Friday Focus: Prescription and Over the Counter Drugs

Increasingly we are receiving calls from people who want help with prescription and over the counter (OTC) medicines.

GENERAL INFORMATION

There are many sources of general information on medications. The most authoritative, aimed at professionals, is the British National Formulary (BNF).

However, there are a number of sites aimed at the general public that offer overviews of the effects of different types of drugs (including prescription and OTC):

A-Z of drugs - information from the national FRANK campaign on the effects of various drugs, including tranquillisers.

DrugSearch - our online drug encyclopaedia has entries for various drugs, including Tranquillisers.

NHS Direct - searchable database of health information: try searching for antidepressants or tranquillisers to find basic overviews of their purpose and effects.

Patient UK - includes information on antidepressants

NATIONAL DRUG HELPLINES

FRANK - the national helpline for England and Wales and so should be able to provide information, advice and details of other services.

Know the Score - Scotland's national drug information service, similarly able to give information, support, advice.

The treatment directories highlighted in December include listings for general drugs helplines.

SITES AIMED AT PRESCRIPTION / OTC DRUG USERS

The following sites provide information about these drugs, and some offer helplines or online fora:

Battle Against Tranquillisers - information on tranquillisers and how to cut down on them.

BENZACT - information on benzodiazepines.

Benzo - self-help discussion group.

benzo.org.uk - a wealth of information and advice on benzodiazepines and the benzoisland.org support forum.

Codeine Free - forum for codeine users.

Codeine Information - includes a public forum.

Over-Count Drugs Information and Advice Agency - website offers information and they operate a helpline and text service (see website for opening hours).

Council for Involuntary Tranquilliser Addiction (CITA) - information on tranquilliser addiction.

Tranx Release Helpline - Monday-Friday 10am-3pm 0151 930 4287

Solpadeine Help - website of information on solpadeine and other over the counter painkillers. There is a chatroom where people can discuss issues with others in the same situation.

It is possible to find services that help people with prescription and / or over the counter drug issuse on Helpfinder: in the Drugs targeted / treated box, choose either Prescription or Over the counter.

Anne Welsh
Information Officer - Cataloguing and Indexing

New Online

106711
The World Anti-Doping Code: the 2006 prohibited list: international standard.
World Anti-Doping Agency.
Canada: Montreal: WADA, 2006. 11p.
This document outlines substances that are prohibited in competitive sport throughout the world.

106622
Mind over matter: improving media reporting of mental health
Shift.
London: Shift, 2006. 17p.
The report finds public understanding of mental health has improved enormously over recent years, as has media reporting. But prejudiced attitudes still remain deeply ingrained in society - and in the media.

106668
Evaluation of the Scottish Prison Service Transitional Care Initiative. Summary.
Murray L., McIvor G., Malloch M., Barry M. UK. Scotland. Scottish Executive. Substance Misuse Division. Substance Misuse Research Team.
Edinburgh: SMRT, 2006. 4p.

106669
Evaluation of the Scottish Prison Service Transitional Care Initiative.
Murray L., McIvor G., Malloch M., Barry M. UK. Scotland. Scottish Executive. Substance Misuse Division. Substance Misuse Research Team.
Edinburgh: SMRT, 2006. 94p.
ISBN 075592942X
It appears that Transitional Care was reasonably effective at linking clients with services as indicated by the survey and monitoring data. However the extent to which it linked them with services they would not in any case have accessed by some other means was unclear and there were no apparent differences in short-term outcomes among those who attended Transitional Care and those who did not.

DESK 106833
Report: Deaths related to drug poisoning: results for England and Wales, 2000-2004.
UK. Office for National Statistics.
From: Health Statistics Quarterly: Spring, (29), 2006, p.69-76.
This report presents the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) database of deaths from drug-related poisoning and covers the period from 2000-2004. Tables include those showing individual drugs mentioned.

Friday Focus: Doping and Sport

With the Winter Olympics currently taking place in Italy, and other major sporting events happening this year such as the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup there has been renewed interest in the issue of sport and doping. This week’s Friday Focus briefly describes the Italian anti-doping law and its application to the 2006 Winter Olympics.

