Substance use & misuse
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2005
Club drug use among young men who have sex with men in NYC: a preliminary epidemiological profile.
This paper describes findings from a study of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in New York City. Using a cross-sectional design and a community-based targeted sampling approach, a total of 569 YMSM were recruited during 2000 and 2001 for a structured survey interview. ⋯ Chronic club drug users had a mean CES-D score of 8.5 and nearly two-thirds had a score of 7 or more. Although high rates of condom use are reported in some types of sexual exchanges, data show multiple types of sexual risk among chronic club drug users, including high rates of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with most frequent partners and comorbid drug use among both YMSM and their sexual partners.
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2005
ReviewA brief overview of the clinical pharmacology of "club drugs".
Four different "club drugs" are reviewed: MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy"), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), ketamine, and Rohypnol (flunitrazepam). The neurobiology, clinical pharmacology, and treatment issues for each are discussed.
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2005
ReviewRecent trends in the use of "club drugs": an Australian review.
The use of "club drugs" such as MDMA, ketamine, and GHB appears to have increased in Western countries over the last 20 years, and Australia is no exception to that trend. While levels of use appear to be relatively low in the general population, among users of these drugs a number of adverse health and psychological problems, including dependence, have been reported. MDMA or ecstasy is the third most commonly used illicit drug in Australia, and relatively more information is available on its use in Australia than of drugs such as GHB or ketamine. ⋯ This suggests an urgent need for international research on the patterns of use, health, and psychosocial consequences of GHB use. In order to address public health issues associated with a range of club drug use, there is a need for research to identify the trends in population prevalence of these drugs. This could be most easily achieved by the inclusion of MDMA, ketamine, and GHB in household surveys that are currently collected routinely in a number of countries.
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In this paper the epidemiology of club drug use in Germany, including the use of 3,4-methylendioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA) known as 'ecstasy' and related substances such as speed, amphetamines, hallucinogens, and cannabis is described on the basis of five different surveys. Two of them are representative household surveys to monitor the licit and illicit drug use behavior of the German population. The third one is a longitudinal study aimed at exploring comorbidity and posited risk and protective factors in adolescents and young adults with specific emphasis on substance use-related disorders. ⋯ Finally, the motivation for using and stopping the use of ecstasy is addressed. It is shown that ecstasy has reached the second place (after cannabis) in illegal drug preferences of adolescents and young adults in Germany. Evidence is found that ecstasy use as well as ecstasy use-related disorders such as "abuse" and "dependence" are of a transient, "youth-limited" nature.
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2005
Epidemiology of MDMA and associated club drugs in the Seattle area.
Club drug use, MDMA in particular, appeared as a growing problem in the Seattle area in the late 1990s. To understand more about the patterns of MDMA use and to evaluate the current state of MDMA use, multiple data sources were examined. The seven data sources utilized included local community-based club drug surveys collected in 2003 at raves, treatment agencies, and gay-oriented bars and sex clubs; school surveys (collected in 2002); mortality data (deaths between 2000 and 2002); data from the sexually transmitted disease clinic (October 2002 to October 2003); focus groups (2003) with men who have sex with men; emergency department drug mentions (1995 to 2002); and drug treatment admissions (1999 to 2003). ⋯ However, there are several areas of concern including possible mental health effects and high levels of suspected adulteration of MDMA. Some data point to a relationship between MDMA use and risky behaviors including unprotected sex. Implications for prevention, intervention, and treatment are discussed.