PRESCRIPTION PATTERNS OF DRUGS FOR ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDERS IN JAPANESE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Author(s)
Inagaki A1, Endo Y2, Yoshizumi A3, Yamazumi J3, Hashimoto K3, Watanabe K4, Ito T4, Tsukada K4
1Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan, 2Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Tokyo, Japan, 3Hizen Psychiatric Center, Yoshinogari, Saga, Japan, 4Kohnodai Hospital, National Center of Global Health and Medicine, Ichikawa, Japan
OBJECTIVES: To examine the patterns of drug prescription for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders in Japanese children and adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey on December 1, 2013, on patients aged 19 or less in two national mental hospitals. Patients who were prescribed at least one drug for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (anti-ADHD drug) were analyzed. Data were extracted on gender, age, and types and doses of psychotropic drugs. Data on the patients’ diagnoses were not collected. RESULTS: The patients included 87 males and 26 females, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 12.4 (2.8) years. Of these 113 patients, the psychostimulant OROS methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) only, 26 (23.0%) received atomoxetine (ATMX), a selective noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor only, and 17 (15.0%) received the combination OROS-MPH/ATMX therapy. Antipsychotics were concurrently prescribed in 51 (45.1%) patients patients CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-sixth of patients, aged 19 or less and treated with anti-ADHD drug therapy in Japanese mental hospitals, were prescribed OROS-MPH/ATMX combination therapy. In addition, almost half of these young patients on anti-ADHD drugs were co-prescribed antipsychotics.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2015-11, ISPOR Europe 2015, Milan, Italy
Value in Health, Vol. 18, No. 7 (November 2015)
Code
PMH10
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Safety & Pharmacoepidemiology
Disease
Mental Health