Intentional misuse of over-the-counter medications, mental health, and polysubstance use in young adults.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7600747 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-3610 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00945145 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Community Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Amsterdam : Springer
Original Publication: New York, Human Sciences Press.

Alcohol Drinking/*adverse effects ; Nonprescription Drugs/*adverse effects ; Prescription Drug Misuse/*statistics & numerical data ; Substance-Related Disorders/*complications; Adolescent ; Adult ; Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology ; Alcohol Drinking/psychology ; Anxiety/epidemiology ; Colorado/epidemiology ; Comorbidity ; Depression/epidemiology ; Drug Interactions ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nonprescription Drugs/administration & dosage ; Prescription Drug Misuse/adverse effects ; Prescription Drug Misuse/psychology ; Prevalence ; Sex Distribution ; Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology ; Substance-Related Disorders/psychology ; United States/epidemiology ; Virginia/epidemiology ; Young Adult

In recent years, the non-medical use of prescription drugs (without a doctor's prescription) has increased dramatically. Less attention has been paid to the intentional misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Misuse of OTC medications has negative health consequences similar to those of illicit drugs, including psychosis, tachycardia, seizures and agitation. When mixed with alcohol or other drugs, these medications can also be dangerous: OTC-related emergency room visits increased 70% from 2004 to 2008. This study examined the intentional misuse of OTC medications, the non-medical use of prescription drugs, the use of alcohol and illicit drugs, and psychological factors in two samples of young adults (ages 18-25) from different areas of the United States (Total N = 1,197). Overall, 18.6% of the Colorado sample and 13.0% of the Virginia sample reported lifetime misuse of an OTC medication. Participants who reported misusing OTC medications were also significantly more likely to report using marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, and non-medical use of prescription analgesics, stimulants, anxiolytics, and sedatives. Participants who reported misusing OTC medications were more than twice as likely to report hazardous alcohol use, relative to individuals who denied misusing OTC medications. Individuals who had misused OTC medications scored significantly higher in sensation seeking and hopelessness and reported more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatic distress, relative to those who denied OTC misuse. Results suggest that a considerable minority of young adults are jeopardizing their health with the misuse of OTC medications as part of a pattern of polysubstance use.

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0 (Nonprescription Drugs)

Date Created: 20131217 Date Completed: 20150330 Latest Revision: 20211021

20231215

10.1007/s10900-013-9811-9

24338111