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April 10, 2026Acute Medicine & SurgeryOpen Access

Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Overdose Engaging in Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs: A Single‐Center Study in Japan

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Authors

NSNobuki ShioyaNINozomu InoueTNTakahiro Nishitani

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Overview

Observational study finds significant prevalence and characteristics of NMUPD in overdose patients, indicating urgent need for awareness.

Key Points

  • This study aims to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) among overdose cases in Japan.
  • Retrospective observational study of overdose patients admitted to a tertiary emergency department in Japan from April 2017 to March 2024.
  • Categorized patients into two groups: NMUPD and prescribed.
  • Compared demographic, clinical, and overdose-related variables between groups.
  • Employed chi-square and Mann–Whitney U tests for statistical analysis with multiple imputation for missing data.
  • 7.9% of patients met the criteria for NMUPD.
  • Main sources of NMUPD included family members, friends, and Internet purchases.
  • NMUPD group had higher rates of alcohol coingestion (p = 0.029) and fewer psychiatric diagnoses (p = 0.009).
  • Benzodiazepines were the most commonly used drugs in both groups, along with non-benzodiazepine and antidepressants.

Cite This Study

Shioya et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d896a46c1944d70ce08353https://doi.org/10.1002/ams2.70126
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Prospective multicenter study of the epidemiological features of emergency patients with overdose of over‐the‐counter drugs in Japan2024 · 6 citations
  2. 2Clinical Features and Risk Factors for Overdosing With Over-the-counter Drugs in Japan: A Retrospective Observational Study2025 · 1 citations
  3. 3Clinical Characteristics of Over‐The‐Counter Drug Misusers in Psychiatric Practice in Japan: Comparison Between Codeine Misusers and Dextromethorphan Misusers2026
  4. 4Patterns and outcomes of prescription and off-label drug overdoses: a retrospective cohort study from two toxicology referral centres2026
  5. 5Clinical Characteristics of Over‐The‐Counter Drug Misusers in Psychiatric Practice in Japan: Comparison by Type of Drug Misused for the First Time2026