ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2021
Online surveillance of novel psychoactive substances (NPS): Monitoring Reddit discussions as a predictor of increased NPS-related exposures.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Monitoring novel psychoactive substance trends on social media: Analysis of discussions and dashboard implementation.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- Surveillance of emerging drug trends: utilizing the National Drug Early Warning System.Current opinion in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Key Considerations in the Design of a Sentinel Network for Drug Use: Qualitative Findings.Research square · 2025Article
- The Epidemiology of Recreational Use and Availability of DOC and DOI in the United States.Journal of psychoactive drugs · 2025Article
- Analysis of Drugs in Whole Blood by Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry with Integrated Solid-Phase Extraction.Analytical chemistry · 2025Article
- Substance Use Epidemiology as a Foundation for Prevention.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Review
- Law enforcement fentanyl seizures and overdose mortality in US counties, 2013-2020.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Trends in Fentanyl Content on Reddit Substance Use Forums, 2013-2021.Journal of general internal medicine · 2023Article
- Investigating Substance Use via Reddit: Systematic Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- A Collaborative Platform for Novel Compound Identification - Characterization of Designer Phencyclidines (PCPs) POXP, PTHP, and P2AP.Forensic chemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2023Article
- Self-reported adverse events associated with ∆Journal of cannabis research · 2023Article
- Three years of wastewater surveillance for new psychoactive substances from 16 countries.Water research X · 2023Article
- Interpol Review of Drug Analysis 2019-2022.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2023Review
- A review of synthetic cathinones emerging in recent years (2019-2022).Forensic toxicology · 2023Review
- Signals of increasing co-use of stimulants and opioids from online drug forum data.Harm reduction journal · 2022Article
- Development and Validation of an Image-Based Deep Learning Tool for Identification of Xylazine-Associated Wounds.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNovel psychoactive substances (NPS) present continuous and growing challenges for the scientific, medical, and interventional communities as emerging substances on recreational drug markets change national and international drug landscapes. NPS account for an increasing proportion of adverse events, hospitalizations, and deaths due to increasing potency and unanticipated biological effects compared to predecessors. This study evaluated the utility of drug use forums as an early indicator or predictor of impending intoxications with potentially harmful or lethal outcomes prior to their occurrences.
methodsEight NPS were selected for evaluation to assess the relationship between online mentions of drugs and their involvement in toxic exposures or overdoses. Mentions on Reddit drug forum discussions were tallied and toxicology testing results from forensic investigations in the US were assessed. The selected NPS covered several subclasses and a predetermined time range (2013-2020). They included carfentanil, U-47700, eutylone, flualprazolam, N-ethylpentylone, 5F-MDMB-PICA, isotonitazene, and brorphine.
resultsSeven NPS (excluding 5F-MDMB-PICA) appeared in discussions on Reddit prior to their implication in poisonings or intoxications. Distinct increases and decreases in number of mentions and number of exposures were observed. For most substances (n = 5, 63%), a rise in Reddit mentions was soon followed by a corresponding rise in toxicology positivity. Peak positivity for carfentanil and flualprazolam, however, preceded peak Reddit mentions.
conclusionsThis study demonstrated the utility of social media sites, such as Reddit, as a predictor for future trends in NPS-related exposures. These results provide confirmation that activity on drug use forums in the virtual world can help predict changes in exposures associated with new or re-emerging NPS in the real world. The results warrant further evaluation as a strategy for inclusion in early warning systems.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.