Prescription medication exchange patterns among methadone maintenance patients

Exchange of prescription medications is a significant public health problem particularly among substance abusing populations. Little is known about the extent of medication sharing and receiving behaviors in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) populations and the factors associated with such behaviors.

We examined rates, and factors associated with past year medication sharing and receiving practices of 315 MMT smokers who had enrolled in a clinical trial of smoking cessation. Sequential logistic regression models estimated the effect of demographic and substance use variables on the probability of sharing or receiving medications.

Participants averaged 40 years of age, and 49% were male. Among persons prescribed medications, 19.9% reported sharing. Nearly 40% had used medication not prescribed to them. Pain medications, sleep medications, and sedatives, were most commonly shared and received. Younger age was a significant predictor of both sharing medications (OR=0.92, 95%CI 0.88; 0.96, p<.01) and receiving medications (OR=0.94, 95%CI 0.92; 0.97, p<.01). Financial hardship (OR=2.05, 95%CI 1.13; 3.72, p<.05), and recent use of heroin (OR=5.59, 95%CI 1.89; 16.57, p<.01) or cocaine (OR=3.70, 95%CI 1.48; 9.28, p<.05), were also independently associated with a significantly higher likelihood of receiving prescription drugs of abuse.

The high prevalence of prescription medication sharing and receiving behaviors among persons in MMT often include substances with abuse potential and suggest the need for comprehensive approaches for minimizing this phenomenon.