The DOI matches its Crossref record; 70 of the 71 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Initiation into prescription opioid misuse amongst young injection drug users
Open accessAbstract
Background Prescription opioids are the most frequently misused class of prescription drugs amongst young adults. Initiation into prescription opioid misuse is an important public health concern since opioids are increasingly associated with drug dependence and fatal overdose. Descriptive data about initiation into prescription opioid misuse amongst young injection drug users (IDUs) are scarce.Methods An exploratory qualitative study was undertaken to describe patterns of initiation into prescription opioid misuse amongst IDUs aged 16-25 years. Those young IDUs who had misused a prescription drug at least three times in the past three months were recruited during 2008 and 2009 in Los Angeles (n=25) and New York (n=25). Informed by an ethno-epidemiological approach, descriptive data from a semi-structured interview guide were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively.Results Initiation into prescription opioid misuse was facilitated by easy access to opioids via participant's own prescription, family, or friends, and occurred earlier than misuse of other illicit drugs, such as heroin. Nearly all transitioned into sniffing opioids, most injected opioids, and many initiated injection drug use with an opioid. Motives for transitions to sniffing and injecting opioids included obtaining a more potent high and/or substituting for heroin; access to multiple sources of opioids was common amongst those who progressed to sniffing and injecting opioids.Conclusion Prescription opioid misuse was a key feature of trajectories into injection drug use and/or heroin use amongst this sample of young IDUs. A new pattern of drug use may be emerging whereby IDUs initiate prescription opioid misuse before using heroin.
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“Non medical use of pharmaceutical opioids leading to injection heroin use and concomitant use of heroin and pharmaceuticals opioids have been reported (Siegal et al., 1994; Lankenau et al., 2012; Nielsen et al., 2011; Wilkins et al., 2011).”
From National trends in pharmaceutical opioid related overdose deaths compared to other substance related overdose deaths: 1999-2009. (2013) · cites this paper as Lankenau et al., 2012
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Metadata
- Authors
- Lankenau, S. E., Teti, M., Silva, K., Bloom, J. J., Harocopos, A., & Treese, M.
- Affiliations
- Drexel University (US)
- University of Missouri (US)
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles (US)
- National Development and Research Institutes (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lankenau, Stephen E.
- Venue
- International Journal of Drug Policy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-01
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 37-44
- ISSN
- 0955-3959 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3196821
- OpenAlex
- W2128960742
- Cited by
- 440
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 20.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- International Journal of Drug Policy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA021299)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- prescription opioid misuse, intravenous drug use, young adults, opioid initiation, heroin use, substance use trajectories, opioid access, drug addiction, opioid overdose, illicit drug use
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Adult, Age Factors, Analgesics, Opioid, Heroin, Family, Family Health, Female, Humans, Male, Opioid-Related Disorders, New York City, Surveys and Questionnaires, Los Angeles, Substance Abuse, Intravenous, Friends, Prescription Drugs, Young Adult, Drug-Seeking Behavior
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