The Journal of Pain
Volume 9, Issue 6 , Pages 490-493 , June 2008

Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids: Furthering a Meaningful Research Agenda

  • Benedikt Fischer

      Affiliations

    • Centre for Addictions Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to Dr. B. Fischer, Centre for Addictions Research, University of Victoria, CARBC, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 2Y2.
  • ,
  • Juergen Rehm

      Affiliations

    • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

References 

  1. Blenkinsopp A, Bradley C. Patients, society, and the increase in self medication. BMJ. 1996;312:629–632
  2. Boyd CJ, McCabe SE, Cranford JA, Young A. Adolescents' motivations to abuse prescription medications. Pediatrics. 2006;118:2472–2480
  3. Brands B, Blake J, Sproule B, Gourlay D, Busto U. Prescription opioid abuse in patients presenting for methadone maintenance treatment. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2004;73:199–207
  4. Compton WM, Volkow ND. Major increases in opioid analgesic abuse in the United States: Concerns and strategies. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2006;81:103–107
  5. Deykin E, Levy J, Wells V. Adolescent depression, alcohol and drug abuse. Am J Public Health. 1987;77:178–182
  6. Dyer O. Seven doctors accused of over-prescribing heroin. BMJ. 2004;328(7438):483
  7. Fischer B, Rehm J. Understanding the parameters of non-medical use of prescription drugs: Moving beyond mere numbers. Addiction. 2007;102:1931–1932
  8. Fischer B, Rehm J. Illicit opioid use in the 21st century: Witnessing a paradigm shift. Addiction. 2007;102:499–501
  9. Fischer B, Rehm J, Kim G, Kirst M. Eyes wide shut? (A conceptual and empirical critique of methadone maintenance treatment). Eur Addict Res. 2005;11:1–12
  10. Fischer B, Rehm J, Patra J, Firestone Cruz M. Changes in illicit opioid use profiles across Canada. CMAJ. 2006;175:1–3
  11. Fishman SM, Papazian JS, Gonzalez S, Riches PS, Gilson A. Regulating opioid prescribing through prescription monitoring programs: Balancing drug diversion and treatment of pain. Pain Med. 2004;5:309–324
  12. Gilson A, Ryan K, Jonsson D, Dahl J. A reassessment of trends in the medical use and abuse of opioid analgesics and implications for diversion control. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2004;28:176–188
  13. Goldman B. The news on the street: Prescription drugs on the black market. CMAJ. 1998;159:149–150
  14. Gruber A, Pope H, Brown M. Do patients use marijuana as an antidepressant?. Depression. 1996;4:77–80
  15. Hall W, Degenhardt L. Medical marijuana initiatives: Are they justified? (How successful are they likely to be?). CNS Drugs. 2003;17:689–697
  16. Health Canada: National thematic workshop on preventing the problematic use of psychotropic pharmaceutics key messages report. Available at: http://www.nationalframework-cadrenational.ca/uploads/files/TWS_PsychoPharma/Pharmaceutical%20Workshop%20Report%20EN.pdf Accessed February 19, 2008
  17. Hurwitz W. The challenge of prescription drug misuse: A review and commentary. Pain Med. 2005;6:152–161
  18. International Narcotics Control Board. Narcotic drugs: Estimated world requirements for 2007: Statistics for 2005. http://www.incb.org/incb/en/annual_report_2006.htmlAccessed December 12, 2007
  19. Joranson DE, Gilson A. Wanted: A public health approach to prescription opioid abuse and diversion. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2006;15:632–634
  20. Khantzian EJ. The self-medication hypothesis of substance use disorders: A reconsideration and recent applications. Harvard Rev Psychiatry. 1997;4:231-224
  21. Klee H, Reid P. Drug use among the young and homeless: Coping through self-medication. Health. 1998;2:115–134
  22. Martyres RF, Clodes D, Burns JM. Seeking drugs or seeking help? (Escalating “doctor shopping” by young heroin users before fatal overdose). Med J Aust. 2004;180:211–214
  23. McCabe SE, Cranford JA, Boyd CJ, Teter CJ. Motives, diversion and routes of administration associated with nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Addict Behav. 2007;32:562–575
  24. McGavock H. Prescription-related illness: A scandalous pandemic. J Eval Clin Pract. 2004;10:491–497
  25. Narrow W, Rae D, Robins L, Reiger D. Revised prevalence estimates of mental disorders in the United States. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002;59:115–123
  26. Patton G, Hibbert M, Rosier M, Carlin J, Caust J, Bowes G. Is smoking associated with depression and anxiety in teenagers?. Am J Public Health. 1996;86:225–230
  27. Paulozzi L, Budnitz D, Xi Y. Increasing deaths from opioid analgesics in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2006;15:618–627
  28. Rehm J, Room R, Monteiro M, Gmel G, Graham K, Rehn N, et al. Alcohol use. In:  Ezzati M,  Lopez A,  Rodgers A,  Murray C editor. Comparative Quantification of Health Risks (Global and Regional Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risk Factors. Volume 1). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004;p. 959–1109
  29. Rehm J, Room R, Monteiro M, Gmel G, Graham K, Rehn N, et al. Alcohol as a risk factor for global burden of disease. Eur Addict Res. 2003;9:157–164
  30. Room R, Graham K, Rehm J, Jernigan D, Monteiro M. Drinking and its burden in a global perspective: Policy considerations and options. Eur Addict Res. 2003;9:165–175
  31. Watson S, Benson J, Joy J. Marijuana and medicine: Assessing the science base: A summary of the 1999 Institute of Medicine report. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000;57:547–552

 Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

PII: S1526-5900(08)00441-0

doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2008.03.002

The Journal of Pain
Volume 9, Issue 6 , Pages 490-493 , June 2008