Trends in Fentanyl Content on Reddit Substance Use Forums, 2013-2021.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fentanyl is a pressing concern in the current drug supply. Social media data can provide access to near real-time understanding of drug trends that may complement official mortality data.

Design

The total number of fentanyl-related posts and the total number of posts for eight drug subreddit categories (alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, multi-drug, opioids, over the counter, sedatives, stimulants) were collected from 2013 to 2021 using the Pushshift Reddit dataset. The proportion of fentanyl-related posts as a fragment of total subreddit posts was examined. Linear regressions described the rate of change in post volume over time.

Results

Overall, fentanyl-related content increased across drug-related subreddits from 2013 to 2021 (1292% increase, linear tren

SUBMITTER: Bunting AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10255938 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature