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CLINICAL TRIAL article

Front. Pharmacol.

Sec. Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1563580

Analysis of Sedative-Hypnotic Drug Use Trends in Children and Adolescents (2018-2023): A Study Based on Outpatient Prescription Data from a general Hospital

Provisionally accepted
Qingyu Zhang Qingyu Zhang 1wenqing Jiang wenqing Jiang 2Le Ma Le Ma 2yanbin Hou yanbin Hou 1pingping Miao pingping Miao 1chen Lin chen Lin 1jiaxin Mao jiaxin Mao 1ni Dai ni Dai 1dalu Yang dalu Yang 1Kanzhen Tong Kanzhen Tong 1junting Su junting Su 1zhenzhen Zhu zhenzhen Zhu 1*liemin Ruan liemin Ruan 1*yunxin Ji yunxin Ji 1*
  • 1 Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
  • 2 Psychiatric Clinic, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: This study aims to analyze the use of sedative-hypnotic drugs among children and adolescents in a hospital setting, providing a reference for optimizing drug use. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the prescription data of sedative-hypnotic drugs for children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years from 2018 to 2023 at the outpatient department of the hospital. Data were organized using Excel and analyzed using statistical software such as SPSS, with descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests used to analyze medication patterns across different age groups and genders. Results: The majority of prescriptions originated from the psychiatry department. The most common diagnoses included depressive state, anxiety state, and sleep disorders. Combination therapy with benzodiazepines and antidepressants was the most common treatment regimen. The number of prescriptions showed a yearly increasing trend, rising from 160 in 2018 to 1,583 in 2023, and the total usage also increased annually, from 30.47 grams in 2018 to 260.15 grams in 2023. Despite the increase in total usage, the drug usage per prescription decreased year by year. Most patients had a medication duration of less than 30 days, and the per capita usage increased with longer medication durations. Lorazepam and zopiclone were the most frequently used drugs. The study also found that the duration of medication use was significantly longer in female patients than in males, and significantly longer in the 6-12 age group compared to the 13-18 age group. Conclusion: The use of sedative-hypnotic drugs in children and adolescents has shown a yearly increasing trend, and the management of sedative-hypnotic drug use in children and adolescents should be strengthened.

    Keywords: children and adolescents1, sedative-hypnotic drugs2, usage trends3, prescription analysis4, combination therapy5

    Received: 20 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Jiang, Ma, Hou, Miao, Lin, Mao, Dai, Yang, Tong, Su, Zhu, Ruan and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    zhenzhen Zhu, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
    liemin Ruan, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
    yunxin Ji, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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