Suicide-related OTC analgesic exposures reported to U.S. poison control centers

CDC and the Child Injury Prevention Alliance sponsored a study into the use of OTC analgesic medications in suicide attempts by U.S. children aged 6–19 years. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, conducted the retrospective study, which analyzed data from the National Poison Data System from 2000 to 2018. U.S. poison control centers documented 549,807 suicide-related cases involving OTC analgesics during that time frame, including 1,745 (0.3%) that were fatal. About two-thirds of cases involved a single medication, with acetaminophen and ibuprofen use growing over the study period while acetylsalicylic acid use decreased. Acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid were associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality. The findings indicate a pick-up in the rate of suicide-related OTC analgesic cases over the past 2 decades—particularly among females, who accounted for 72.7% of cases between 2000 and 2018. Investigators say unit-dose packaging requirements are needed, along with restrictions on package sizes and allowable purchase quantities, in order to limit access to large quantities of these drugs.