The availability of web sites offering to sell
opioid medications without prescriptions
by
Forman RF, Woody GE, McLellan T, Lynch KG.
Medical Affairs Alkermes, Inc., 88 Sidney St.,
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
robert.forman@alkermes.com
Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Jul;163(7):1233-8.
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the availability of web sites offering to sell opioid medications without prescriptions. METHOD: Forty-seven Internet searches were conducted with a variety of opioid medication terms, including "codeine," "no prescription Vicodin," and "OxyContin." Two independent raters examined the links generated in each search and resolved any coding disagreements. The resulting links were coded as "no prescription web sites" (NPWs) if they offered to sell opioid medications without prescriptions. RESULTS: In searches with terms such as "no prescription codeine" and "Vicodin," over 50% of the links obtained were coded as "NPWs." The proportion of links yielding NPWs was greater when the phrase "no prescription" was added to the opioid term. More than 300 opioid NPWs were identified and entered into a database. CONCLUSIONS: Three national drug-use monitoring studies have cited significant increases in prescription opioid use over the past 5 years, particularly among young people. The emergence of NPWs introduces a new vector for unregulated access to opioids. Research is needed to determine the effect of NPWs on prescription opioid use initiation, misuse, and dependence.
E-pharmacies
Pain-relief Medication
Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
Oxycodone (Oxycontin)
No prescription websites
Buying drugs without a prescription
Online, Offshore and Mexican Pharmacies
Two Agencies to Fight Online Narcotics Sales
Prescription opioid use, misuse, and diversion in NYC
Vicodin: 'some of them actually think they deserve it'
Does US drug policy leave millions of pain patients in agony?
Buying drugs online: pharmaceutical roulette or consumer freedom?
and further reading
Refs
HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World
The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family
