It is well documented that women face greater medical exposure to psychotropic drugs than do men, but little research examines whether women also have increased use of prescription drugs with abuse potential. The objectives were to examine gender differences in the use of abusable prescription drugs and to assess how use varies by gender and if patterns of use vary across therapeutic drug class...

CNS-active drugs are used relatively often during pregnancy. Use during early pregnancy may increase the risk of a congenital malformation; use during the later part of pregnancy may be associated with preterm birth, intrauterine growth disturbances and neonatal morbidity. There is also a possibility that drug exposure can affect brain development with long-term neuropsychological harm as a res...

BACKGROUND Multiple drug hypersensitivity (MDH) was first described in 1989 by Sullivan et al. as drug allergies to two or more chemically different drugs. So far, the diagnosis of MDH was associated almost exclusively with antibiotics and was defined based on history alone. AIMS OF THE STUDY The objective of this study was to prove MDH by two independent tests, namely patch (PT) and lymphocy...

The primary goal of postmarketing surveillance is to provide information for risk assessment of a drug. Drugs affecting the central nervous system form a unique group of products for surveillance because they are often misused, abused, and diverted. These medications include opioid analgesics, stimulants, sedative-hypnotics, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants and other drug classes. Their advers...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether excessive and often inappropriate or dangerous psychotropic drug dispensing to older adults is unique to care homes or is a continuation of community treatment. DESIGN Population-based data-linkage study using prescription drug information. SETTING Northern Ireland's national prescribing database and care home information from the national inspectorate. PAR...

BACKGROUND Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for the development of substance use disorders. Treatment of ADHD with psychostimulants in patients on opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) has been restricted in Norway. We examined the use of prescribed drugs for ADHD in OMT patients and assessed co-medication with other psychotropics. METHODS Data were drawn from the...

AN ESTIMATED 2.5% OF THE UNITED STATES POPULATION TAKE HYPNOTIC MEDICATIONS FOR INSOMNIA IN ANY GIVEN YEAR, AND, OF THESE, ABOUT 23% TAKE HYPNOTICS ON A NIGHTLY BASIS FOR 4 MONTHS OR LONGER.1 Clinical research studies of hypnotics, on the other hand, have a median duration of medication use of approximately 1 week.2 The results of only a small number of longer, randomized, double-blind, placebo...

The elderly are more susceptible to adverse drugs effects due to a variety of factors, such as excessive and concomitant use of several drugs, administration errors, physiological changes in the body that alter the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. In order to determine the main therapeutic classes involved in hospital admissions of elderly people due to intoxication and adverse drug effec...