BACKGROUND: Data from different sources have proved an infrautilizatio
n of opioid analgesics in Spain, A descriptive study has been conducte
d in order to know the utilization of these drugs and changes in the p
attern of use in the last few years, MATERIAL AND METHOD: TO know the
consume of narcotic analgesic drugs, NO2A group of the Anatomic Therap
eutic Classification, a search was developed in the ECOM database from
the Spanish Ministry of Health, This database contains information of
drug preparations prescribed throughout the National Health Care Syst
em, RESULTS: The consumption of opioid analgesics in Spain has been mu
ltiplied by 5.2 during this period, It has increased from 94.7 defined
daily dose per 1,000,000 inhabitants in 1985 to 489.4 in 1994, The mo
st consumed drug in 1994 was dihydrocodeine, followed by tramadol, The
number of defined daily dose per inhabitant and day of parenteral adm
inistration have decreased during the last years. CONCLUSIONS: Availab
ility of new analgesic opioid drugs with better pharmacokinetic profil
es has contributed to an increase of their consume in Spain.