Misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines in South London nightclubs

Abstract

Objectives. There is currently little research on the extent of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines misuse in the United Kingdom. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of OTC/prescription medicine misuse in the South London nightclub community and to look at the sources of supply. Methods. Individuals attending nightclubs in South London catering for, but not exclusively for, men who have sex with men (MSM) were surveyed about their use of recreational drugs, prescription, and OTC medicines and where they obtained these medications. Results. In total, 313 individuals were surveyed: 282 (90.1%) were male and 248 (79.2%) were MSM; 113 (36.1%) had misused at least one medicine in their lifetime and were more likely to have lifetime use of a recreational drug (OR 9.74, 95% CI 1.27–74.44). Diazepam (25.2%) and Z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone, zaleplon) (16.3%) were the most commonly misused medicines. The sources were friends (32.9%), dealers (15.7%), primary care doctors (13.7%), Internet purchases (10.9%), and overseas (7.3%). Conclusion. OTC and prescription medicines misuse is common among nightclub attendees in South London with these medicines coming from numerous sources. Further work is needed to determine the extent of this problem and the various forms of drug diversion.

Keywords:

• Benzodiazepines
• misuse
• opioids
• prescription medications
• recreational drugs
• “Z-drugs”