Painkiller overdose cases surge among teenagers

An increasing number of young teenagers aged 13 to 17 are deliberately taking more than the recommended dose of pain relievers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, according to the annual review of the National Poisons Information Centre (NVIC), AD reported on Tuesday. Doctors are concerned.

In 2022, the NVIC noted a 37 percent rise in reports regarding young people intentionally overdosing on painkillers compared to 2020, amounting to a total of 1439 reports. The year 2021 also witnessed a significant surge, with an increase of 45 percent in such incidents.

The poison control center noted an increase in cases starting from July 2020, with the most notable surge in overdoses among girls aged 13 to 15 years. "This calls for attention," remarked Professor Dylan de Lange, an intensive care toxicologist and the head of the NVIC, adding that this surge was "disturbing."

According to Bas Oude Ophuis, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the UMC Utrecht, a deliberate overdose on painkillers does not necessarily imply a wish to die. It does, however, signal an issue with the young individual.

According to the annual review, the impact of pain reliever overdose on people is not consistently documented. Professor De Lange warns that even commonly used drugs like paracetamol and ibuprofen are not entirely safe, and exceeding the recommended dosage can be dangerous. An overdose of paracetamol or ibuprofen could result in liver damage, potentially posing a fatal threat.

Two other significant trends emerged from the annual review: the center observed an upturn in overdoses involving "benzodiazepines," medicines known for their tranquilizing effect, with 195 reported cases.

Additionally, workplace overdoses saw an uptick in 2022, marking a departure from the stable numbers observed over the previous three years. The center registered 921 cases. These often involved a chemical substance that had accidentally come into contact with an employee's eye.