Potential drug-drug interactions in the psychiatric hospital: Frequency analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Drug-drug interactions are an important clinical problem in pharmacotherapy. This study is focused on different types of drugs used in a psychiatric hospital.

Materials and methods: The pharmacoepidemiological study included the analysis of medical records of 500 psychiatric inpatients. The patients were divided into 2 groups: under 65 and over 65 years of age. All the drug prescriptions were analyzed to identify the combinations of drugs that can induce drug-drug interactions and determine their clinical significance.

Results and discussion: Over 77% of hospitalized patients were administered drug combinations that could induce drug-drug interactions, most of which were of moderate clinical significance. A reliable association was found between the patient’s age, the clinical significance of drug-drug interactions, and the pharmacotherapy structure. The most common irrational drug combinations were identified.

Conclusion: Timely analysis of drug prescriptions for potential drug-drug interactions can enhance the safety of pharmacotherapy and decrease the risk of adverse drug reactions in the psychiatric inpatient setting.