Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1
Early refills for bupropion, sertraline, and citalopram, by quarter.
Note: Prescriptions dispensed within 50% of the days’ supply of preceding prescription. Prescriptions for fewer than 7 days of drug use were excluded.
- Figure 2
Potentially duplicitous prescriptions for bupropion, sertraline, and citalopram, by quarter.
Note: Prescriptions dispensed within 50% of the days’ supply of the preceding prescription and originating from both a different physician and different pharmacy. Prescriptions for fewer than 7 days of drug use were excluded.
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Rates of Anomalous Bupropion Prescriptions in Ontario, Canada
Leah S. Steele , and colleagues
Background There are increasing reports of misuse of bupropion, a widely prescribed drug for the treatment of depression that can create a cocaine-like high when crushed, snorted or injected. This study explores prescribing trends for the drug in Ontario, Canada.
What This Study Found There is a marked increase in the number of potentially duplicitous prescriptions for bupropion after 2008, suggesting growing misuse of the drug. Specifically, researchers evaluated 1,780,802 prescriptions for bupropion, 3,402,462 prescriptions for citalopram, and 1,775,285 prescriptions for sertraline between 2000 and 2013. (The latter two are antidepressants not known to be prone to abuse.) While they found no differences in early refills between the three drugs, they found potentially duplicitous prescriptions for bupropion increased from less than 0.05 percent in early 2000 to 0.47 percent in early 2013. In contrast, over the same period, potentially duplicitous refills decreased for citalopram and sertraline.
Implications
- The authors conclude that these findings suggest a troubling phenomenon that bupropion prescriptions are being used recreationally at an increasing rate.
- Physicians and pharmacists are advised to be aware of the potential for bupropion misuse, particularly in patients prone to substance use disorders or who display unusual drug-seeking behaviors.