In December 2000 the Italian senate approved Anti–Doping Law n.376 that covers the use of drugs or substances by athletes of all standards. Under this law, athletes who test positive for banned substances are prosecuted and can be imprisoned. Italian officials have said that they will file charges against Olympic athletes who test positive for banned substances, despite sports officials arguing for Italy to suspend its tough anti-doping laws for the duration of the Winter Games. The Italian government's chief Olympic official Mario Pescante has said, "If the athlete tests positive, the Italian court will intervene and there is no exception," he said. "Any athlete no matter what nationality will be submitted to Italian law." Italian law calls for jail terms of up to two years for use of doping, although such a sentence is seen as unlikely for an Olympic athlete

With regard to testing athletes, responsibility for this lies with the Italian Health Ministry but this has also been a subject of controversy. However, a solution has been found which puts the IOC in charge of the drugs tests with an Italian official, from TOROC (the organising committee for the Olympic Games in Turin) on its team of experts. This solution is effective from February 10th to 31st March 2006 following which, it will remain as the principle of Law 376, and apply to any competition, be it national or international.

Doping in sport is a complex and challenging issue with an extensive literature. A simple search on Drugdata, our online catalogue, produces over 1000 records. Listed below are links to our reading list, pathfinder and to relevant websites.

Drugs in sport pathfinder

Drugs in Sport reading list for researchers.

Olympic Games anti-doping centre, Torino 2006.

Ministero della Salute antidoping page.

Torino 2006 figures on doping tests.

Beta2 adrenoceptor agonists and the Olympic Games in Turin

Drugs in Sport

Daniela Zardo
Centro Studi, Documentazione e Ricerche
Gruppo Abele

Christine Goodair
Head of Information
DrugScope

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Prices and forms for our Document Delivery service can be found here.

106714
Anabolic ergogenic substance users in fitness-sports: a distinct group supported by the health care system.
Striegel H., Simon P., Frisch S., Roecker K., Dietz K., Dickhuth H-H., Ulrich R.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.11-19.
The aim of this study is to discover whether ergogenic substance users exhibit similar features as multiple substance users or whether they constitute a discrete group.

106715
The structure of alcohol dependence in the community.
Proudfoot H., Baillie A J., Teesson M.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.21-26.
This paper describes a confirmatory factor analysis of the DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence criteria in a general population sample.

106717
Medical and nonmedical use of prescription pain medication by youth in a Detroit-area public school district.
Boyd C J., McCabe S E., Teter C J.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.37-45.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the non-medical use of prescription pain medications in a sample of public school students in the Detroit metropolitan area.

106718
Cost-effectiveness of screening and referral to an alcohol health worker in alcohol misusing patients attending an accident and emergency department: a decision-making approach.
Barrett B., Byford S., Crawford M J., Patton R., Drummond C., Henry J A., Touquet R.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.47-54.
The authors present the cost and cost-effectiveness of referral to an alcohol health worker (AHW) and information only control in alcohol misusing patients.

106719
Cycling in and out of treatment: participation in methadone treatment in NSW, 1990-2002.
Bell J., Burrell T., Indig D., Gilmour S.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.55-61.
The aims of this study are to analyse predictors of retention in methadone maintenance treatment (a proxy measure of treatment effectiveness) in three cohorts of people entering public and private methadone treatment, in 1990, 1995, and 2000 in the state of New South Wales (NSW), and to compare retention rates with those reported from recent clinical trials; and to describe the pattern of participation in subsequent treatment and predictors of re-entry.

106720
Alcohol use from ages 9 to 16: a cohort-sequential latent growth model.
Duncan S C., Duncan T E., Strycker L A.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.71-81.
This study examined alcohol use from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence and determined the influence of hypothesized covariates on changes in alcohol use rates during this developmental period.

106721
Increased white matter hyperintensities in male methamphetamine abusers.
Bae S C., Lyoo I K., Sung Y H., Yoo J., Chung A., Yoon S-J., Kim D-J., Hwang J., Kim S J., Renshaw P F.
From: Drug and Alcohol Dependence: 81(1), 2006, p.83-88.
This study was conducted to compare the prevalence, severity, and location of white matter signal hyperintensities (WMH) on brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in methamphetamine (MA) abusers.

106708
Combining in-school and community-based media efforts: reducing marijuana and alcohol uptake among younger adolescents.
Slater M D., Kelly K J., Edwards R W., Thurman P J., Plested B A., Keefe T J., Lawrence F R., Henry K L.
From: Health Education Research: 21(1), 2006, p.157-167.
This study tests the impact of an in-school mediated communication campaign based on social marketing principles, in combination with a participatory, community-based media effort, on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco uptake among middle-school students.

Out Now: Library Latest

Library Latest is a monthly listing of books, book chapters and journal articles received by DrugScope Information, Website & Library Resources. Arranged by subject, it provides a full bibliographic description and synopsis of each item, as well as a URL where available.

