Nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications is significantly associated with nonmedical use of prescription drugs among university students.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD).

PARTICIPANTS

University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939).

METHODS

Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey.

RESULTS

The majority of respondents were women, undergraduate, Caucasian, and not affiliated with Greek life. NMUPD and NMUOTC were reported by 21.4% and 11.2% of students, respectively. NMUOTC was significantly associated with NMUPD in unadjusted analyses and after adjustment for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and Greek membership (odds ratio: 3.37, 95% confidence interval: 2.17, 5.23). Secondary analyses showed a relationship between over-the-counter (OTC) cough medication misuse and NMUPD, OTC stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant misuse, and OTC sleep aid misuse with prescription depressant misuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest the importance of both measuring the prevalence of OTC misuse and incorporating its misuse into assessments of polydrug use in the university population.