Key findings
- Extra-medical or illicit use of pharmaceutical substances was examined among regular psychostimulant users (RPU) interviewed in 2015 for the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS; n=763)
- Illicit use of pharmaceutical substances is common among regular psychostimulant users and far higher than in the general Australian population
- Few of the RPU in 2015 cited pharmaceuticals as their drug of choice (5%) or the drug used most often in the last month (4%)
- The pharmaceutical substances most commonly used over the previous six months were stimulants, benzodiazepines and over the counter codeine preparations
- Pharmaceuticals were used less frequently than ecstasy: most use was monthly or less often
- Greater psychological distress was reported by those who had recently used stimulants, codeine, opioids and benzodiazepines
- Recent users of OTC codeine, opioids and antipsychotics were more likely to self-report a mental health problem