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An Examination of American Women’s Participation in Pill
Sharing Networks
Cynthia Bass-Thomas B.S., Amber J. Dorsey M.S., Norman Weatherby Ph.D.
Department of Health and Human Performance
Middle Tennessee State University
Introduction
Results
Table 1
In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported widespread prescription opioid
use among reproductive-aged women, and these
women have an increased risk of death from an
overdose. Limited research is available regarding pill
sharing networks and prescription drug abuse.
Therefore, this study will examine the relationship
between women’s participation in pill sharing
networks and the number of opiate pills taken per
month.
The anticipated results should show women who are
central figures in a pill sharing network are more likely
to take at least 30 opiate pills per month than women
who are on the fringes of pill sharing networks. Other
expected
outcomes
will
identify
participant’s
interactions within a pill sharing network amongst one
another, and how doctor shopping is navigated outside
of their network.
Women and Prescription Drug Abuse
Women have become prime targets for prescription
drug abuse due to high stress levels and numerous
physical health problems (Cicero et al., 2011).
People who abuse prescription drugs and engage in
diversion tactics are viewed differently by
researchers according to gender.
Deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses
among women have increased more than 400%
since 1999, compared to 265% among men. About
18 women die every day of a prescription painkiller
overdose in the US, more than 6,600 deaths in
2010. Prescription painkiller overdoses are an
under-recognized and growing problem for women
(Centers for Disease and Prevention, 2013).
Prescription drugs are abused by more women than
men.
Pill Sharing and Doctor Shopping
According to the United States Department of
Justice, doctor shopping is the most widely used
method of diversion of prescription drugs (2009).
Pill sharing networks often include the buying and
selling of opiate prescription drugs in order to
continue usage. Studies have found that people who
sell prescription drugs often visit numerous clinics
to obtain large amounts of prescription drugs,
sponsor others to obtain prescription drugs, and buy
prescription drugs from vulnerable people such as
veterans, the elderly, people on Medicare or
Medicaid, or those with HIV/AIDS (Rigg, Kurtz, &
Surratt, 2012). Pill sharing networks involves doctor
shopping. The term “doctor shopping” has
traditionally referred to obtaining controlled
substances from multiple health care providers
without the prescribers’ knowledge of the other
written prescriptions (The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2012).
Conclusion
Methods
The target population will be drawn from women who
are opiate prescription abusers in Nashville, TN. The
sample size will consist of 2 to 3 networks with 10 to
20 participants each. A cross-sectional research
design method will be employed, in addition to
combining qualitative interviews and survey research,
and a network analysis.
Figure 1
The number of opiate pills taken, the extent of
participation in a pill sharing network, and diversion
mechanism are factors that should be considered when
designing measurement instruments and interventions
to reduce prescription opiate abuse among this
population.
Limitations
Sample size is a concern in this study. Observing a
limited number of occasions or a limited number of
participants may provide a brief overview of pill sharing
behaviors. The sample population may not represent
prescription drug abusers therefore; results cannot be
generalized to the population.
References
1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2013).
Prescription Painkiller Overdoses. [online]
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/prescriptionpainkillerover
doses/
2.Cicero, T. J., Kurtz, S. P., Surratt, H. L., Ibanez, G. E., Ellis,
M. S., Levi-Minzi, M.A., & Inciardi, J. A. (2011). Multiple
determinants of specific modes of prescription opioid
diversion. Journal of Drug Issues, 41(2), 283-304.
3.Rigg, K. K., Kurtz, S. P., & Surratt, H. L. (2012). Patterns of
prescription medication diversion among drug dealers.
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 19(2), 145-155
4.Department of Justice. (2009). Facts about prescription
drug diversion and abuse.[online]
http://www.justice.gove/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr052009.ht
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2015 Middle Tennessee State University Scholar’s Week (March 16th-March 20th , 2015)