This month's Library Latest, containing a listing of all new material received in January, is available now from the Latest Books and Reports section of our website, or directly here (PDF, 307 KB)

Friday Focus: Talking to Your Children about Drugs

This week, following reports of child drug use, media attention has been focused on the issue of what parents can do if they are worried about their offspring. Our Chief Executive, Martin Barnes, appeared on ITV's daytime show This Morning to discuss the issue and give advice on how to spot if your child is using drugs.

Although it is a library service as opposed to a helpline, our Enquiry Desk is contacted regularly by concerned parents. Sometimes they are approaching us because they do not know where else to turn, in which case we can refer them to helplines and support groups. More often, they are looking to increase their own knowledge about drugs, so that they can discuss the issue with their offspring in an informed manner. Finding out more about drugs yourself is usually the first piece of advice that helplines and websites give. And, of course, Information is our business.

This brief article provides links to a variety of web resources that may be of interest to parents, including the websites of national agencies who offer practical support.

The Basics: Web Articles

Drugs and alcohol: advice for parents.
An overview produced by the BBC crime prevention team.

Drugs and your child.
UK. Directgov.
Advice on how to handle the situation if you think your child is using drugs.

Drugs awareness: information for parents.
UK. Lancashire. Safer Lancashire.
One page outline of why young people use drugs and how to talk to them about it.

Having a frank conversation.
(FRANK campaign).
Check-list of how to talk to children about drug issues, including an animated cartoon showing how not to do it.

Help and information for parents and carers.
Home Office webpage including a brief overview and links to other resources.

Helping your child.
Advice section of the Drugs Information NI website, produced by the Northern Ireland Health Promotion Agency and the Northern Ireland Drugs Campaign.

Information for Parents.
Parents' page on D-World, DrugScope's website for young teenagers.

Talking about drugs.
Lavery, S.
Brief article offering suggestions on how to talk to children.

The Basics: Leaflets

106619
Drugs: what every parent should know.
UK. NHS. Scotland. Health Scotland, Know the Score.
Edinburgh: Health Scotland, 2004. 26p.
ISBN 1844850080
This booklet outlines the effects of common drugs and gives advice on how parents can talk to their children about drugs
and drug use.

98505
FRANK action update: we are family.
UK. Home Office., UK. Department of Health., UK. Department for Education and Skills.
London: FRANK, 2003. 16p.
(FRANK [campaign]).
11 sheets and 1 CD-Rom as loose inserts in pocket of back cover. Includes loose: Drugs: a parent's guide -- Be frank with your kids -- Drug use in your family -- Be frank with your mates -- When your parents have a drug problem.

106094
Talking about drugs: a guide for parents.
Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland.
Belfast: HPA, 2005. 2p.
Leaflet advising parents on why and how they should speak to their children about drugs.

106095
Talking about solvents: a guide for parents.
Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland.
Belfast: HPA, 2004. 2p.
Leaflet advising parents on why and how they should speak to their children about solvents.

Dedicated websites

Addaction - for parents and other carers
A range of information, including the Parents' guide to drugs.

Adfam - Living with a child coming off drugs.
Website run by the national charity for the families of drug users. Their main organisational website also contains information that might be of interest.

A family guide to keeping youth mentally healthy and drug free.
Website created by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.

FRANK - Parents.
Government website offering help and advice.

Know the Score - Parents.
Know the Score is Scotlands national drug information section, and this website provides parents with a range of information.

Parents Against Drug Abuse
PADA is a national organisation delivering services to parents throughout the UK.

More About Drugs

These webpages provide overviews of drugs, their appearance, effects and how they are used.

A-Z of Drugs.
FRANK.

Drugs A-Z.
Know the Score.

DrugSearch.
DrugScope.

More about Family Drug Use

Reading list to support the Conference: Families, Carers & Drugs: living with someone else’s drug use, held January 25-26 2005.
DrugScope.

Finding Help

Adfam Directory of local support groups for the families of drug users.

Families Anonymous runs support groups for those affected by addiction in the family.

FRANK provides the national drugs helpline and also answers enquiries by email.

Hetty's offers a helpline for the parents, grandparents, carers and friends of drug users and can provide information on drugs and treatment.

DrugScope Information, Library and Web Services holds information on drugs and treatment and maintains the Helpfinder database of treatment agencies. You can find out more about sources of help for drug users seeking treatment here.

Anne Welsh
Information Officer - Cataloguing and Indexing

Addendum 30 August 2006

FRANK leaflet:

101227
All about drugs: does your child know more than you?.
UK. Home Office., UK. Department of Health., UK. Department for Education and Skills.
London: FRANK, 2006. 20p.
(FRANK [campaign]).
Based on the parents' section of the FRANK website, this booklet provides information for parents about drugs, their effects and the law.

