ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Psichiatrica 2017 June;58(2):90-6

DOI: 10.23736/S0391-1772.17.01929-X

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

A study of adverse drug reactions associated with antidepressant drugs among female patients attending the Department of Psychiatry

Mamatha KRISHNA MURTHY ¹, Hemendra SINGH ², Santh R. THAKUR ³ ✉

¹ Faculty of Pharmacy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, India; ² Department of Psychiatry, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, India; ³ Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam University, Tirupati, India

BACKGROUND: Depression is an important psychiatric disorder of great concern worldwide. Women experience depression at approximately twice the rate of men. Various classes of antidepressant drugs are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression. However, there is dearth of literature regarding the pattern of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among female patients using antidepressant drugs. The aim of this article was to study the ADRs associated with antidepressants drugs among female patients attending psychiatric services.
METHODS: This hospital-based prospective observational study was carried out in outpatients of the Psychiatry Department of M. S. Ramaiah Medical Teaching Hospital (MSRMTH), Bengaluru, Karnataka, for a period of three years. A total of 344 female patients who received at least one antidepressant medication were evaluated for various parameters of ADRs by using Naranjo Scale; WHO‑Uppsala Monitoring Centre probability scale; Modified Schumock and Thornton’s Scale and Udvalg for KliniskeUndersogelser-side effect rating scale (UKU-SERS). The suspected drugs and system organ class involved in ADRs were coded according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System and World Health Organization Adverse Reaction Terminology (WHO-ART).
RESULTS: A total of eighty six patients experienced 104 ADRs to antidepressant drugs in our study. The average age of the patients who experienced ADR was found to be 39.05±15.3 years. Escitalopram 27 (25.9%) was the most commonly implicated drug in ADR followed by sertaline 17 (16.3%). Insomnia 18 (17.3%) was the most commonly suspected ADR followed by weight gain 17 (16.34%) and anxiety 6 (5.7%). Psychiatric disorder (N.=48, 46.1%) was the most common affected organ system due to ADRs followed by metabolic and nutritional disorders (N.=17, 16.3%) In terms of prevention of ADRs, 37 (71.15 %) suspected ADRs were probably preventable, 12 (23.07%) not preventable and 3 (5.76%) definitely preventable.
CONCLUSIONS: ADRs associated with antidepressant drugs among female patients are not an uncommon presentation in clinical practice. This study emphasizes the need for early detection and reporting of ADRs and subsequent management to improve effectiveness and patient safety on antidepressants in psychiatric practice.

KEY WORDS: Drug-related side effects and adverse reactions - Female - Antidepressive agents