Nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications is significantly associated with nonmedical use of prescription drugs among university students.

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Nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications is significantly associated with nonmedical use of prescription drugs among university students.

J Am Coll Health. 2017 Aug 16;:0

Authors: Le VT, Turner AN, McDaniel A, Hale KM, Athas C, Kwiek NC

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD).
PARTICIPANTS: University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939).
METHODS: Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey.
RESULTS: The majority of respondents were female, undergraduate, Caucasian, and not affiliated with Greek life. NMUPD and NMUOTC were reported by 21.4% and 11.2% of students, respectively. NMUOTC was significantly associated with NMUPD in unadjusted analyses and after adjustment for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and Greek membership (odds ratio: 3.37, 95% confidence interval: 2.17, 5.23). Secondary analyses showed a relationship between OTC cough medication misuse and NMUPD, OTC stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant misuse, and OTC sleep aid misuse with prescription depressant misuse.
CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance both of measuring the prevalence of OTC misuse and incorporating its misuse into assessments of poly-drug use in the university population.

PMID: 28812451 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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