Background: Irrational drug prescribing is a common practice globally; it results in increased morbidity, mortality & economic burden on society. Drug utilisation studies are an important tool to promote rational prescribing. Aims & Objective: To study on drug prescribing pattern in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: A drug utilisation study was conducted in hypertensive patients by the department of pharmacology in medicine OPD at SGRRIM & HS, Dehradun for 6 months. 645 prescriptions were evaluated for prescribing pattern by using WHO drug use indicators. Results: 645 prescriptions were analysed. A total of 1828 drugs were prescribed. 697 (38.13%) antihypertensives, 243 (13.30%) antidiabetics, 174 (9.52%) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 154 (8.44%) statins, 114 (6.24%) thyroid hormone, 54 (2.95%) anti-anxiety/antidepressants and 392(21.44%) miscellaneous drugs were prescribed. 697 antihypertensive drugs were prescribed. 234 (33.57%) angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), 117 (16.79%) angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, 95 (13.63%) Beta blockers, 83 (11.91%) Calcium channel blockers 168 (24.10%) Fixed dose combinations (FDCs) of antihypertensives were included. 2.83 drugs were prescribed per prescription. 225 (32.28%) antihypertensives were prescribed from essential medicine list. Conclusion: Most commonly prescribed drugs were ARBs and ACE inhibitors. Rational prescribing requires consideration to dose and duration and interaction with other medications.

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INTRODUCTIONPhysicians/medical professionals are continuously exposed to newly introduced drugs that are claimed to be safer and more efficacious. Their utilization and consequences on real-life effectiveness and safety in actual clinical practice need continuous study.1 Rational drug prescribing is defined as the use of the least number of drugs to obtain the best possible effect in the shortest period and at a reasonable cost. Measurement of drug use in health facilities not only describes drug use patterns and prescribing behavior, but also helps in the identification of factors responsible for the practice of polypharmacy and the problems associated with it.2 Drug utilization study has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the marketing, distribution, prescription and uses of drugs in a society with special emphasis on the resulting medical and social and economical consequences." 3Studies on the process of drug utilization focus on the factors related to the prescribing, dispensing, administering, and taking of medication, and its associated events, covering the medical and non-medical determinants of drug utilization, the effects of drug utilization, as well as studies of how drug ABSTRACT Background: Prescription auditing studies are a part of drug utilization studies, are beneficial in clinical practice for rational prescribing of drugs and helpful for minimizing the medication errors. They are important tool to promote rational prescribing. Methods: This was a prospective drug utilization study conducted by the Department of Pharmacology in Psychiatry out-patient department at Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun for a period of 6 months. A total of 311 prescriptions were evaluated for prescribing pattern using World Health Organization drug indicators and National Essential Medicine List (NEML) 2011. Results: A total of 311 prescriptions were evaluated, 157 (50.48%) were females, and 154 (49.52%) were males, mean age was 37.14±0.8 years. Majority of patients were married 207 (66.56%), housewife 116 (37.30%) and belong to middle socioeconomic group 205 (65.92%). A total of 1250 drugs were prescribed, anti-anxiety (anti-A) 379 (30.32%), anti-depressants (anti-Ds) 348 (27.84%), anti-psychotics (anti-Ps) 118 (9.44%), anti-epileptics (anti-Es) 64 (5.12%), mood stabilizer 20 (1.6%), anticholinergics 28 (2.24%) and others 293 (23.44%). Oral formulations 1247 (99.76%), 4.02 drugs/prescription, 100% drugs were prescribed by brand names. 220 (17.6%) fixed dose combinations were prescribed. Most frequently prescribed among anti-A drugs were propranolol 160 (42.22%) and diazepam 105 (27.70%), among anti-Ds drugs were amitriptyline 65 (18.68%) and escitalopram 59 (16.95%) and among anti-Ps risperidone 49 (41.53%) and olanzapine 38 (32.20%), respectively. About 51.36% drugs were prescribed from the NEML 2011. Result has revealed polypharmacy in the practice. Conclusions: Anti-A drugs were the most commonly prescribed drugs followed by anti-Ds, anti-Ps and anti-Es res...

Background: Drug use studies are beneficial in clinical practice for rational prescribing of drugs and helpful for minimizing the medication errors. Aims and Objectives:The present study investigates the prescribing pattern of various antidepressants among private practitioners of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Materials and Methods:A retrospective observational study was carried out in a private psychiatric unit at Dehradun. A total of 196 prescriptions were analyzed using World Health Organization drug use indicators and National Essential Medicine List (NEML) 2013.Results: Among 196 prescriptions, 54.08% were for females and 45.92% were for males. Depression was more commonly seen in patients in aged 31-50 years. Depression was more common among housewives (28.06%) and in married (52.04%) people. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (39.17%) were the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants followed by serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (33.33%). Fluoxetine and escitalopram were the most commonly prescribed SSRIs. Alprazolam (59.33%) was most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine class followed by lorazepam (16.0%) for comorbid anxiety symptoms. Among patients, 18.48% antipsychotics were prescribed to patients; olanzapine and risperidone (atypical antipsychotics) were the most commonly prescribed. Trihexyphenidyl was the most common anticholinergic prescribed. The average number of drugs per prescription in our study was 3.03 with 55.39% drugs prescribed from the NEML 2013.Conclusion: Fluoxetine and escitalopram were the most commonly used SSRIs. SSRIs are preferred over other antidepressants because of their relative lesser side effects. Polypharmacy was observed with benzodiazepines as frequent coprescription.Abstract Dutta et al.: A psychotropic drug utilization study

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