ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2025
Community pharmacy's role in dispensing androgens and supporting harm reduction amid current policy dilemmas.
Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Harm reduction and pharmacy practice: a scoping review of services for people who use drugs provided by pharmacy staff.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Understanding Age-Based Differences in Psychosocial Harms, Physical Harms, and Access Difficulties Among an International Sample of Men Who Use Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids.American journal of lifestyle medicine · 2025Article
- Creating Safer Injecting Practices Through Community-Led Harm Reduction: Lessons From People Who Use Steroids for the Alcohol and Other Drug Sector.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Looking for the Best Way to Come Off Steroids Safely? Exploring Post-Cycle Therapy, Cessation, and Recovery Discourse and Practice in Australian Steroid Consumer Forums.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLegitimate androgen use, such as testosterone replacement therapy, requires a legal prescription. Off-label use for reasons like wellness and aesthetics continues to grow. Recent regulatory changes in Australia aim to curb non-prescribed androgen use, potentially intensifying stigma, however seeking prescriptions through legal channels persists. This study aimed to explore community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding individuals who use androgens.
methodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 community pharmacists, to explore knowledge and experiences related to the dispensing of androgens. The data analysis followed an iterative process, developing a codebook for thematic analysis and aligning findings with relevant literature.
resultsPharmacists face challenges when meeting the needs of individuals using androgens. They often made judgments based on appearance, leading to stigmatisation and potential refusal of prescription supply. However, this is tempered by the complex environment that pharmacists work in with respect to professional and legal requirements. Limited knowledge about androgens and varying exposure to people who use androgens were evident, prompting a unanimous desire for tailored training, especially in communication skills and interaction strategies.
conclusionsFacilitating androgen use within regulated healthcare settings, under professional medical supervision, is crucial to mitigating health risks. Varied pharmacist knowledge underscores the urgent need for targeted training, emphasising education initiatives to address structural stigma and inform healthcare policies globally.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.