Peer-reviewed article
Use of hypnotic drugs among Scandinavian children, adolescents, and young adults
Wesselhøft R, Rasmussen L, Jensen P, Jennum P, Skurtveit S et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study describes trends in hypnotic drug use (melatonin, z-drugs, and sedating antihistamines) among children and young adults aged 5-24 in Scandinavia from 2012 to 2018. Melatonin use increased substantially across all three countries, with Sweden showing the highest rise. Z-drug use decreased while sedating antihistamine use increased or remained stable. The study uses aggregate-level data from public health sources to estimate prevalence and quantity of use.
Key points
- Melatonin use increased significantly from 2012 to 2018 in all countries: Sweden (7 to 25/1,000), Denmark (6 to 12/1,000), Norway (10 to 20/1,000)
- The increase in melatonin use was strongest among females and adolescents aged 15-24 years
- Sedating antihistamine use doubled in Sweden but remained stable in Norway and Denmark
- Z-drug use decreased across all countries, reaching 2-4 per 1,000 inhabitants by 2018
- Melatonin was used at higher daily doses (1 DDD/user/day) compared to z-drugs and antihistamines (0.1-0.3 DDD/user/day)
Limitations
This is a descriptive epidemiological study that documents prevalence trends without evaluating whether hypnotic use improves or harms child sleep or well-being. It cannot explain the reasons for increased use or assess clinical appropriateness or outcomes.
Abstract
Introduction Hypnotic drug use in children and adolescents is widely debated. Objectives To describe use of hypnotic drugs (melatonin, z-drugs and sedating antihistamines) among 5-24-year-old Scandinavians during 2012 to 2018. Methods Aggregate-level data from public data sources in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We calculated annual prevalence (users/1000 inhabitants) stratified by sex, age group and country. Quantity of use (Defined Daily Dose (DDD)/user/day) was estimated for Norway and Denmark. Results Melatonin was most frequently used, with an increase from 2012 to 2018 in all countries. Sweden presented the highest rise (7 to 25/1,000) compared to Denmark (6 to 12/1,000) and Norway (10 to 20/1,000). The increase was strongest for females and 15-24-year-olds. Melatonin use was twice as common for males under age 15 years, and slightly more common for females thereafter. The annual prevalence of sedating antihistamine use doubled from 7 to 13/1,000 in Sweden, whereas it was more stable in Norway and Denmark, reaching 8/1,000 and 3/1,000, respectively. Z-drug use decreased in all countries, lowering to 4/1,000 in Sweden and Norway in 2018 and 2/1,000 in Denmark. The quantity of hypnotic use in Norway and Denmark was 1 DDD/user/day for melatonin, as compared to 0.1-0.3 for z-drugs and antihistamines. Conclusions There is an increasing use of melatonin and sedating antihistamines among Scandinavian children, adolescents and young adults. The increase is more pronounced in Sweden compared to Norway and Denmark. This Scandinavian discrepancy could reflect variation in frequency of sleep problems or national variation in clinical practice or health care access. Disclosure No significant relationships.