Intranasal Use of Prescription Stimulants Among Adults Aged 18 to 30: Results From A Crowdsourcing Platform

Suzanne K. Vosburg, Stephen V. Faraone, Elizabeth Riley, Timothy Whitaker, Jessica Kardish, David Baker, Scott H. Kollins, Craig R. Rush

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: Few studies of prescription stimulant non-oral, non-medical use (NMU) (defined by use not as prescribed) have been conducted in adults beyond the college population. The purpose of this study was to characterize prescription stimulant non-oral use, specifically intranasal (IN) use (snorting) in young adults. Method: Amazon’s MTurk platform was used to recruit participants for an online survey. Data were collected from March to April 2020. Results: Thirty-two percent (n = 157) of survey respondents (N = 975), aged 18 to 30, reported IN prescription stimulant use (average of 32.1 episodes of lifetime IN use). Adderall was the most-reported prescription stimulant used intranasally (89.2%). Most IN users (82%; n = 68) reported spending no more than 5 minutes tampering with prescription stimulants. Intranasal users said they would take the medication orally if unable to tamper or manipulate medication for IN use. Conclusion: These data help quantify a complex public health issue of ongoing IN use of prescription stimulants and suggest a potential role for manipulation-deterrent medications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-25
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Attention Disorders
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© ©The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • intranasal use
  • non-medical use
  • prescription stimulants

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology

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