Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Apr;40(3):224-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2010.11.003. Epub 2010 Dec 28.

Prescription and over-the-counter drug treatment admissions to the California public treatment system

Rachel Gonzales  1 , Mary-Lynn Brecht, Larissa Mooney, Richard A Rawson
Affiliations

Prescription and over-the-counter drug treatment admissions to the California public treatment system

Rachel Gonzales et al. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse has become a focal point of public health policy, prevention, and control efforts. Adolescents represent one of the fastest growing segments of the general population abusing prescription and OTC drugs as represented by national surveys. This article reports on treatment admission data to the California addiction public system for prescription and OTC drugs among two age subgroups: adolescents 12-17 years and adults 18 years and older. Of the 6,841 admissions for primary abuse of prescription and OTC drugs in California (during 2006-2007), most adolescent admissions (12-17) were for stimulant prescription and OTC drugs (45.3% and 32.1%, respectively), whereas opioid prescription drugs (88.9%) were most common for adults 18 years and older. Differences in psychosocial, treatment, and substance use characteristics between these two age subgroups are described. Results from this study offer useful treatment admission information about prescription and OTC drug abuse within the California public addiction treatment system.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Anthony JC, Warner LA, Kessler RC. Comparative epidemiology of dependence on tobacco, alcohol, controlled substance, and inhalants: Basic findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1994;2:244–268.
    1. Arria AM, Caldeira KM, Vincent KB, O’Grady KE, Wish ED. Perceived harmfulness predicts nonmedical use of prescription drugs among college students: Interactions with sensation-seeking. Prevention Science. 2008;9:191–201. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Austin G, Skager R. Highlights: 12th Biennial California Student Survey Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Use 2007–08. Sacramento, CA: California Attorney General’s Office; 2008.
    1. Bryner JK, Wang UK, Hui JW, Bedodo M, MacDougall C, Anderson IB. Dextromethorphan abuse in adolescence: An increasing trend: 1999–2004. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2006;160:1217–1222. - PMC - PubMed
    1. CalOMS Tx Data Collection Guide. California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. 2009 File Version 1.0 http://www.adp.ca.gov/CalOMS/pdf/CalOMS_Data_Collection_Guide.pdf.