London Drug Policy Forum leaflet:

108757
Do your children know more about drugs than you?.
Adfam, UK. London. Government Office for London, London Drug Policy Forum.
London: LDPF, 2006. 1 sheet, fold.
Leaflet produced for Tackling Drugs Day (23 May) 2006, containing information and advice for parents. Has the FRANK logo on the front, but was not produced by FRANK.

New Books

Books may be used in the library. See here for details on how to book a visit.

JM 106591
The legalization of drugs.
Husak D., de Marneffe P.
US: New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 204p.
ISBN 0521546869
This book presents two philosophical views on the legalization of drugs. One author argues in favour of drug decriminalisation, by clarifying the meaning of crucial terms, such as legalize, decriminalize and drugs, and by identifying standards by which alternative drug policies should be assessed. The other argues against legalization, demonstrating why drug prohibition is necessary to protect young people from self-destructive drug use.
Available from: http://www.cambridge.org

EI 106364
Women under the influence.
Columbia University. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
US: Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 292p.
ISBN 0801882281
This book documents the physical and emotional effects of substance abuse in girls and women and explores the role of the advertising and entertainment industries in popularizing various substances of abuse.
Available from: http://www.press.jhu.edu/

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106650
Pharmacological aspects of the combined use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB): a review of the literature.
Uys J D K., Niesink R J M.
From: Drug and Alcohol Review: 24(4), 2005, p.359-368.
In this review the authors describe the subjective effects of the MDMA/GHB combination. Furthermore, they review the individual actions of MDMA on serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline systems. In addition, actions of GHB on these systems are discussed as a possible pharmacological basis for the interaction of both drugs. It is postulated that GHB attenuates the unpleasant or dysphoric effects of MDMA by its effect on the central dopaminergic system.

106651
Family interventions in the treatment of alcohol and drug problems.
Copello A G., Velleman R D B. Templeton L J.
From: Drug and Alcohol Review: 24(4), 2005, p.369-385.
In this review evidence of the negative impacts substance misuse may have upon families are examined, following which family-focused interventions are reviewed.

106653
Is there a case for extended interventions for alcohol and drug use disorders?
McKay J R.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1594-1610.
The aim of this study was to determine whether there is evidence to support the implementation of extended interventions (i.e. longer than 6 months) for individuals with alcohol or other drug use disorders through a review of literature on extended behavioural and pharmacotherapy interventions as well as findings from studies of extended monitoring and monitoring paired with adjunctive counselling.

106654
Family members of relatives with alcohol, drug and gambling problems: a set of standardized questionnaires for assessing stress, coping and strain.
Orford J., Templeton L., Velleman R., Copello A.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1611-1624.
The aim of this study was to describe a set of standard questionnaire measures for the assessment of the needs of family members of relatives with alcohol, drug or gambling problems, and to present evidence of their reliability and validity from a series of related studies.

106655
The impact of the Northern Territory's Living With Alcohol program, 1992-2002: revisiting the evaluation.
Chikritzhs T., Stockwell T., Pascal R.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1625-1636.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Living With Alcohol (LWA) program and the LWA Alcoholic Beverage Levy on alcohol-attributable deaths in the Northern Territory (NT) controlling for simultaneous trends in death rates from a control region and non-alcohol related death trends in the NT, between 1985 and 2002.

106656
Reasons for drinking less and their relationship to sustained remission from problem drinking.
Matzger H., Kaskutas L A., Weisner C.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1637-1646.
The aim of this study was to compare representative general population and treated samples on their reasons for drinking less and whether particular reasons were related to sustained remission from problem drinking for either group.

106657
Harm reduction interventions, behaviours and associated health outcomes in France, 1996-2003.
Emmanuelli J., Desenclos J-C.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1690-1700.
The aim of this study was to track the effect of the French harm reduction programme targeted at intravenous drug users (IDUs) and associated health outcomes.

106659
Correlates of regular cigarette smoking in a population-based sample of Australian twins.
Agrawal A., Madden P A F., Heath A C., Lynskey M T., Bucholz K K., Martin N G.
From: Addiction: 100(11), 2005, p.1709-1719.
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of measured risk factors and the influence of genetic and environmental factors on regular cigarette smoking. Members of monozygotic and dizygotic, including unlike-sex twin pairs (n = 6257) from a young adult cohort from the Australian Twin Registry were used.