Antipsychotics in schizophrenia: a retrospective study of drug utilization pattern in outpatient department of psychiatry at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric disorders are one of the major causes of morbidity and the burden of illness is enormous and remains grossly under represented. Psychotropic drugs have had a remarkable impact in psychiatric practice. Currently a large number of atypical antipsychotics available in the market are endorsed as better options for treating schizophrenia than the typical antipsychotics. The main objective of the study was to find the commonly prescribed antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients in a tertiary care center.Methods: After Institutional Ethics Committee approval, a retrospective cross-sectional drug utilization study of 400 prescriptions was under taken from 1st July 2015 to 30th July 2016 in the outpatient department of psychiatry of a tertiary care hospital. The prescribing pattern of antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients (N=107) was measured.Results: Out of 400 cases in the outpatient department, schizophrenia cases were predominant (N=107 i.e. 27%) out of which 42.1% were females and 57.9% were males. This was followed by mood disorders and neurotic & somatoform disorders. The most common antipsychotic used was olanzapine followed by risperidone. Least commonly used antipsychotic was haloperidol. Most of the patients who received risperidone also received an anticholinergic trihexyphenidyl (91.8%).Conclusions: Olanzapine and risperidone are the most commonly used antipsychotics. Anticholinergics should be used only in selected patients on antipsychotics as tolerance develops to extrapyramidal side effects. Anticholinergics are unnecessary after 3-6 months in all except 10% of patients. Moreover, it has its own side effects and adversely interacts with antipsychotics.

Drug utilization study of antipsychotics among schizophrenia patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital: a retrospective observational study

“…This was in contrast to the findings seen in study by Patted where only 47.3% patients received drugs from NLEM. 19 In this study 6.2% of injectables were prescribed. Depot preparation of fluphenazine decanoate was given in 3.7% of uncooperative patients.…”

Drug utilization audit of antipsychotics using WHO methodology: recommendations for rational prescribing

“…23,31 Present study findings are in line with Balaji R et al, who found 50% use of medicines from NLEM 2015 and also with Patted UH et al, who found only 47.33% of patients received antipsychotics which were in the National list of essential medicines (NLEM) 2015. 39,42 But Rode SB et al, and George A et al, have depicted a higher percentage (i.e. 81.36% and 96.77%) use of drugs prescribed from essential drug list (WHO and Indian).…”

Antipsychotic Prescribing Pattern in Elderly Patients with Psychiatric Disorders

“…It is indicating that the age is one of the factors where the choice of the drug depends especially in elderly patients. Studies conducted by Usharani H Patted et al, [13] showed that olanzapine was the most commonly prescribed atypical antipsychotic 48.6% followed by risperidone 45.8%. In the present study the common antipsychotics prescribed were olanzapine (43%) followed by Quetiapine (30%).…”