Prescribing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tramadol and opioids in children: patterns of its utilization

• Main Author: Zin, Che Suraya
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/75877/1/191104_main%20page_program.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/75877/2/191104_opioid_children%20pres_ten%20years%20opioid_naeem_poster_program.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/75877/3/191009-Poster_icprp_children%20prescribing.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/75877/

Background: Analgesic is commonly used in children but little is known about its patterns of utilization. This study explored the patterns of analgesic prescribing in children. Methods: This cross sectional study used prescription databases of tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia from 2010 to 2016. Prescriptions for nine NSAIDs (diclofenac, ketoprofen, etoricoxib, celecoxib, ibuprofen, indomethacin, mefenamic acid, meloxicam and naproxen), tramadol and five other opioids (morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, buprenorphine and dihydrocodeine) prescribed for children age < 18 years old were included. Number of annual patients and prescriptions were measured and analysed using Stata v15. Results: During a 7-year study period, a total of 5040 analgesic prescriptions of the nine NSAIDs, tramadol, and five other opioids were prescribed for 2460 paediatric patients (81.8% NSAIDs patients, 17.9% tramadol patients, and 0.3% opioid patients). Ibuprofen was the primary analgesic in young children less than 12 years old (≤2 years old (y.o) (75%), 3-5 y.o (85%) and.6-12 y.o (56.3%)). While there was a wide range of analgesics used in older children (above 12 years old) with the majority for naproxen (13 to 15 y.o (28.2%) and 16 to 17 y.o (28.2%). Other frequently prescribed analgesics for older children included ibuprofen (20.6%) and diclofenac (18.2%)) for 12 to 15 y.o and diclofenac (26.7%) and tramadol (17.6%)) for 16-17 y.o. Conclusion: Ibuprofen was the primary analgesic for children less than 12 years old while there was a wide range of analgesics prescribed for children age above 12 years old including naproxen, diclofenac and tramadol.