Objective:

To estímate the prevalence of non-opioid analgesics for pain relief among nursing undergraduates.

Method:

Cross-sectional study, conducted with 142 nursing students in the interior of the state of Amazonas, Northern Region of Brazil. Data were collected in the second half of 2017 using a self-administe redquestionnaire.

Results:

The prevalence of non-opioid analgesic use was 68,3%; being the relief of headaches (64,9%) and abdominal pain (14,4%) the main reasons for use. The majority stated that: pain interferes with the performance of daily activities (77.3%); they recognize that analgesics can harm health (76.3%); they consumed analgesics on their own (58.8%). Still, 47.4% indicated medicines to third parties and 93.8% reported that they stocked medicines in their homes.

Conclusion:

There was a high consumption of analgesics, highlighting irrational use - without professional prescription. It is necessary to strengthen the teaching on the rational use of medicines among nursing students, aimingto minimize the risks of this practice.

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