Drug utilisation and adverse drug reaction monitoring in schizophrenic patients: A tertiary care hospital study in India.

Authors

Vipin Kumar Jain, Shilpa N Kaore, Megha Jain, Vaibhav Dubey

Published in

Bioinformation. Volume 22. Issue 6. Pages 3568-3571. Epub Jun 30, 2026.

Abstract

Inadequate and poorly documented data on psychotropic drug utilization in schizophrenia in India necessitates systematic evaluation of prescribing patterns and associated adverse drug reactions. This prospective observational study assessed drug utilization, prescription rationality and adverse drug reactions among schizophrenia patients attending a tertiary care psychiatric outpatient department using WHO prescribing indicators. A total of 112 prescriptions comprising 285 drugs were analyzed, with atypical antipsychotics prescribed in 87% of first-visit cases, while combination therapies and polypharmacy were frequently observed. Significant dose variations were noted in commonly used antipsychotics such as risperidone, olanzapine and aripiprazole, as well as benzodiazepines like clonazepam and lorazepam (p<0.001). Atypical antipsychotics predominated due to better tolerability and lower extrapyramidal side effects, highlighting evolving prescribing trends. Thus, structured evidence on drug utilization patterns and variability in dosing, help in optimizing rational prescribing practices in schizophrenia management.

PMID:
42701729
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Sep 2026.

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