Gender-Related Differences in Psychoactive Drug Use among Older Adults

Abstract

Age, sex and ethnic differences in past year medical and non-medical use of tranquilizers, sedatives, stimulants, and analgesics are explored in the 1982 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). In general women are more likely to report past year medical use than are men; whites are more likely to report past year medical use than are blacks or Hispanics; and older adults are more likely to report past year medical use than are younger adults. These differences are not large, however, and several notable exceptions occur. Hispanic women are especially likely to report past year use of prescription analgesics. Women age 45 to 64 report greater prescription psychoactive use than do those age 65 or older. In the 65 and older age group, men are more likely than women to report past year medical use of sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

Additional analyses of non-medical pill use and use of alcohol and illicit drugs suggest that young adult men and women, rather than older women, are most at risk for adverse drug interactions, and young adults in the 1985 NHSDA are far more likely than older adults to report psychosocial problems resulting from alcohol or drug use.