During the COVID-19 pandemic, prescriptions for hypnotic medications notably increased among children, particularly among those aged between 6 and 11 years for prolonged-release melatonin and in adolescents for Z-drugs such as zolpidem; this increase persisted until the end of the study in December 2023.

"These increases are possibly related to children's persistently deteriorating mental health, changes in medical prescribing strategies, and unmet preexisting therapeutic needs. Treatment options should be tailored to the unique needs of this population, and support for children and families to implement adequate sleep hygiene should be enhanced. Without the latter, pharmacological options will fail to improve their sleep in a sustainable manner," the authors wrote.

The study was led by Zaba Valtuille, MsC, from the Center of Clinical Investigations at Robert Debré University Hospital in Paris, France. It was published online on February 5, 2025, in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Individual patient-level data were not analyzed, so researchers were not able to determine whether the increase in prescription rates was due to more children being exposed or more prescriptions being dispensed per child. Sex differences in the use of hypnotic medications could not be examined due to unreliable data recording. The indications for hypnotic medication prescriptions in children, their comorbidities, or any comedications dispensed were not investigated.

This study was supported by grants from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche and Fondation de France. Two authors declared being employees of pharmaceutical company IQVIA France, while another author reported receiving travel grants from Pfizer, among others.