Self-Medication-Related Behaviors and Poland's COVID-19 Lockdown

(1) Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed the functioning of Polish health systems. Telemedicine has been developed and access to prescription drugs (Rx) has been facilitated. This study examined whether these changes and the imposition of a three-month lockdown caused Polish people to engage in more self-medication-related behaviors. (2) Method: After the fourth (final) stage of defrosting the Polish economy, an online survey of a quota sample of 1013 Polish respondents was conducted. (3) Results: Almost half of the respondents (45.6%) indicated that they had engaged in at least one behavior associated with inappropriate self-medication during the lockdown (e.g., 16.6% took medication as a precaution, and 16.8% took an Rx formulation without consultation). Some of these people had never engaged in such behaviors prior to the lockdown. Linear regression showed that higher values of a composite ("lockdown") index of self-medication-related behaviors occurring during lockdown were predicted by greater religiosity and the presence of children in a household. Also, independent samples t-tests showed that people who were afraid for their financial future and people who feared for their health obtained higher lockdown index scores than people not having such worries. (4) Conclusions: Self-medication-related behaviors were more common among Poles before lockdown than during the lockdown (which is unsurprising given that the lengths of the periods compared were hugely different), worryingly, many people exhibited such behaviors for the first time during the lockdown.

Overall Mental Health and Misuse of Erectile Dysfunction Medication Among Sexual Minority Men

Background: Research has noted that rates of recreational use of erectile dysfunction medication (EDM) are particularly high among men who have sex with other men. Though previous research has investigated recreational EDM use in relation to substance use, its association with other general mental health symptoms and diagnoses remains unexamined. Objectives: To address the paucity of research on EDM misuse, the current study examined prevalence rates of EDM misuse among sexual minority men and its association with last 12-month and 30-day mental health symptoms and diagnoses. Method: A secondary analysis of 7,658 sexual minority undergraduate and graduate male students recruited as part of the American College of Health Association's National College Health Assessment was performed. Results: Results indicated that 2.2% of sexual minority men reported misuse of EDMs within the last 12 months. Last 12-month EDM misuse was significantly associated with a number of mental health symptoms and diagnoses in the last 12 months and last 30 days. Most notably, small to moderate effects were found for misuse of other prescribed medications, such as antidepressants, painkillers, and sedatives, and diagnosis of substance use within the last 12 months. Small effects were found for sedatives and steroid misuse in the last 30 days. Conclusion: Results suggest that worse mental health, particularly substance use, is associated with EDM misuse among sexual minority men. As such, further research in this area is needed.

Male sexual dysfunction and HIV--a clinical perspective

Sexual dysfunction in men with HIV is often overlooked by clinicians owing to many factors, including the taboo of sexuality. The improved life expectancy of patients with HIV requires physicians to consider their general wellbeing and sexual health with a renewed interest. However, data on sexual dysfunction in those with HIV are scarce. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most common sexual dysfunction in men, with a prevalence of ∼30-50% and is frequent even in men <40 years of age. HIV infection itself is the strongest predictor of ED, and many factors related to the infection-fear of virus transmission, changes in body image, HIV-related comorbidities, infection stigma, obligatory condom use-all impair erectile function. The diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunction is based on a multidisciplinary approach, which involves specialists in both infectious diseases and sexual medicine. Particular attention should be paid to the promotion of safer sex in these patients. This Review, describes the issues surrounding sexual dysfunction in men with HIV and aims to provide clinical advice for the physician treating these patients.

Problematizing “Drugs”: A Cultural Assessment of Recreational Pharmaceutical Use among Young Adults in the United States

Recent trends in the recreational use of pharmaceuticals among young adults in the United States highlight a number of issues regarding the problematization of drugs. Two constructions of recreational pharmaceutical use are analyzed. On the one hand, categorical frameworks based upon epidemiological data are created by institutions and media and depict recreational pharmaceutical use as illicit in unqualified, absolute terms. This is done through discourses that equate nonmedical pharmaceutical use with culturally established forms of illicit drug use. On the other hand, users' multi-dimensional constructions of recreational pharmaceutical use emphasize social context, personal experience, and individual risk perceptions. The problematization of recreational pharmaceutical use points to intergenerational conflicts, as well as to struggles over definitions of “drug abuse” and “hard drugs,” and highlights the impact of pharmaceuticalization on recreational drug use among young people.

Sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men using erectile dysfunction medications

This study examined relationships between use of the phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors (erectile dysfunction medications) sildenafil (Viagra), Pfizer, New York, NY), tadalafil (Cialis), Eli Lily, Indianapolis, IN), and/or vardenafil (Levitra), Bayer, Berlin, Germany), substance use, perceptions of risk, and sexual behavior in men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM (N = 342) attending a gay pride festival completed a brief survey assessing sexual behavior, risk perceptions, and substance use, including the use and the source of PDE-5 inhibitors. More than a quarter of the sample (26.3%, n = 89) reported having ever used a PDE-5 inhibitor. Those reporting use of PDE-5 inhibitors had higher rates of sexual risk behaviors and differed in their assessment of the risk of HIV transmission for unprotected anal sex. Users who received PDE-5 inhibitors from their doctors did not report sexual behaviors that differed significantly from those who received PDE-5 inhibitors from nonphysician sources. In a sequential logistic regression analysis, recent PDE-5 inhibitor use was associated with unprotected anal sex after accounting for the influence of age, education, ethnic identity, and substance use. Many MSM users of erectile dysfunction drugs report behaviors that may place their and others' health at risk. Interventions to reduce risk among MSM PDE-5 inhibitor users should be explored.