Huge increase in Danish children and young people on sleep medication

Experts concerned about lack of research in the area

May 6, 2016

Danish children and youngsters are increasingly being prescribed medication designed to help them relax and sleep, according to new figures from the Danish Medicines Agency.

The figures revealed that the number of children and young people who were prescribed the sleep medications extemporaneous melatonin and Circadin have almost doubled over the past five years.

“It’s difficult to ascertain why there has been an increase,” Knud Kristensen, the head of Sind, a national association for the mentally-ill and their relatives, said according to Berlingske newspaper.

“But if it’s just down to significantly increasing the consumption of medicine for children and young people, then there is something wrong with society. Then again, it’s good if it helps the kids and youngsters with their problems.”

More testing needed
Last year, 12,381 Danes under the age of 25 obtained at least one prescription for one of the medications, compared to just 6,391 in 2011. Between 2014 and 2015 alone, there was a 20 percent increase.

Kristensen stated that more research was needed in the area, as some of the sleep medication being administered to children has only been tested on adults.

TOP STORIES

“Talents, start using AI tools now,” says Siri and Change.org founder

In an exclusive interview with The Copenhagen Post, the founder of Siri and Change.org, and currently VP of AI Experience at Airbnb, gives young talents advice on how to deal with the job market changed by artificial intelligence.
Testing free school meals for 20,000 kids and tax deduction for homeowners in 2025 Finance Act

The government has reached an agreement on next year’s Finance Act with SF and Radikale Venstre. A test on free school meals for a limited number of children will be introduced. Homeowners will get more options for deductions for home improvements
Make your voice heard as an expat

In my last op-ed, I made the case that we, expats living in Denmark, need to step up if we want to tackle the headaches that seem baked into expat life—e.g., counterintuitive laws and endless paperwork. With almost 16% of Denmark’s population made up of internationals, we actually have the numbers to influence real change. But after publishing the last op-ed, several readers contacted me and asked: Okay, but what can we actually do?
Danish politicians will double life science exports in a few years

“Strategy for life science” is a policy agreement to support the pharmaceutical industry’s opportunities to double exports to DKK 350 billion towards 2030
Royal House unveils new portraits of King Frederik and Queen Mary

Ten months after Frederik went from crown prince to king, new civil portraits of the new royal couple have been taken.
“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

5 Dec: A guided tour of Christiansborg

Career

“Talents, start using AI tools now,” says Siri and Change.org founder

In an exclusive interview with The Copenhagen Post, the founder of Siri and Change.org, and currently VP of AI Experience at Airbnb, gives young talents advice on how to deal with the job market changed by artificial intelligence.
“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.
“Now the biggest challenge is to retain internationals”, says Ferring

Mads Hougaard, senior HR director at the pharmaceutical company, explains that “it is also a challenge for society itself. I think collaboration between institutions, companies, and stakeholders could be beneficial.”

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Jobs