{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T12:27:50Z","timestamp":1788870470106,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"10","content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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%).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.11622\/smedj.2020024","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,17]],"date-time":"2020-03-17T02:56:20Z","timestamp":1584413780000},"page":"572-576","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Misuse of prescription medicines is as prevalent as the use of recreational drugs and novel psychoactive substances in Singapore: an unrecognised public health issue?"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"63","author":[{"given":"Wui Ling","family":"Chan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Emergency Department, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul Ivor","family":"Dargan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Toxicology, Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 NHS Foundation Trust and King\u2019s Health Partners, St Thomas\u2019 Hospital, London, UK"},{"name":"Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Colleen Michelle","family":"Haynes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC), Denver Health, Research Department, Denver, CO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jody Lynn","family":"Green","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Inflexxion, Costa Mesa, CA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joshua Curtis","family":"Black","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC), Denver Health, Research Department, Denver, CO, 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