Over-the-Counter Cough Medicine and Prescription Drug Misuse among Adolescents and Young Adults

Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine misuse represents a significant risk for adolescents and young adults. Although OTC cough medicine is widely seen as nonharmful due to its ease of access, misuse can lead to tachycardia, seizures, dissociative effects, and dependence. Despite these risks, little is known regarding the correlates and outcomes of OTC cough medicine misuse. This study examined correlations of having misused OTC cough medicine and past-year misuse of prescription drugs, with a specific focus on differences among age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Bivariate relationships were first examined using Pearson's chi-square tests, with OTC cough medicine misuse being significantly related to prescription drug misuse, older age, cigarette use, marijuana use, and binge drinking. Using logistic regression, OTC cough medicine misuse was shown to be a significant predictor of past-year prescription drug misuse (adjusted odds ratio = 5.22, 95% confidence interval [3.57, 7.64]). Additional logistic regression models were used to assess for interaction effects for age, gender, and race/ethnicity, with all three variables acting as significant moderators.