Drug use related problems among nonmedical users of prescription stimulants: a web-based survey of college students from a Midwestern university.

Abstract

This college-based study compared nonmedical users of prescription stimulants to other types of drug users regarding drug use related problems. A Web survey was self-administered in 2005 by a probability sample of 3639 full-time undergraduate students (68% response rate) at a large public Midwestern 4-year university in the United States. The survey consisted of measures to assess substance use and misuse, including a modified version of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10). Nonmedical users of prescription stimulants were more likely than other drug users to report polydrug use. Nonmedical users of prescription stimulants had over four times greater odds than other drug users to experience three or more DAST-10 items in the past 12 months (AOR=4.61, 95% CI=3.28-6.48). Among nonmedical users of prescription stimulants, those who used prescription stimulants via intranasal and other non-oral routes of administration had greater odds than oral only users to experience three or more DAST-10 items in the past 12 months. The findings of the present study suggest that the majority of nonmedical users of prescription stimulants are polydrug users and should be screened for potential drug abuse or dependence, especially those who report non-oral routes of administration.