title: Association between prescribing hypnotics for parents and children in Norway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the dispensing of the hypnotic alimemazine to children aged 0-3 years and investigate the association between dispensing of alimemazine to children and dispensed hypnotics to their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational cohort study linking information from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Prescription Database. Hypnotics dispensed to parents in a 1-year period before pregnancy was associated with dispensed alimemazine for children aged 0-3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  All children born in Norway in 2008 (N=59 325) and their mothers and fathers were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dispensed alimemazine to children during the first 3 years of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three percent of children received alimemazine. Dispensed hypnotics to mothers increased the risk of the child receiving a prescription for alimemazine, OR of 2.3 (1.7-3.0) for boys and 1.7 (1.2-2.4) for girls. When both parents had been dispensed prescriptions for hypnotics, the risk increased nearly threefold. A dispensed alimemazine prescription was also associated with dispensed prescriptions for antidepressants to both mother and father, mother's smoking, the child's gender and child's prescriptions for antibiotics, respiratory drugs and dermatological steroids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dispensed alimemazine to children under 3 was associated with parents' previous use of hypnotics, indicating that factors other than the child's health influence the use of hypnotic drugs in infancy and toddler years. The frequent usage of alimemazine in children below 3 years and the association with parents' use of hypnotics should concern prescribing doctors.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. holdo@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Ingvild
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Holdø
authors.forename: Marte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Handal
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skurtveit
authors.forename: Jørgen G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bramness
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D010290:Parents; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D014291:Trimeprazine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D014291:Trimeprazine
keywords: Epidemiology; Paediatric Practice; Pharmacology; Sleep