medication errors and adverse drug events can bring about hospitalization, permanent injury, or death. patients due to lack of adequate understanding of instruction may unintentionally misuse a prescribed medicine. the aims of the study were to examine whether patients with low back pain were correctly able to understand physician's instructions regarding drug use and also to identify influenci...

background and aims. irrational prescription of antibiotics by clinicians might lead to drug resistance. clinicians do prescribe antibiotics for either prophylactic or therapeutic reasons. the decision of when and what to prescribe leaves room for misuse and therefore it is imperative to continuously monitor knowledge and pattern of prescription. the aim of the present study was to determine th...

OBJECTIVE This study estimated prevalences and correlates of stimulant diversion in the United States and examined relationships between diversion and measures of abuse or dependence. METHODS We conducted descriptive and multivariate analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Key measures were nonmedical use (misuse) of any prescription stimulant, any stimulant other th...

Multidrug use is well documented among nonmedical users of prescription stimulants. We sought to provide insight into the drug use patterns of those reporting nonmedical use of prescription attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulants in an attempt to discern whether such use is a first step in a pattern of drug-abusing behavior or, conversely, is a later development accompanied o...

OBJECTIVE To identify prescription drug-seeking behaviour patterns among young people who subsequently died of heroin-related overdose. DESIGN Linkage of Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Coroner's Court records from Victoria. SUBJECTS Two hundred and two 15-24-year-olds who died of heroin-related overdose between 6 January 1994 and 6 October 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patt...

introduction: irrational drug prescription is a controversial issue around the world that inter-feres not only with the patient's life but also with the society and economy. despite few studies, there is no enough data on the prescription ha bits of dental practitioners. so, we aimed at eva luating the same issue in rasht, iran. materials and methods: this cross-sectional re-trospective st...

BACKGROUND Overdose deaths have increased steadily over the past decade. This report describes drug-related deaths and emergency department (ED) visits among women. METHODS CDC analyzed rates of fatal drug overdoses and drug misuse- or abuse-related ED visits among women using data from the National Vital Statistics System (1999-2010) and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (2004-2010). RESULTS ...

Therapeutic use, overuse, abuse, and diversion of controlled substances in managing chronic non-cancer pain continue to be an issue for physicians and patients. The challenge is to eliminate or significantly curtail abuse of controlled prescription drugs while still assuring the proper treatment of those patients. Some physicians are apprehensive regarding the use of chronic opioid therapy in c...

Chronic pain and prescription opioid abuse are extremely prevalent both in this country and worldwide. Consequences of opioid misuse can be life-threatening with significant morbidity and mortality, exacting a heavy toll on patients, physicians, and society. Individuals with chronic pain and co-occurring substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders, are at a higher risk for misuse of ...

BACKGROUND Rates of prescription drug abuse have reached epidemic proportions. Large-scale epidemiologic surveys of this under-recognized clinical problem have not included antidepressants despite their contribution to morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to look specifically at the misuse of antidepressants and how this behavior may fit into the growing crisis of nonmedical u...