UTILIZATION OF ANALGESICS FROM 1970 TO 1978 - PRESCRIPTION PATTERNS IN THE COUNTY OF JAMTLAND AND IN SWEDEN AS A WHOLE

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 211  (6) , 419-425
Abstract
A comparative analysis of the usage of analgesics in the county of Jamtland and in Sweden was carried out. An attempt was made to map out the indications for prescribing such drugs. Both in Jamtland and in Sweden as a whole, analgesics sold over the counter accounted for more than 1/2 of the total usage. The same was true for fixed drug combinations. Analgesics were prescribed each year to 17% of the population of Jamtland. Fixed drug combinations containing sedatives maintained a large fraction of the amount of analgesics prescribed 31% of defined daily doses (DDD) in 1978. Arylalkanoic acids (ibuprofen and naproxen) soon took a substantial part of the market 13% of DDD in 1978. Though arylalkanoic acids were registered for treatment of degenerative joint diseases, 4 of 5 patients in Jamtland received them only once or twice during a 2 yr period. In the national study, every 3rd prescription of these drugs was for degenerative joint diseases. The pattern of usage revealed in this study calls for improved pharmacotherapeutic training of physicians to make drug treatment more rational.

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