Examination of Over-the-Counter Drug Misuse Among Youth

This study examined the prevalence of intentional over-the-counter (OTC) drug misuse among teens and the relationship between OTC drug misuse and the misuse of other substances including illicit prescription drugs. Ten percent of 8th graders reported past year use of OTC drugs to get high. Misuse was more common among females than males. Among students who reported past year OTC drug misuse, the three most commonly reported past year drug use included pain relievers (56.2%), sedatives (48.3%) and stimulants (45.8%). Logistic regression analysis revealed females were 1.5 times more likely than males to report past year OTC drug use. In addition, past year OTC drug misuse was more common among those who had reported using cigarettes, alcohol, albuterol, inhalants, illicit pain relievers, illicit stimulants, and cocaine.