Writing-up [USA] Use of prescription stimulant meds

Tronica

Executive Director
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
4,402
Hello to the Bluelight community
Many of you are aware that Bluelight has a long standing partnership with Inflexxion.
Inflexxion conducts commissioned research for sponsoring organisations and works with Bluelight admins to refine research surveys.
They also provide Bluelight with a significant financial donation which helps keep us running without resorting to advertising :)
The following survey is about prescription stimulant medication use in the USA.
SURVEY LINK

More information about the research can be found below:
Your name: Jody Green, PhD
Institution: Inflexxion, an IBH company
Funding Source: funded by Arbor Pharmaceuticals LLC
Email address: [email protected]
A statement declaring if the study has received ethical clearance: This research has been approved by the New England Independent Review Board (NEIRB).
Start date: July 1, 2019
End date: December 31, 2019 or until enrollment numbers are complete (whichever occurs first)
A short study description: The purpose of this study is to learn how people use prescription medications prescribed by a doctor or obtained by other means. We are particularly interested in those who have used prescription stimulants by non-oral routes in the past 5 years.
Inclusion criteria: US residents, age of 18 years or more, and report non-oral use of prescription stimulant in past 5 years
Any exclusion criteria: Under 18 years old, Not living in the US
Any reimbursements or costs to be covered: No cost to participants
Approximate time commitment for participants: 15 mins

Bluelight encourages you to participate in the study (if you fit the criteria) and also to comment in this thread with any questions or concerns, so we can bring these to the attention of the research team.
 
Last edited:
Wasn't eligible for some reason, over 18 living in the US so I wonder what it was. That's OK though, good luck with your study!
 
Maybe parameters of the study could be presented initially in a clearer fashion so that volunteers do not experience this?

Thank you to all who tried to contribute.
 
arbor pharma makes and sells dextroamphetamine / amphetamine sulphate ... makes me wonder why they're doing this study ...
 
I'm just adding in the full inclusion criteria to the original post. Thanks for giving it a go though!
 
arbor pharma makes and sells dextroamphetamine / amphetamine sulphate ... makes me wonder why they're doing this study ...
appear active in the attempt to curb misuse?

A poster presentation based on a survey of adults ages 18 to 49 showed that among 1,207 adults reporting an ADHD diagnosis, nearly one-quarter reported non-medical use of stimulants. Among individuals with ADHD who had been prescribed a stimulant by a physician, 18% modified the drug they were taking in at least one way, either to experience a high or to try to relieve symptoms more effectively, says Stephen Faraone, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience & Physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

A second poster presentation, on a review of 20 studies reporting medical outcomes from non-medical use of stimulants, reported significant increases across several age groups in emergency department visits involving prescription stimulants from 2005-2010. Increases were actually higher among adults ages 35 and older than among youths under 18, says Faraone.

Faraone presented both posters at this month's conference. The two studies were funded by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, for which Faraone serves as a consultant. Arbor Pharmaceuticals is the maker of a brand-name version of dextroamphetamine for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents.

...

The adult survey data came from a YouGov survey encompassing 12,000 individuals. In the group of 1,207 adults who reported an ADHD diagnosis, 9.2% said they had lied about or exaggerated symptoms in order to convince their physician to prescribe medication.

Among those with stimulant prescriptions for ADHD who modified the drug, the three most commonly used modifications were chewing the drug prior to swallowing it, dissolving it in liquid prior to use, and snorting it. Those who alter the drug in ways such as chewing might report that this relieves their symptoms faster or is just more effective overall.

...

Prescribers of ADHD medication need to remain mindful that some of their patients may be misusing or diverting, Faraone says. An important stage at which to think about this occurs when a young adult is leaving home, transitioning from having medication secured by a parent to having control over how the medication is stored and used, he says.


https://www.accsa.co.za/single-post...n-Stimulant-Misuse-Reaches-Across-Populations

i'm ineligible. haven't had finals in over five years.
 
Last edited:
Ineligible. I think that they're mainly recruiting people who inject/injected or snort/snorted it. Any unconventional method.
 
shame, can't contribute here of all places go figure, do these surveys have some sort of impact on trying to reduce the amount of amp prescriptions written in some way shape or form? i'm an advocate of using substances to aid in whichever capacity nessesary and would hate to see amphetamines demonized like opiates are now even though they really shouldn't be to the extent they are
 
Results from some studies, volunteers from our community participate in, are considered when making or changing regulations. I don't think amphetamines will ever reach the demonization level of opiates as they don't cause fatal OD death rates anywhere close to opiates. Current amphetamine prescribing guidelines, for adults in the US, seem very fair and solid to me.
 
This should be titled "Non-medical abuse of prescription stimulants" since they apparently aren't interested in anyone who uses them legitimately. Or just reasonably, since there's very little point in ever snorting or injecting 10mg of a substance carried in a half gram of pill binder unless you have little regard for safety.

Current amphetamine prescribing guidelines are certainly more fair and reasonable than opioid prescribing practices. Still unnecessarily annoying to apply schedule II limitations to a drug that's mostly used nowadays as a maintenance medication to treat a lifelong condition, and that pretty much never contributes to fatalities.

Benzodiazepines are schedule IV and do commonly contribute to fatal opioid/alcohol overdoses, fatal accidents, and cause dangerous physical withdrawal unlike d-amp. I think refills would not be unreasonable for those with ADHD or narcolepsy. That said, at least you are allowed up to a 3 month supply now.
 
Last edited:
This should be titled "Non-medical abuse of prescription stimulants" since they apparently aren't interested in anyone who uses them legitimately.

Just a note that I composed the title of this thread. In Australia the word 'abuse' is avoided when it comes to drugs. The phrases 'drug abuse' and especially 'drug abusers' are considered stigmatising. Hence I just use the terms 'use' or 'consume' to avoid making any judgements on people's consumption habits.
 
Top