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Doctor and pharmacy shopping for controlled substances
Gretchen L Peirce1, Michael J Smith, Marie A Abate
1School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Medical Care
|March 14, 2012
Summary
Individuals who engaged in doctor and pharmacy shopping for controlled substances had higher odds of drug-related death. Prescription monitoring programs can help identify at-risk patients.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Prescription drug abuse is a significant public health issue, with West Virginia experiencing high drug-related death rates.
- Limited research exists comparing doctor and pharmacy shopping behaviors between individuals who died from drug overdose and living individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare doctor and pharmacy shopping for controlled substances in deceased versus living subjects in West Virginia.
- To identify factors associated with drug-related death.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study utilized West Virginia Controlled Substance Monitoring Program data (July 2005-December 2007).
- Compared deceased individuals (drug-related death) with living individuals for prior doctor and pharmacy shopping.
- Logistic regression identified factors linked to drug-related death.
Main Results:
- Deceased subjects showed significantly higher rates of doctor shopping (25.21% vs. 3.58%) and pharmacy shopping (17.48% vs. 1.30%).
- A substantial overlap existed between doctor and pharmacy shoppers.
- Factors increasing odds of drug-related death included younger age, more prescriptions, opioid/benzodiazepine exposure, and shopping behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Doctor and pharmacy shopping for controlled substances are linked to drug-related death.
- Prescription monitoring programs show potential for identifying high-risk individuals at the point of care.
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