TY - JOUR
T1 - " I just wanted to tell you that loperamide WILL WORK"
T2 - A web-based study of extra-medical use of loperamide
AU - Daniulaityte, Raminta
AU - Carlson, Robert
AU - Falck, Russel
AU - Cameron, Delroy
AU - Perera, Sujan
AU - Chen, Lu
AU - Sheth, Amit
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) , Grant No. R21 DA030571 (Daniulaityte, PI; Sheth, PI) and the Department of Community Health Grant , Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University. The funding source had no further role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
PY - 2013/6/1
Y1 - 2013/6/1
N2 - Aims: Many websites provide a means for individuals to share their experiences and knowledge about different drugs. Such User-Generated Content (UGC) can be a rich data source to study emerging drug use practices and trends. This study examined UGC on extra-medical use of loperamide among illicit opioid users. Methods: A website that allows for the free discussion of illicit drugs and is accessible for public viewing was selected for analysis. Web-forum posts were retrieved using web crawlers and retained in a local text database. The database was queried to extract posts with a mention of loperamide and relevant brand/slang terms. Over 1290 posts were identified. A random sample of 258 posts was coded using NVivo to identify intent, dosage, and side-effects of loperamide use. Results: There has been an increase in discussions related to loperamide's use by non-medical opioid users, especially in 2010-2011 Loperamide was primarily discussed as a remedy to alleviate a broad range of opioid withdrawal symptoms, and was sometimes referred to as " poor man's" methadone. Typical doses ranged 70-100. mg per day, much higher than an indicated daily dose of 16. mg. Conclusions: This study suggests that loperamide is being used extra-medically to self-treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. There is a growing demand among people who are opioid dependent for drugs to control withdrawal symptoms, and loperamide appears to fit that role. The study also highlights the potential of the Web as a " leading edge" data source in identifying emerging drug use practices.
AB - Aims: Many websites provide a means for individuals to share their experiences and knowledge about different drugs. Such User-Generated Content (UGC) can be a rich data source to study emerging drug use practices and trends. This study examined UGC on extra-medical use of loperamide among illicit opioid users. Methods: A website that allows for the free discussion of illicit drugs and is accessible for public viewing was selected for analysis. Web-forum posts were retrieved using web crawlers and retained in a local text database. The database was queried to extract posts with a mention of loperamide and relevant brand/slang terms. Over 1290 posts were identified. A random sample of 258 posts was coded using NVivo to identify intent, dosage, and side-effects of loperamide use. Results: There has been an increase in discussions related to loperamide's use by non-medical opioid users, especially in 2010-2011 Loperamide was primarily discussed as a remedy to alleviate a broad range of opioid withdrawal symptoms, and was sometimes referred to as " poor man's" methadone. Typical doses ranged 70-100. mg per day, much higher than an indicated daily dose of 16. mg. Conclusions: This study suggests that loperamide is being used extra-medically to self-treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. There is a growing demand among people who are opioid dependent for drugs to control withdrawal symptoms, and loperamide appears to fit that role. The study also highlights the potential of the Web as a " leading edge" data source in identifying emerging drug use practices.
KW - Illicit opiod use
KW - Loperamide
KW - Self-treatment
KW - Web-based research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877014785&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84877014785&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.11.003
DO - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.11.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 23201175
AN - SCOPUS:84877014785
SN - 0376-8716
VL - 130
SP - 241
EP - 244
JO - Drug and alcohol dependence
JF - Drug and alcohol dependence
IS - 1-3
ER -