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March 3, 2008Non-Medical Use of Prescription Medications Associated with Drug Abuse Among College Students |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: College students who take frequently abused medications without a prescription appear to have a higher risk for drug abuse than those who use such therapies for medical reasons, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "These increases are likely the result of many factors, including improved awareness regarding the signs and symptoms of several disorders, increased duration of treatment, availability of new medications and increased marketing. The increases in prescription rates have raised public health concerns because of the abuse potential of these medications and high prevalence rates of non-medical use, abuse and dependence, especially among young adults 18 to 24 years of age." The survey asked whether the students had been prescribed or had used without a prescription four classes of prescription drugs---opioids, stimulants, sleeping aids and sedative or anxiety medications. Questions about whether the students had experienced drug-related problems (for instance, performing illegal activities to obtain drugs, having withdrawal symptoms or developing medical problems as a result of drug use) were used to screen them for drug abuse. There was no difference in the rate of positive screening between those who had reported using the drugs by prescription and those who reported never having taken them. The findings have important implications for prescribing frequently abused drugs to college students, Dr. McCabe notes.
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