Prevalence of use of non-prescription analgesics in the Norwegian HUNT3 population: Impact of gender, age, exercise and prescription of opioids.
BACKGROUND
There are concerns about potential increasing use of over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics. The aims of this study were to examine 1) the prevalence of self-reported use of OTC analgesics; 2) the prevalence of combining prescription analgesics drugs with OTC analgesics and 3) whether lifestyle factors such as physical activity were associated with prevalence of daily OTC analgesic use.


METHODS
Questionnaire data from the Nord-Trøndelag health study (HUNT3, 2006-08), which includes data from 40,000 adult respondents. The questionnaire included questions on use of OTC analgesics, socioeconomic conditions, health related behaviour, symptoms and diseases. Data were linked to individual data from the Norwegian Prescription Database. A logistic regression was used to investigate the association between different factors and daily use of paracetamol and/or non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with and without chronic pain.


RESULTS
The prevalence of using OTC analgesics at least once per week in the last month was 47%. Prevalence of paracetamol use was almost 40%, compared to 19% and 8% for NSAIDs and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), respectively. While the use of NSAIDs decreased and the use of ASA increased with age, paracetamol consumption was unaffected by age. Overall more women used OTC analgesics. About 3-5% of subjects using OTC analgesics appeared to combine these with the same analgesic on prescription. Among subjects reporting chronic pain the prevalence of OTC analgesic use was almost twice as high as among subjects without chronic pain. Subjects with little physical activity had 1.5-4 times greater risk of daily use of OTC compared to physically active subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of OTC analgesics is prevalent, related to chronic pain, female gender and physical inactivity.
Pain and Palliation Research Group, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. ola.dale@ntnu.no.|Department of Research and Innovation, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. ola.dale@ntnu.no.
Ola
O
Dale
Pain and Palliation Research Group, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. petter.borchgrevink@ntnu.no.|National Competence Centre for Complex Symptom Disorders, Department of Pain and Complex Disorders, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. petter.borchgrevink@ntnu.no.
Petter C
PC
Borchgrevink
Pain and Palliation Research Group, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. olav.fredheim@gmail.com.|National Competence Centre for Complex Symptom Disorders, Department of Pain and Complex Disorders, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. olav.fredheim@gmail.com.|Centre of palliative medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lorenskog, Oslo, Norway. olav.fredheim@gmail.com.
Olav Magnus S
OM
Fredheim
Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, 0473, Norway. Milada.Mahic@fhi.no.
Milada
M
Mahic
Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. pal.romundstad@ntnu.no.
Pål
P
Romundstad
Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, 0473, Norway. svetlana.skurtveit@medisin.uio.no.|Norwegian Centre of Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. svetlana.skurtveit@medisin.uio.no.
Svetlana
S
Skurtveit
D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D000082:Acetaminophen; D001241:Aspirin