Clinical characteristics of over‐the‐counter (OTC) drug abusers in psychiatric practice in Japan: Comparison of single and multiple OTC product abusers

• Published in: Neuropsychopharmacology reports 2024-03, Vol.44 (1), p.176-186
• Main Authors: Tanibuchi, Yuko, Omiya, Soichiro, Usami, Takashi, Matsumoto, Toshihiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: addiction; Adult; Antipsychotics; Benzodiazepines; clinical characteristics; Cold remedies; Drug abuse; Drug crimes; drug dependence; Drug stores; Drug Users; Emergency medical care; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Japan; Medical practices; Mental disorders; Nonprescription drugs; Nonprescription Drugs - adverse effects; Online sales; Original; over‐the‐counter drug users; Prescription drugs; Psychotropic drugs; Secondary school students; Secondary schools; Self-medication; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trends
• ISSN: 2574-173X; 2574-173X
• DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12415

Objective To examine the clinical characteristics of over‐the‐counter (OTC) drug abusers in psychiatric practice in Japan. Method We examined the attributes, ICD‐10 subcategory, and comorbid mental disorders of patients who mainly abuse OTC products and compared the clinical characteristics of single product and multiple products abusers, using the database of the “2022 Nationwide Mental Hospital Survey of Drug‐related Disorders.” Results Among the 2468 subjects included in this survey, 273 (11.1%) used OTC products as main drugs. Of these, 209 (78.3%) and 58 (21.7%) were classified into the single product group and the multiple products group, respectively. Six were excluded for unknown ingredients. By comparing these groups, we found that many of the multiple products group consisted of young women who were recently treated for drug problems. Many subjects in the group also had a short treatment period. No differences were observed between the groups regarding the ICD‐10 F1 subcategory, but many subjects in the multiple products group fulfilled the criteria of F6 “disorders of adult personality and behavior.” Conclusion OTC products are easily accessible drugs of abuse for young women in Japan. The results of this study indicate the necessity to reconsider the educational approach for preventing drug abuse, which has focused on illicit drugs. The study also indicates that some OTC products, which contain ingredients banned overseas due to their harmful effects, are still sold in Japan and that abusers for those products exist. Measures by the government are considered urgently needed. We compared single product abusers with multiple product abusers of OTC and conducted a detailed investigation of the clinical characteristics of OTC abusers in Japan.