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Seeing a child in physical pain can bring emotional pain to parents and guardians. This is why parents often provide medical care to them almost immediately. However, there is a downside to the excessive use of painkillers in children.

In a recent study, researchers found that children, and even young adults below the age of 25, who use an excessive amount of painkillers are likely to suffer from poor mental health as adults. They found that children and young adults who have chronic pain were 29 percent more likely to have a mental illness as an adult. However, this number increased to 46 percent for those given a prescription painkiller. At the same time, they also had an 82 percent higher risk of substance misuse.

Academic Clinical Fellow in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at St George's, University of London Dr. Andrew Lambarth and Breckenridge Chair of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool Professor Reecha Sofat both explained in a press release that there needs to be caution when administering painkillers in people under 25 years of age. The experts said this is a critical and vulnerable stage in life, which could influence their decision-making later on, so the process needs to be optimized more.

In the past, researchers studied the link between painkillers and mental health issues. The misuse of opioids, for example, was found to lead to anxiety disorders. In a study from 2022, scientists found that people who used prescription opioids had a higher risk of anxiety compared to those who did not use them. It also showed that the increased or prolonged use of opioids resulted in a higher risk of experiencing depressive symptoms.