The availability and portrayal of stimulants over the Internet.

purposeTo quantify the online availability and portrayal of amphetamine-class prescription stimulants with a focus on those medications commonly prescribed to and abused by adolescents.

methodThe Google search engine was used in searches to assess the frequency of web sites offering to sell controlled stimulants (retail sites) or web sites that directly linked to retail sites (portal sites). In addition separate searches were used to evaluate the portrayal of controlled prescription stimulants by the initial 20 web sites returned by Google. Retail and portal web site frequency was collected for each search. For searches measuring the portrayal of stimulants, web pages were categorized as pro-use, anti-misuse, neutral or other, based on set criteria.

resultsSites offering to sell stimulants without a prescription were found for nearly all search terms. Across all searches, the Schedule III stimulants indicated for the treatment of obesity returned more sites offering to sell stimulants without a prescription than Schedule II stimulants indicated for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Internet site portrayal of each stimulant varied; however sites that contained "methamphetamine" often included anti-misuse information.

conclusionsThe apparent availability of stimulants over the Internet without a prescription indicates the potential for a significant public health problem. The extent to which teens are obtaining these drugs via the Internet remains unclear, but clinicians must be aware of the potential for abuse, concomitant prescription use issues, illicit sources, and diversion of these medications, which can be highly addictive. Education of consumers and physicians as well as further governmental interventions are needed to limit the potential scope of this problem.