Sexual HIV transmission risk behaviors associated with stimulant drug injection among people who non-medically use gabapentin and opioids

ABSTRACT

Background

Recent research shows that co-use of stimulants and opioids appears to be increasing and injection of opioids and stimulants carries a risk for HIV transmission. This study examined stimulant injection and sexual HIV risk behaviors among individuals who reported nonmedical use of gabapentin and opioids (n = 62).

Methods

Comparisons of people who injected stimulants to those who did not were conducted using chi-square and t-tests.

Results

Compared to those who did not, people who injected stimulants, were less likely to be African American/Black (p < 0.05) and more likely to report sex with another person who injects drugs (p < 0.01), recent injections of prescription and/or illicit opioids (p < .000), and hepatitis C infection (p < 0.01). Condomless intercourse during group sex was more prevalent among stimulant injectors, significant at the trend level (p < 0.1).

Conclusions

Given the documented association between the use of opioids and nonmedical use of gabapentin and the growing trend of opioid-stimulant co-use, future research must examine whether nonmedical use of gabapentin is an indicator of substance use disorder severity and/or a risk factor for injection drug use. Education and intervention opportunities that address group sex and other sexual risk behaviors are warranted.

KEYWORDS:

• Opioids
• stimulants
• IDU
• gabapentin
• group sex
• sex risk
• HIV

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support this study will be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the DHHS Grant Number R03 DA043613 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health.