Nonmedical use of prescription drugs in the European Union

Abstract

BackgroundNonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) refers to the self-treatment of a medical condition using medication without a prescriber’s authorization as well as use to achieve euphoric states. This article reports data from a cross-national investigation of NMPDU in five European Countries, with the aim to understand the prevalence and characteristics of those engaging in NMPDU across the EU.MethodsA parallel series of self-administered, cross-sectional, general population surveys were conducted in 2014. Data were collected using multi-stage quota sampling and then weighted using General Exponential Model. A total of 22,070 non-institutionalized participants, aged 12 to 49 years, in 5 countries: Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and Sweden. Lifetime and past-year nonmedical use of prescription medications such as stimulants, opioids, and sedatives were ascertained via a modified version of the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Information about how the medications were acquired for NMPDU were also collected from the respondent.ResultsLifetime and past-year prevalence of nonmedical prescription drug use was estimated for opioids (13.5 and 5.0 %), sedatives (10.9 and 5.8 %), and stimulants (7.0 and 2.8 %). Germany exhibited the lowest levels of NMPDU, with Great Britain, Spain, and Sweden having the highest levels. Mental and sexual health risk factors were associated with an increased likelihood of past-year nonmedical prescription drug use. Among past-year users, about 32, 28, and 52 % of opioid, sedative, and stimulant nonmedical users, respectively, also consumed illicit drugs. Social sources (sharing by friends/family) were the most commonly endorsed methods of acquisition, ranging from 44 % (opioids) to 62 % (sedatives). Of interest is that Internet pharmacies were a common source of medications for opioids (4.1 %), stimulants (7.6 %), and sedatives (2.7 %).ConclusionsNonmedical prescription drug use was reported across the five EU countries we studied, with opioids and sedatives being the most prevalent classes of prescription psychotherapeutics. International collaborations are needed for continued monitoring and intervention efforts to target population subgroups at greatest risk for NMDU.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 inhibitors block laparotomy‐ and opioid‐induced infarct size reduction in rats

“…However, the associated social and economic impact of opioid abuse, addiction and overdoses are shifting how physicians approach pain control in the operating room. Opioid misuse is a leading public health concern in the United States (Kolodny et al, ; Rudd et al, ), and trends of increasing opioid abuse and overdoses are developing in the European Union (Novak et al, ). In the United Kingdom, opioid prescriptions rose 58% between 2000 and 2010 (Zin et al, ) and within this time frame, an increase in opioid‐related deaths was also identified (Giraudon et al, ).…”

Drug residues in syringes and other injecting paraphernalia in Hungary

“…Methadone injecting and its diversion from therapeutic use is a common problem in connection with opiate substitution therapy. 13,[21][22][23] However, no other studies in Hungary have shown such a high prevalence of methadone injection as suggested by our results. As a matter of fact, methadone is almost invisible in data reported by needle and syringe programmes' clients.…”

“…A novel finding of our study is the relatively high (16%) prevalence of methadone among the compound cases. Methadone injecting and its diversion from therapeutic use is a common problem in connection with opiate substitution therapy . However, no other studies in Hungary have shown such a high prevalence of methadone injection as suggested by our results.…”

Tailor‐Made Core‐Multishell Nanocarriers for the Delivery of Cationic Analgesics to Inflamed Tissue

“…[1,2] Current pain management relies on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids. [5][6][7] In contrast, κ-opioid receptor agonists lack the abuse potential of μ-opioids, which made them promising candidates for pain treatment. [3,4] Opioids are the strongest painkillers, which exert their action via three types of opioid receptors, μ, δ, and κ.…”

“…However, in addition to pain relief, they produce side effects such as sedation, constipation, respiratory depression, euphoria, misuse, and addiction, which resulted in the opioid crisis. [5][6][7] In contrast, κ-opioid receptor agonists lack the abuse potential of μ-opioids, which made them promising candidates for pain treatment. A prototypic κ-receptor selective agonist is U50,488H (U50), which has been shown to exert effective analgesia in animal pain models.…”