Polypharmacy and psychotropic drug loading in patients with schizophrenia in Asian countries: Fourth survey of Research on Asian Prescription Patterns on antipsychotics

To date, antipsychotics remain the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia and related disorders although other psychotropic medications and non-pharmaceutical interventions have been used adjunctively in some patients and settings. Regular surveys on access to and prescription patterns of psychotropic medications in clinical practice are an important and efficient way of examining the use and time trends of treatments in a given population and region. Unlike developed Western countries, Asian countries have not fully undergone deinstitutionalisation of the severely and chronically mentally ill, and community-based mental health services are still under-developed. As a result, a large number of psychiatric patients still receive treatments in psychiatric hospitals. Moreover, there have been very limited studies examining access to and prescription patterns of psychotropic medications for schizophrenia patients in Asian countries. In this paper, we focus on the only international project on the use of psychotropic medications in schizophrenia patients in selected East and Southeast Asian countries/territories summarising its major findings. Most of the first- and second-generation antipsychotics (FGAs and SGAs) are available in Asian countries, but the access to psychotropic medications is largely affected by socio-cultural and historical contexts, health insurance schemes, health care policy, medication cost and consumers’ preference across different countries/territories. Overall, the proportional use of FGAs, high dose antipsychotic treatment and antipsychotic polypharmacy have decreased, while the use of SGAs and antidepressants have increased and the utilisation of benzodiazepines and mood stabilisers has remained relatively stable over time. However, within these general trends, there is great inter-country variation regarding the psychotropic prescribing patterns and trends in Asian schizophrenia patients that also seems to differ from data in many Western countries.

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Consumption trends and prescription patterns of opioids from 2011 to 2016: a survey in a Chinese city

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021923 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. e021923 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xiao Liu ◽

Can Luo ◽

Huizhen Dai ◽

Wentong Fang

Keyword(s):

Cancer Incidence ◽

Mainland China ◽

Opioid Consumption ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Total Consumption ◽

Prescription Patterns ◽

Defined Daily Doses ◽

Application Data ◽

Strong Opioids ◽

High Level

ObjectiveOpioid consumption in China has been very less and has varied widely since 1995. The representatively high level of consumption in Mainland China has never been reported. Our aim was to describe the consumption trends and prescription patterns of opioids in Nanjing, a highly developed city of Mainland China, and compare the results with selected worldwide regions.MethodsApplication data of opioids in 2011–2016 were extracted from the Jiangsu Medicine Information Institute. Six opioids were included. Consumption was expressed in terms of defined daily doses (DDDs), morphine equivalents (MEs) and expenditure. The correlation between consumption of opioids and gross domestic product (GDP), Human Development Index (HDI) and cancer incidence was analysed by Pearson’s correlation test.ResultsDDDs, expenditure and MEs of opioids were, respectively, 256.04, $599.24 and 13.07 g in 2011, and increased to 361.27, $1041.79 and 18.09 g in 2016. DDDs in Nanjing were 2.80-fold that in Mainland China, 1.42-fold that in East and South-East Asia, but only equivalent to 8.89% of the worldwide average level. From 2011 to 2016, the consumption had a linear correlation with GDP, HDI and cancer incidence (p<0.05). However, DDDs varied greatly in countries with similar GDP or HDI. Within 45 Asian countries, the GDP only contributed to 10.47% of change in DDDs, while the HDI contributed to 20.32%. Consumption of non-intravenous opioids or strong opioids always comprised majority of the total consumption. The opioids prescribed predominantly were fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine. Fentanyl and oxycodone account for most of the increase in consumption.ConclusionOpioid consumption has increased >40% from 2011 to 2016, with consumption of fentanyl and oxycodone accounting for most of that increase. The consumption in Nanjing was higher than the average Chinese level, but lower than the global average. An increase in pain control services might be needed, but this need should be highly regulated.

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Gender differences in depressive symptom profiles and patterns of psychotropic drug usage in Asian patients with depression: Findings from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants study

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0004867415579464 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 49 (9) ◽

pp. 833-841 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Seon-Cheol Park ◽

Min-Soo Lee ◽

Naotaka Shinfuku ◽

Norman Sartorius ◽

Yong Chon Park

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Depressive Symptom ◽

Psychotropic Drug ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Prescription Patterns ◽

Asian Patients ◽

Symptom Profiles

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Pharmacotherapy for dyspepsia; Analysis of prescription patterns

Gastroenterology ◽

10.1016/s0016-5085(01)81149-5 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. A231-A231

Author(s):

N WIT ◽

O QUARTERO ◽

P ZUITHOFF ◽

M NUMANS

Keyword(s):

Prescription Patterns

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Sex Differences in Mass Media Preferences Across Four Asian Countries

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000054 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 186-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Malini Ratnasingam ◽

Lee Ellis

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Mass Media ◽

The United States ◽

Female Students ◽

The Internet ◽

Evolutionary Explanation ◽

Asian Countries ◽

The World ◽

Media Preferences

Background. Nearly all of the research on sex differences in mass media utilization has been based on samples from the United States and a few other Western countries. Aim. The present study examines sex differences in mass media utilization in four Asian countries (Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore). Methods. College students self-reported the frequency with which they accessed the following five mass media outlets: television dramas, televised news and documentaries, music, newspapers and magazines, and the Internet. Results. Two significant sex differences were found when participants from the four countries were considered as a whole: Women watched television dramas more than did men; and in Japan, female students listened to music more than did their male counterparts. Limitations. A wider array of mass media outlets could have been explored. Conclusions. Findings were largely consistent with results from studies conducted elsewhere in the world, particularly regarding sex differences in television drama viewing. A neurohormonal evolutionary explanation is offered for the basic findings.

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