Prescription Opioid Misuse

Fulton, Heather G.; Barrett, Sean P.; Stewart, Sherry H.; MacIsaac, Cindy

doi:10.1097/adm.0b013e3182351550

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

(15 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A study of college students found the primary reason for prescription stimulant misuse was academic performance enhancement; whereas, benzodiazepines were misused primarily to get high (Stone & Merlo, 2011). Further, a study of non-healthcare professionals in treatment for prescription opioid use disorders reported getting high, curiosity, and pain management as their primary reasons for initial misuse of prescription opioids, and preventing withdrawal as the primary reason for recent use (Fulton et al, 2012). This provides additional evidence that healthcare professionals who misuse prescription drugs may represent a special sub-population of substance users, who may use substances for various reasons and may require different methods of prevention and intervention to be most effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Medication Among Physicians Undergoing Monitoring by a Physician Health Program

Merlo

Singhakant

Cummings

et al. 2013

Journal of Addiction Medicine

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives Substance related impairment of physicians is a small but serious problem, with significant consequences for patient safety and public health. The purpose of the present study was to identify reasons for prescription drug misuse among physicians referred to a physician health program for monitoring due to substance-related impairment, in order to develop better mechanisms of prevention and intervention. Methods A total of 55 physicians (94.5% male) who were being monitored by their State professional health program due to substance-related impairment participated in guided focus group discussions. Participation was anonymous. Discussions were transcribed from nine separate focus groups, lasting 60–90 minutes each. Qualitative analyses were conducted to examine themes. Results All participants were diagnosed with substance dependence, and 69.1% of them endorsed a history of misusing prescription drugs. Participants documented five primary reasons for prescription drug misuse: 1) to manage physical pain, 2) to manage emotional/psychiatric distress, 3) to manage stressful situations, 4) for recreational purposes, and 5) to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Conclusions Our results emphasize the importance of self-medication as a leading reason for misusing prescription medications, though recreational use was also an important factor. Prevention efforts targeting prescription drug misuse among physicians should be initiated during medical training, with continuing education occurring throughout the physicians’ careers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Medication Among Physicians Undergoing Monitoring by a Physician Health Program

Merlo

Singhakant

Cummings

et al. 2013

Journal of Addiction Medicine

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Harmonizing Post-Market Surveillance of Prescription Drug Misuse: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Using Routinely Collected Data (2000–2013)

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Prescription drug misuse is a growing public health concern globally. Routinely collected data provides a valuable tool for quantifying prescription drug misuse.Objective To synthesize the global literature investigating prescription drug misuse utilizing routinely collected, person-level prescription/dispensing data to examine reported measures, documented extent of misuse and associated factors.Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE In Process, Scopus citations and Google Scholar for relevant articles published between January 1 2000-July 31 2013. We screened 10,803 abstracts and retrieved 281 full-text manuscripts. Fifty-two peer-reviewed, English-language manuscripts met our inclusion criteria: an aim/method investigating prescription drug misuse and a measure of misuse derived exclusively from prescription/dispensing data.Results Four proxies of prescription drug misuse were used commonly across studies: number of prescribers, dispensing pharmacies, early refills and volume of drugs dispensed. We identified 89 unique measures of misuse across the 52 studies, reflecting the heterogeneity in how measures are constructed; single or composite; different thresholds, cohort definitions and time period of assessment. Consequently, it was not possible to make definitive comparisons about the extent (range reported: 0.01-93.5%), variations and factors associated with prescription drug misuse.Conclusion Routine data collections are relatively consistent across jurisdictions. Despite the heterogeneity of the current literature, our review identifies the capacity to develop universally accepted metrics of misuse applied to a core set of variables in prescription/dispensing claims. Our timely recommendations have the potential to unify the global research field and increase the capacity for routine surveillance of prescription drug misuse. 3 Key points Prescription drug misuse is increasing globally. This can be monitored readily using routinely collected data; quantifying drug access patterns at the population-level. Our review identified only four common proxies for prescription drug misuse (number of prescribers; number of dispensing pharmacies; volume of drug(s) dispensed; and/or overlapping prescriptions/early refills) yet they were used to derive 89 unique definitions of misuse due to variations in thresholds, or use alone or in combination. We recommend the development of consistent and replicable metrics to facilitate monitoring and comparisons of the extent of prescription drug misuse across health care settings and over time.

show abstract

Prescription Opioid Misuse

Cited by 2 publications

References 17 publications

Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Medication Among Physicians Undergoing Monitoring by a Physician Health Program

Reasons for Misuse of Prescription Medication Among Physicians Undergoing Monitoring by a Physician Health Program

Harmonizing Post-Market Surveillance of Prescription Drug Misuse: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Using Routinely Collected Data (2000–2013)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About