Background: Psychotropic polypharmacy involves the concurrent prescription of two or more psychotropic medications to a patient. The prevalence varies from 13% to 90%. Polypharmacy may increase the effectiveness of treatment but can increase the chances of adverse effects, drug interactions, cost, and lower adherence.
Aim and Objective: The aim and objective of the study are to assess the frequency and the factors associated with psychotropic polypharmacy.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients attending a psychiatry clinic in a tertiary care center. The study was initiated after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee and informed consent from the patients. Detailed demographic, disease, and drug data were collected through interviewing and reviewing the case record forms of patients. The Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to determine the factors associated with polypharmacy.
Results: Of the 125 study participants, 87.2% were aged between 20 and 60 years. The overall frequency of polypharmacy was 68.8%. The frequency of polypharmacy was 100% in bipolar disorder (BPD), 85.2% in psychosis, 81.3% in anxiety, 64.7% in depression, and 52.4% in alcohol dependence syndrome. 70% of BPD and 37% of psychosis patients had antipsychotic polypharmacy and 19% of anxiety patients had selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor polypharmacy. 11% of psychosis patients had polypharmacy of sedatives. On regression analysis, the factors significantly associated with psychotropic polypharmacy were the primary diagnoses of the patient, i.e., psychosis and anxiety.
Conclusion: More than half of the patients were noted to have psychotropic polypharmacy. The frequency was higher in BPD and psychosis.
Key words: Psychotropic Polypharmacy; Antipsychotic Polypharmacy; Psychosis; Bipolar Disorder; Psychiatric Illness
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