Youth data: Every fourth 10-12-year-old takes painkillers weekly

This is evident from the recent report based on responses from Ungdata junior, a survey from the Welfare Research Institute NOVA at Oslo Met. The survey gathers responses from 102,000 young people in 199 Norwegian municipalities.

Already last year shouted the researchers at NOVA warned about surprising and very high figures for drug use in this age group when the report Ung i Oslo 2023 came out. The national figures confirm on Monday that the trend applies to the rest of the country as well: One in four takes painkillers weekly.

The 10-12-year-olds apparently resort to painkillers more often than students in secondary and upper secondary school. In the survey, 10 per cent of the children also answer that they often struggle with various forms of health problems, such as nausea, headaches or stomachaches and feelings of low mood.

Misuse and access

The Norwegian Directorate of Health (Hdir) reacts to the fact that some young people have painkillers readily available and resort to them for ailments the drugs are not intended to help with, such as coping with stress and anxiety. Many young people also associate painkillers with better coping with social interaction, as help when dreading something or as help to fall asleep.

– Newer knowledge indicates a change in attitude in the population, especially among the younger generation: the threshold for using painkillers has become lower, and everyday life pains are more often handled with over-the-counter painkillers, says divisional director Linda Granlund to NTB.

She points out that parents have an important role both because they largely control access to medicines and because they influence which attitudes young people take with them into adulthood.

Lack of knowledge

The most commonly used over-the-counter pain reliever in Norway is Paracetamol. Last year, according to the Institute of Public Health, more than 11 million packs of Paracetamol were sold in Norwegian pharmacies and grocery stores. The health authorities have warned against viewing Paracetamol as completely harmless.

They emphasize that Paracetamol is a safe first choice for fever and most physical pain, but that medicines must be used correctly, in the right dose and for what they actually work against. Frequent use of paracetamol can also increase the risk of permanent headaches. Hdir estimates that 2–3 per cent of the population in Norway have medication overuse headaches caused by overuse of Paracetamol.

This year, Hdir launched a campaign aimed at young people and parents in which they are encouraged to think twice before taking – or giving – painkillers. Part of the message is not to always offer painkillers every time the child struggles with something.

– Children and young people also need to learn a repertoire for coping with life, that pain and ailments are part of life – and that there are good strategies and methods to prevent or reduce such ailments – also without drugs, says Granlund.