Misuse of methamphetamine and prescription stimulants among youths and young adults in the community.
Abstract
Gender differences in the prevalence and characteristics of misuse of methamphetamine
(meth) and prescription stimulants were examined in a representative US sample of
youths and young adults aged 16-25 (N=24,409).Stimulant misusers were categorized
into three mutually exclusive subgroups: meth users only, meth and prescription stimulant
users, and prescription stimulant users only (e.g., Benzedrine, Ritalin, or Dexedrine).
Multinominal logistic regression analyses identified the characteristics associated
with misuse of meth and prescription stimulants.About 1 in 10 youths reported any
misuse of stimulants in their lifetime. Prescription stimulant misuse occurred earlier
and was more frequent than meth misuse. About 47% of meth misusers also reported prescription
stimulant misuse. Among misusers of meth and prescription stimulants, males were more
likely than females to misuse methylphenidate (82% versus 65%) but were less likely
to misuse diet pills or amphetamines (37% versus 49%). Multinominal logistic regression
analyses indicated that all subgroups of lifetime stimulant misuse were associated
with past year substance abuse. The characteristics of meth misusers differed slightly
from prescription stimulants misusers.Multidrug use is common among stimulant misusers.
Parents should be informed about the risk of prescription stimulant misuse by their
youths.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansSubstance-Related Disorders
Alcoholism
Amphetamine-Related Disorders
Dextroamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methylphenidate
Central Nervous System Stimulants
Health Surveys
Incidence
Cross-Sectional Studies
Comorbidity
Crime
Socioeconomic Factors
Students
Adolescent
Adult
Ethnic Groups
Female
Male
Statistics as Topic
Drug Prescriptions
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20018Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.12.020Publication Info
Wu, Li-Tzy; Pilowsky, Daniel J; Schlenger, William E; & Galvin, Deborah M (2007). Misuse of methamphetamine and prescription stimulants among youths and young adults
in the community. Drug and alcohol dependence, 89(2-3). pp. 195-205. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.12.020. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/20018.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder

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