2211747/ /pubmed/17974020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-2-32 Text en Copyright © 2007 Novak et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Research
Novak, Scott P
Kroutil, Larry A
Williams, Rick L
Van Brunt, David L
The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title_full The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title_fullStr The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title_full_unstemmed The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title_short The nonmedical use of prescription ADHD medications: results from a national Internet panel
title_sort nonmedical use of prescription adhd medications: results from a national internet panel
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2211747/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974020
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-2-32
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