Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users
BackgroundAbuse of non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is associated with serious health consequences. However, due to inconsistent definitions of NOA abuse, prevalence estimates for the German population are unclear.ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse among self-medi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.864389/full |
| _version_ | 1818278785670184960 |
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| author | Christian Rauschert Nicki-Nils Seitz Sally Olderbak Sally Olderbak Oliver Pogarell Tobias Dreischulte Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus |
| author_facet | Christian Rauschert Nicki-Nils Seitz Sally Olderbak Sally Olderbak Oliver Pogarell Tobias Dreischulte Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus |
| author_sort | Christian Rauschert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAbuse of non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is associated with serious health consequences. However, due to inconsistent definitions of NOA abuse, prevalence estimates for the German population are unclear.ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse among self-medicated users of these drugs in the general German population and to identify risk factors.MethodsData are from the 2015 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse, a nationally representative sample with 9,204 individuals aged 18–64 years. Classification of NOA abuse was based on self-reported information according to the definition of the ICD-10-GM diagnosis F55.2 abuse of non-dependence producing substances. Multiple logistic regression was performed to examine associations between NOA abuse and sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related variables.ResultsThe weighted 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse was 14.6% (95%-CI [13.2- 16.0]) among self-medicated users of these drugs. Extrapolation of the proportion of individuals abusing NOA to the German population aged 18 to 64 is 3,243,396 individuals or 6.4% (95%-CI [5.7- 7.1]). Inexplicable physical pain, being underweight, depression, hazardous alcohol use, daily smoking, illegal drug use, and frequent use of NOA (one or more times per week and daily use) were associated with an increased probability of NOA abuse. The use of cannabis was associated with a lower probability of NOA abuse.ConclusionAbuse of NOA is highly prevalent in the German population. Against the background of increasing self-medication of NOA, healthcare providers need to be aware of potential risk factors of abuse to better identify and prevent this problem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:22:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41e7c02ea3fa47bcbffd18e534b1ee3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:22:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-41e7c02ea3fa47bcbffd18e534b1ee3d2022-12-22T00:08:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-04-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.864389864389Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated UsersChristian Rauschert0Nicki-Nils Seitz1Sally Olderbak2Sally Olderbak3Oliver Pogarell4Tobias Dreischulte5Ludwig Kraus6Ludwig Kraus7Ludwig Kraus8Department of Epidemiology and Diagnostics, IFT Institut für Therapieforschung, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Epidemiology and Diagnostics, IFT Institut für Therapieforschung, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Epidemiology and Diagnostics, IFT Institut für Therapieforschung, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, GermanyDepartment of General Practice and Family Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Epidemiology and Diagnostics, IFT Institut für Therapieforschung, Munich, GermanyDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HungaryBackgroundAbuse of non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is associated with serious health consequences. However, due to inconsistent definitions of NOA abuse, prevalence estimates for the German population are unclear.ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse among self-medicated users of these drugs in the general German population and to identify risk factors.MethodsData are from the 2015 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse, a nationally representative sample with 9,204 individuals aged 18–64 years. Classification of NOA abuse was based on self-reported information according to the definition of the ICD-10-GM diagnosis F55.2 abuse of non-dependence producing substances. Multiple logistic regression was performed to examine associations between NOA abuse and sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related variables.ResultsThe weighted 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse was 14.6% (95%-CI [13.2- 16.0]) among self-medicated users of these drugs. Extrapolation of the proportion of individuals abusing NOA to the German population aged 18 to 64 is 3,243,396 individuals or 6.4% (95%-CI [5.7- 7.1]). Inexplicable physical pain, being underweight, depression, hazardous alcohol use, daily smoking, illegal drug use, and frequent use of NOA (one or more times per week and daily use) were associated with an increased probability of NOA abuse. The use of cannabis was associated with a lower probability of NOA abuse.ConclusionAbuse of NOA is highly prevalent in the German population. Against the background of increasing self-medication of NOA, healthcare providers need to be aware of potential risk factors of abuse to better identify and prevent this problem.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.864389/fullnon-opioidanalgesicsabuseself-medicationepidemiological surveyover-the-counter |
| spellingShingle | Christian Rauschert Nicki-Nils Seitz Sally Olderbak Sally Olderbak Oliver Pogarell Tobias Dreischulte Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus Ludwig Kraus Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users Frontiers in Psychiatry non-opioid analgesics abuse self-medication epidemiological survey over-the-counter |
| title | Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users |
| title_full | Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users |
| title_fullStr | Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users |
| title_short | Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users |
| title_sort | abuse of non opioid analgesics in germany prevalence and associations among self medicated users |
| topic | non-opioid analgesics abuse self-medication epidemiological survey over-the-counter |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.864389/full |
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