Elsevier

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Volume 143, 1 October 2014, Pages 272-276
Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Short communication
A survey of nonmedical use of tranquilizers, stimulants, and pain relievers among college students: Patterns of use among users and factors related to abstinence in non-users

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.07.034Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

This study examined lifetime non-medical prescription drug use among college students at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast. We assessed the motives, frequency of use, sources, and perceived emotional/physical risks of nonmedical prescription drugs. Specifically, we examined the non-medical use of prescription pain relievers, stimulants, and anti-anxiety medication.

Methods

We sent an internet-based survey to 1/3 of the student body and 303 students completed the survey.

Results

We found that 36.8% of the sample reported using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. First-year students were less likely to have used the drugs than those in other class years. Of those reporting use, 48% reported non-medical use of pain relievers, 72.8% reported using stimulants, and 39.8% reported using anti-anxiety medication. The most commonly used pain relievers were Vicodin (hydrocodone/acetaminophen), OxyContin (oxycodone), and codeine (acetaminophen/codeine). The most commonly used stimulants were Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine) and Ritalin (methylphenidate), while the most commonly used anti-anxiety medication was Xanax (alprazolam). When non-users were asked what factors influenced their choice not to abuse prescription drugs, 82% cited a lack of interest, 61% responded it was due to a fear of damaging their physical health, and 60.1% responded fear of damaging their mental health.

Conclusion

This study supports recent findings that show widespread non-medical use of prescription drugs among college students. Our report brings a more detailed understanding of the patterns of drug usage, and the factors influencing both drug use in those who use them and abstinence in those who choose not to use them.

Introduction

Many studies have looked at usage, motives, and risks of non-medical prescription drug use among young adults, specifically undergraduates. The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013) examined the use of psychotherapeutic drugs among 18–25 year olds, and past month usage was 5.1%. Studies show the rate of non-medical prescription drug use varies among college students (Garnier-Dykstra et al., 2012, McCabe, 2008, McCabe et al., 2005a, McCabe et al., 2005c, McCabe and Teter, 2007, Teter et al., 2006, White et al., 2006). More research that quantifies non-medical use of prescription drugs on the college campus is necessary, especially given the reported epidemic rates of use/abuse.

College students report using pain relievers, stimulants, and tranquilizers for various non-medical purposes. College students frequently use pain relievers (including hydrocodone products like Vicodin and codeine, and oxycodone products such as OxyContin and Percodan; Wu et al., 2008). Furthermore, stimulants are commonly used as study aids and to increase concentration (Burgard et al., 2013, Garnier-Dykstra et al., 2012, Hanson et al., 2013, Rozenbroeck and Rothstein, 2011, Teter et al., 2006). Lastly, tranquilizers are often used to amplify the high of another drug or offset its unfavorable effects (O’Brien, 2005).

The current study examines use of non-medical prescription drugs among college students at Skidmore College, a small private liberal arts college in the Capital District of New York (190 miles north of New York City). We sent nearly 900 undergraduates an online survey that assessed non-medical use of stimulants, pain relievers, and anti-anxiety medication (tranquilizers), including the frequency of and motivations for use, routes of administration, and perceived emotional/physical risks of use. We also assessed non-users’ perceptions of these drugs, why they abstain from use, and whether or not they perceive these drugs to be harmful to one's physical and mental health. We also asked user and non-user groups about polydrug use.

Section snippets

Participants

Participants were students at Skidmore College (∼2600 undergraduates). A random sample of one third of students from each class year was contacted through email, and the survey was emailed a week before classes ended for the semester. A total of 303 students gave consent; 93 were male, 200 female, 2 other, and 8 did not indicate their gender. There were 74 first-years, 68 sophomores, 85 juniors, 67 seniors, and 9 who did not indicate their class year.

Survey

The survey was created using Surveymonkey,

Demographics

A total of 303 students consented to participate in this survey. One hundred and ten students (36.8%) indicated that they had used prescription drugs non-medically. Of these, 58.6% were female and 41.4% were male. Ages ranged from 18 to 22; 11.7% were first-years, 24.3% sophomores, 34.2% juniors, and 29.7% seniors. There were 189 students (25.4% male, 73.4% female, and 1.2% other) who reported never using prescription drugs non-medically. Ages ranged from 18 to 23; 33.3% were first-years, 22.4%

Discussion

We found that 36.8% of the 303 undergraduates in our survey reported lifetime use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes, and that usage peaked during their junior year of college. Overall, we found that the most commonly used prescription drugs were stimulants, and the most commonly used stimulant was Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine). Stimulants were mostly used when studying for final exams, midterms, and regular exams. However, evidence of cognitive enhancement from stimulant

Role of funding source

Nothing declared.

Contributors

Author Robert M. Hallock administered the survey, compiled the data, revised multiple versions of sections from other authors and wrote remaining portions of the manuscript.

Author Sara A. Brandt did initial literature review, designed portions of the survey, input portions of the survey into Surveymonkey, wrote the introduction and the discussion sections, and a portion of the results section.

Author Elise C. Taverna did initial literature review, designed portions of the survey, input portions

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgement

The authors sincerely thank Kris Banowetz for critical feedback that improved the quality of the paper.

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    All authors contributed equally.

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