Frequencies of Combination Treatment of Atypical Antipsychotics and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in a College Hospital Psychiatric Outpatient Unit.
- Author:
Tae Hyon HA
1
;
Jun Soo KWON
;
Eui Tae KIM
;
Sung Kun PARK
;
Jung Seok CHOI
;
Kyu Sik RHO
;
Kyoo Seob HA
;
Yong Sik KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Atypical antipsychotics;
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors;
Co-prescription
- MeSH:
Antidepressive Agents;
Antipsychotic Agents*;
Diagnosis;
Humans;
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder;
Outpatients*;
Prescriptions;
Schizophrenia;
Seoul;
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors*
- From:Korean Journal of Psychopharmacology
2004;15(1):84-93
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The introduction of new psychiatric medications with better efficacy and tolerance seems to increase the frequencies of co-prescriptions of various psychotropic agents. We investigated the frequencies of the combined treatments of atypical antipsychotics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that are supposed to be common in clinical practice. METHODS: Data on 2783 outpatients from March 1, 2002 through June 31, 2002 in Seoul National University Hospital were collected. The number of cases with a co-prescription of atypical antipsychotics with SSRIs were counted and compared by diagnoses. The relations of diagnosis and age to the combined treatment were explored. RESULTS: 499 (17.4%) patients took co-prescriptions of antipsychotics with antidepressants, and 393 (13.7%) patients those of atypical antipschotics with SSRIs. Patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia took the combinations of atypical antipsychotics and SSRIs more frequently than patients with other diagnoses, as 41.6% and 20.8%, respectively. Controlling for diagnostic categories, age was significantly correlated with the presence of those co-prescriptions. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study reflect evidence-based prescriptions in an educating hospital and provide basic data for further pharmaco-epidemiological studies. The co-prescription of atypical antipsychotic agents with SSRIs seems to occur only in proper indications, under the consideration of the risk of drug-drug interactions and adverse effects.
