Drug utilization study of antidepressant drugs in psychiatric outdoor patients at a tertiary care hospital in Southern Rajasthan

Arvind Singh Tanwar; Harcharan Singh; Aditi Bhandari; Harshkumar K. Brahmbhatt; Dharmendra Garg; Chetan Jani; Rahul Damor; Nelliyottu Veettil Ramkiran

doi:10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20243028

Authors

Arvind Singh Tanwar Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6399-4152
Harcharan Singh Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Aditi Bhandari Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Harshkumar K. Brahmbhatt Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Dharmendra Garg Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Chetan Jani Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Rahul Damor Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Nelliyottu Veettil Ramkiran Department of Pharmacology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20243028

Keywords:

Anxiety, ATC classification, Depressive disorder, PDD/DDD ratio

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “Drug Utilization” as the marketing, distribution, prescription, and use of drugs in a society, with special emphasis on the resulting medical, social, and economic consequences. Antidepressants are used to treat depressive illnesses and anxiety disorders. However, these are also employed in the pharmacotherapy of several psychiatric disorders. Very few studies were found regarding the pattern of prescription of antidepressants in outdoor patients in southern Rajasthan. So, this study has been planned to learn about the prescription pattern of antidepressant drugs as per WHO Core Drugs Prescribing indicators at a tertiary care hospital in southern Rajasthan.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 375 patients by convenient sampling over one year duration, in the outdoor Department of Psychiatry at RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Patient’s prescriptions were analyzed for drug utilisation pattern in OPD after relevant consent. All data was compiled in MS Excel and analyzed using statistical methods.

Results: Out of 375 prescriptions analyzed, 48.8% were males and 51.2% were females. Most commonly, patients had a diagnosis of depressive disorder (42.93%), followed by bipolar affective disorder (14.4%). The most common drug class prescribed was SSRI (88.86%). Escitalopram (41.65%) was the most prescribed drug, followed by Sertraline (30.51%).

Conclusions: Among the prescribed antidepressants SSRIs were the most common class of drug followed by TCA. Escitalopram was the most common drug to be prescribed followed by sertraline. More than half of the patients receiving antidepressants suffered from non-depressive disorders. Monotherapy was preferred over combination therapy. All patients were prescribed generic drugs.

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