ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUG PRESCRIBING PATTERNS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL
Juno J. Joel*, Shastry C.S, Satheesh Rao
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to determine the antipsychotic drug prescribing patterns in patients with schizophrenia in the in-patient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. 200 patients between the age group of 18-60 and diagnosed to have schizophrenia were enrolled in the study. Male patients (62.5%) outnumbered the female patients (37.5%). Majority of the patients 62% (N=124) were found to be suffering from Paranoid Schizophrenia followed by 16% (N=32) of patients identified with Unspecified Schizophrenia. Atypical antipsychotics are commonly found to be prescribed which includes olanzapine (45.5%), risperidone (35%) and clozapine (25%). Injectable form of haloperidol (40.5%) was the widely used conventional anti-psychotic preparation followed by zuclopenthixol (20.5%) and chlorpromazine (5.5%). Most commonly prescribed anxiolytic drugs constitute the benzodiazepine (injectable form of lorazepam-39.5%). Trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride (34.5%) was the commonly prescribed anticholinergic drug. From the prescription pattern of antipsychotics, it is concluded that atypical antipsychotics were used more frequently than the typical antipsychotics. Among the atypical antipsychotic drugs, olanzapine was the most frequently prescribed drugs in the management of schizophrenia.
Keywords: Schizophrenia, antipsychotics, prescribing patterns.
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