Prasad S Nishtala1,2, Te-Yuan Chyou3. 1. Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. p.nishtala@bath.ac.uk. 2. Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath, UK. p.nishtala@bath.ac.uk. 3. Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Psychotropic medicine utilisation in older adults continues to be of interest because of overuse and concerns surrounding its safety and efficacy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterise the utilisation of psychotropic medicines in older people in New Zealand. METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of national dispensing data from 1 January, 2005 to 31 December, 2019. We defined utilisation using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification defined daily dose system. Utilisation was measured in terms of the defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 older people per day (TOPD). RESULTS: Overall, the utilisation of psychotropic medicines increased marginally by 0.42% between 2005 and 2019. The utilisation increased for antidepressants (72.42 to 75.21 DDD/TOPD) and antipsychotics (6.06-19.04 DDD/TOPD). In contrast, the utilisation of hypnotics and sedatives (53.74-38.90 DDD/TOPD) and anxiolytics decreased (10.20-9.87 DDD/TOPD). The utilisation of atypical antipsychotics increased (4.06-18.72 DDD/TOPD), with the highest percentage change in DDD/TOPD contributed by olanzapine (520.6 %). In comparison, utilisation of typical antipsychotics was relatively stable (2.00-2.06 DDD/TOPD). The utilisation of venlafaxine increased remarkably by 5.7 times between 2005 and 2019. The utilisation of zopiclone was far greater than that of other hypnotics in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: There was only a marginal increase in psychotropic medicines utilisation from 2005 to 2019 in older adults in New Zealand. There was a five-fold increase in the utilisation of antipsychotic medicines. Continued monitoring of psychotropic medicine utilisation will be of interest to understand the utilisation of antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic year.
BACKGROUND: Psychotropic medicine utilisation in older adults continues to be of interest because of overuse and concerns surrounding its safety and efficacy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterise the utilisation of psychotropic medicines in older people in New Zealand. METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of national dispensing data from 1 January, 2005 to 31 December, 2019. We defined utilisation using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification defined daily dose system. Utilisation was measured in terms of the defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 older people per day (TOPD). RESULTS: Overall, the utilisation of psychotropic medicines increased marginally by 0.42% between 2005 and 2019. The utilisation increased for antidepressants (72.42 to 75.21 DDD/TOPD) and antipsychotics (6.06-19.04 DDD/TOPD). In contrast, the utilisation of hypnotics and sedatives (53.74-38.90 DDD/TOPD) and anxiolytics decreased (10.20-9.87 DDD/TOPD). The utilisation of atypical antipsychotics increased (4.06-18.72 DDD/TOPD), with the highest percentage change in DDD/TOPD contributed by olanzapine (520.6 %). In comparison, utilisation of typical antipsychotics was relatively stable (2.00-2.06 DDD/TOPD). The utilisation of venlafaxine increased remarkably by 5.7 times between 2005 and 2019. The utilisation of zopiclone was far greater than that of other hypnotics in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: There was only a marginal increase in psychotropic medicines utilisation from 2005 to 2019 in older adults in New Zealand. There was a five-fold increase in the utilisation of antipsychotic medicines. Continued monitoring of psychotropic medicine utilisation will be of interest to understand the utilisation of antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic year.
Authors: T Gerhard; K Huybrechts; M Olfson; S Schneeweiss; W V Bobo; P M Doraiswamy; D P Devanand; J A Lucas; C Huang; E S Malka; R Levin; S Crystal Journal: Br J Psychiatry Date: 2013-08-08 Impact factor: 9.319
Authors: William V Bobo; Brandon R Grossardt; Maria I Lapid; Jonathan G Leung; Cynthia Stoppel; Paul Y Takahashi; Robert W Hoel; Zheng Chang; Christian Lachner; Mohit Chauhan; Lee Flowers; Scott M Brue; Mark A Frye; Jennifer St Sauver; Walter A Rocca; Bruce Sutor Journal: Pharmacol Res Perspect Date: 2019-01-23
Authors: David S Baldwin; Katherine Aitchison; Alan Bateson; H Valerie Curran; Simon Davies; Brian Leonard; David J Nutt; David N Stephens; Sue Wilson Journal: J Psychopharmacol Date: 2013-09-24 Impact factor: 4.153