Analgesic use in a Norwegian general population: change over time and high-risk use - The Tromsø Study

Abstract

BackgroundIncreased use of analgesics in the population is a cause for concern in terms of drug safety. There is a paucity of population-based studies monitoring the change in use over time of both non-prescription (OTC) analgesics and prescription (Rx) analgesics. Although much is known about the risks associated with analgesic use, we are lacking knowledge on high-risk use at a population level. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of non-prescription and prescription analgesic use, change over time and the prevalence in the presence of potential contraindications and drug interactions in a general population.MethodsA repeated cross-sectional study with data from participants (30–89 years) of the Tromsø Study in 2001–02 (Tromsø 5; N = 8039) and in 2007–08 (Tromsø 6; N = 12,981). Participants reported use of OTC and Rx analgesics and regular use of all drugs in the preceding four weeks. Change over the time period was analyzed with generalized estimating equations. The prevalence of regular analgesic use in persons with or without a clinically significant contraindication or drug interaction was determined in the Tromsø 6 population, and differences were tested with logistic regression.ResultsAnalgesic use increased from 54 to 60 % in women (OR = 1.24, 95 % CI 1.15–1.32) and from 29 to 37 % in men (OR = 1.39, 95 % CI 1.27–1.52) in the time period; the increase was due to sporadic use of OTC analgesics. There was substantial regular use of analgesics in several of the contraindication categories examined; the prevalence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was more than eight per cent among persons with chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal ulcers, or high primary cardiovascular risk. About four per cent of the study population demonstrated at least one potential drug interaction with an analgesic drug.ConclusionsThe use of analgesics increased in the time period due to an increase in the use of OTC analgesics. Analgesic exposure in the presence of contraindications or drug interactions may put patients at risk. Public and prescriber awareness about clinically relevant contraindications and drug interactions with analgesics need to be increased.

Knowledge and attitude of analgesics use among Saudi population: A cross-sectional study

“…[17] Most of the analgesics user in this study are taking one tablet mostly for minor pains such as fever and headache which shows lack of information about appropriate adult dose which agrees with a Norwegian study which says that their respondents were using a lower dose of OTC drugs and had not exceeded the maximum dose. [18,19] We also encountered most participates who were convinced that NSAIDs and paracetamol have no side effects. Similar observations come from Poland study and papers of Matoulková et al and Reguła et al, where similarly around 16% of the subjects shared the same belief.…”

Burnout and health behaviors in health professionals from seven European countries

“…They were also prone to unhealthy eating: fast food was consumed on average 2.5 times per week, which could be considered regular consumption (Anderson et al 2011;Odegaard et al 2012). Alcohol consumption seemed to be infrequent (about once a week), while painkiller use amounted to once a week on average (in Turkey amounting to twice a week), which could be considered frequent use (Dale et al 2015;Samuelsen et al 2015).…”

Persistent analgesic use and the association with chronic pain and other risk factors in the population—a longitudinal study from the Tromsø Study and the Norwegian Prescription Database

“…Atypical/adjuvant analgesics were only included in supplementary analyses due to equivocal indications for use (Supplement). Furthermore, participants reported use of OTC analgesics last 4 weeks [1].…”

“…The long-term effectiveness/efficacy of analgesics remains for the most part unproven [6][7][8]. Adverse effects are on the other hand well known and are particularly associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids [1,9,10]. Persistent use of analgesics has substantial economic costs, both for the individual and the society, e.g., through reimbursement or the management of adverse effects [10].…”

“…Analgesics are among the most frequently used drugs, with studies suggesting increasing use of non-prescription (OTC) [1,2] and prescription analgesics [3][4][5] in Western countries. The long-term effectiveness/efficacy of analgesics remains for the most part unproven [6][7][8].…”