ArticleSingapore medical journal2022
Misuse of prescription medicines is as prevalent as the use of recreational drugs and novel psychoactive substances in Singapore: an unrecognised public health issue?
Article in Singapore medical journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of fall-prevention education on fall-related behaviors in older adults.BMC public health · 2026Trial
- Acute Intoxication After Baclofen Administration: A Review of the Literature and Methodological Proposals.Toxics · 2025Review
- Neurological adverse events associated with baclofen: A disproportionality analysis based on FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
- Profile and healthcare utilisation patterns of adolescent frequent attenders in Singapore primary care: a retrospective study.BMJ open · 2024Article
- The Adverse Effects and Nonmedical Use of Methylphenidate Before and After the Outbreak of COVID-19: Machine Learning Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Alprazolam-related deaths in Scotland, 2004-2020.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- A bibliometric analysis of the recent advances in diazepam from 2012 to 2021.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Misuse of prescription medicines and the harms associated with such use are growing threats across the world. There is currently, however, limited data on the extent of prescription medicine misuse in Singapore and whether this is a current threat in the country. Methods: An online survey, limited to 1,000 individuals (aged 21 years and over) who were residents in Singapore, was administered through a survey panel company in September 2015. The survey collected information on participant demographics, and their awareness, self-reported lifetime and past-year misuse of commonly available prescription medicines in Singapore as well as the use of a range of recreational drugs and novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Results: Lifetime (6.7%) and past-year (4.8%) misuse of any prescription medicine was comparable to lifetime (6.0%) and past-year (3.0%) use of any recreational drugs/NPS. The top five prescription medicines for lifetime misuse were: diazepam (2.7%); codeine (2.3%); dhasedyl (promethazine, codeine and ephedrine; 1.6%); panadeine (paracetamol and codeine; 1.5%); and methylphenidate (1.2%). The top five drugs for past-year misuse were: diazepam (1.6%); codeine (0.9%); panadeine (0.7%); alprazolam (0.6%); baclofen (0.6%); and gabapentin (0.6%). Conclusion: Misuse of prescription medicine in Singapore was common, with prevalence comparable to the use of recreational drugs/NPS. A common source for misused drugs was physicians. Further studies are required to determine whether this is more widespread in Singapore and establish the different forms of drug diversion, so that appropriate prevention strategies can be implemented.
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