Psychopharmacological treatment of young people with substance dependence: a survey of prescribing practices in England.

Backround: Prescribing for substance-dependent youth requires expert knowledge of developmental and contextual issues and use of largely unlicensed medicines. This first national survey aimed to determine the nature of pharmacological treatments delivered in England including the extent of maintenance therapy, supervised consumption and specialties prescribing.

Method: Data were gathered regarding opiate substitutes & other medications prescribed for opiate, alcohol & benzodiazepine dependence, drug & alcohol relapse prevention and comorbidities.