British Pharmacological Society (BPS), London, İngiltere, 11 - 13 Aralık 2017, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
Introduction: Along with differences among the countries, there are various concerns
about the overuse of psychiatric medicines worldwide (1-3). In this study, we aimed to
investigate utilization of the central nervous system drugs prescribed by adult
psychiatrists (APs) and child psychiatrists (CPs) in Turkey.
Method: This retrospective study on prescription of psychiatric medicines with "N"
group (nervous system drugs) at the level of anatomical therapeutic chemical-1 (ATC1) basing on the national health data of APs and CPs obtained from Prescription
Information System (PIS) of Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency
between January 1 and December 31, 2016. Distribution of medicines was analysed at
the ATC-5 level in each group.
Results: The total number of items prescribed by both psychiatrist groups registered
in the PIS was 2,034,912; and 95.5% of them were prescribed by APs. It was
determined that 89.5% (n=1,739,619) and 97.8% (n=89,148) of total items prescribed
by APs and CPs, respectively, were "N" group drugs. Ten most commonly prescribed
medicines were escitalopram (10.2%), sertraline (9.0%), quetiapine (8.4%),
duloxetine (7.0%), venlafaxine (6.3%), paroxetine (5.4%), fluoxetine (5.4%),
olanzapine (5.0%), risperidone (4.7%), and mirtazapine (4.5%) among APs and
methylphenidate (39.4%), risperidone (18.5%), fluoxetine (10.3%), sertraline (8.8%),
atomoxetine (7.1%), aripiprazole (5.7%), quetiapine (1.4%), hydroxyzine (1.3%),
imipramine (1.1%), and olanzapine (0.8%) among CPs. Based on this, it was
determined that the first ten medicines, which were frequently preferred by APs and
CPs, covered 65.9% and 94.4% of all items prescribed by these physicians,
respectively.
Conclusions: It is understood that the drugs frequently prescribed by APs and CPs
generally differ in both numeric and drug substance. Moreover, it is noteworthy that
APs prescribe more antidepressants, most commonly escitalopram; and CPs prescribe
methylphenidate more clearly. Compared with the literature, the obtained data exhibit
partial similarities regarding prescribed medicines for children and adults (2,3).