Chronic medication consumption (age: 15+)

This indicator shows the proportion of the population aged 15 and over that had taken strong painkillers, sleeping pills or tranquillisers almost every day (on at least 20 days) in the previous 30 days.

Addiction Switzerland collected these data on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) between 2011 and 2016 as part of a telephone survey (CoRoIAR) of around 11 000 people. Since 2018, these questions have been asked in a comparable way in the Health and Lifestyle survey, an online questionnaire by the FOPH and the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) (n₂₀₁₈ ≈ 5600; n₂₀₂₂ ≈ 5400; n₂₀₂₄ ≈ 6000).

Since 2022 the following three questions have been asked in the survey (if the answer was yes, the next question was asked):

Sleeping tablets and tranquillisers:

• Question 1: "Have you taken any sleeping pills or tranquillisers in the last 12 months? e.g., Valium, Ativan, Xanax, Temesta"
• Question 2: "Have you taken any sleeping pills or tranquillisers in the last 30 days?"
• Question 3: "On how many days have you taken sleeping pills or tranquillisers in the last 30 days?"

Painkillers:

• Question 1: "Have you taken strong painkillers in the last 12 months, e.g., Oxycodone®, Morphine®, Fentanyl® (not common painkillers for headaches like aspirin or paracetamol)?"
• Question 2: "Have you taken these strong painkillers in the last 30 days?"
• Question 3: "On how many days in the last 30 days have you taken these strong painkillers?"

The shares shown in the indicator refer to persons who answered the last question with "on 20 days or more".

Time series break between 2016 and 2018: the Health and Lifestyle survey is an online questionnaire and CoRoIAR is a telephone interview. 

Time series break between 2018 and 2022: from 2022, the questions include examples of sleeping pills and tranquillisers, unlike previous surveys. In addition, the question wording changed slightly. In 2011–2016, when asked about painkillers, the indication was given that no questions were asked about common headache medicines such as aspirin and paracetamol (without further examples).

No data on the use of painkillers can be shown for 2018.

• Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): Health and lifestyle Survey
• Addiction monitoring in Switzerland: CoRolAR (in German and French)

• Addiction in Switzerland: Website (in German. French, and Italian)
• Entwicklung der Verschreibung von Schmerz- und Schlafmedikamenten in der Schweiz (2021). Federal statistical office (FSO), Berne: Factsheet (in German, French, and Italian).
• Gmel, G. et al. (2018). Suchtmonitoring Schweiz – Einnahme von psychoaktiven Medikamenten in der Schweiz im Jahr 2016. Addiction in Switzerland, Lausanne: Report (in German, summary in French).
• Kraft, E. et al. (2019). Auslegeordnung zum problematischen Gebrauch psychoaktiver Medikamente. Bericht im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Gesundheit (BAG). Ecoplan, Berne: Report (in German).
• Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan). Health Care Atlas: Benzodiazepines.
• Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan). Health Care Atlas: Opioids.

27/11/2024