Uso de Gabapentina en los Servicios de Neurología y Medicina Interna del Hospital México en el 2007

Abstract

The consumption of gabapentin in the Hospital Mexico has increased during the years since its first acquisition in 2004. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prescription of 300 mg gabapentin in the Internal Medicine and Neurology Services of the Hospital Mexico from January to December of 2007, according to the criteria established by the Comité Central de Farmacoterapia in the V Acreditación para Comités Locales de Farmacoterapia, by the study of the clinical record. We found that in 10% (n = 9) of the patients, the gabapentin was used to treat epilepsy (n = 3) or the postherpetic neuralgia (n = 6), which correspond to the approved pathologies in the V Acreditación para Comités Locales de Farmacoterapia; however, only 33% (n = 3) of these cases were treated following the prescription line in agreement with the institutional guidelines. In 90% (n = 80) of the cases the medication was used in the treatment of pathologies unapproved by the institution already mentioned. It also was found that the effective dose commonly used of gabapentin was 300 mg, three times per day. We conclude that the use of 300 mg gabapentin in the Hospital México doesn't agree with the guidelines of the V Acreditación para Comités Locales de Farmacoterapia and the increase of the gabapentin consumption in this hospital is due to, in most of the cases, the treatment of pathologies unapproved by the Comité Central de Farmacoterapia.