Analysis of the consumption of anxiolytic drugs from a Pharmacy Office on the island of Tenerife

  1. Sandra Dévora Gutiérrez 1
  2. Alexis M. Oliva Martín 1
  3. Tatiana M. de la Rosa Suárez 1
  4. Domingo Martín-Herrera 1
  5. Susana Abdala Kuri 1
  1. 1 Universidad de La Laguna
    info

    Universidad de La Laguna

    San Cristobal de La Laguna, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01r9z8p25

Revista:
FarmaJournal

ISSN: 2445-1355

Año de publicación: 2019

Volumen: 4

Número: 1

Páginas: 273

Tipo: Artículo

Otras publicaciones en: FarmaJournal

Resumen

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is, along with depression, the most frequentpsychiatric problem in Primary Care, which is why anxiolytics have become one ofthe most prescribed therapeutic groups, with a considerable increase in their use sincethe 1990s.The aim of this communication is to analyse, over a period of one year, theconsumption of psychotropic drugs in a rural area of the island of Tenerife. To thisend, data were collected on all the active ingredients dispensed during this period,grouping them by month, distinguishing whether they had been dispensed as ageneric drug or a brand name and differentiating the sex of the patient.A total of 8,427 dispensations of anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives werequantified, and their consumption was higher in female patients than in men (2:1).An average of 648.23 ± 22.03 monthly dispensations (mean ± standard deviation)were observed, with short-acting benzodiazepines being the most prescribed. It wasalso found that the dispensing of brand names was clearly superior with respect togeneric medicines.This study provides evidence and confirms the information gathered in thebibliography regarding the high consumption of psychotropic drugs in our society,with a higher prevalence among female patients. For all these reasons, it is necessaryfor the Community Pharmacist to act through Pharmaceutical Care, in closecontact with the Primary Care staff, to try, as far as possible, to reduce this excessiveprescription of benzodiazepines.