Prescription patterns of hypnotics for children and adolescents in Japan: a descriptive epidemiologic study using a claims database
Abstract
Study objectives: To investigate the prescription patterns for hypnotics among patients <18 years in Japan.
Methods: We conducted a descriptive epidemiologic study using a claims database in Japan. We included patients aged 0-17 years with first-time prescriptions for hypnotics between June 2021 and June 2023. Hypnotics were classified as melatonin, melatonin receptor agonists (MRAs), dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), Z-drugs, and benzodiazepines. We described the types of hypnotics, dosages, prescription duration, comorbidities, and concomitant medications for overall and by age groups.
Results: The study included 21 145 patients; 1983 aged 0-6 years, 3901 aged 7-11 years, 6664 aged 12-14 years, and 8597 aged 15-17 years. The initial prescribed hypnotics were melatonin (33.9%), MRAs (30.9%), DORAs (18.8%), Z-drugs (10.1%), and benzodiazepines (6.3%). Melatonin was more likely to be prescribed to patients age 0-11 years, MRAs to those aged 0-17 years, and DORAs to patients ages 15-17 years. The most common mental health-related comorbidities were autism spectrum disorder (32.5%), depression (23.4%), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (19.8%), and anxiety disorder (18.2%).
Conclusions: Melatonin was most frequently prescribed in children for a longer duration than other hypnotics, while MRAs were prescribed across all age groups and DORAs mainly to adolescents. These age-specific patterns suggest that the drug selection was conducted according to patient's age,…
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