Utilization pattern of antipsychotics at a tertiary care hospital in Oman

Introduction: Antipsychotics, classified into typical and atypical, are a corner stone in the treatment of schizophrenia. Their use varies among countries due factors such as cost, efficacy and side effects. Little information is known about the use of these agents in the developing countries. Objective: To describe the utilization pattern of antipsychotics among adult patients attending Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Method: Data from January to March 2013 for patient prescribed antipsychotics at SQUH was retrieved retrospectively after obtaining ethical approval. Results: Among 535 analyzed records, females accounted for 57.3% of prescriptions and the age group between 18 to 39 years constitutes the major (54.7%) utilizer of antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics accounted for 68.8% of prescriptions. Olanzapine was the most common prescribed atypical drug (48.1%) while haloperidol was the most utilized (34.1%) typical agent. Schizophrenia was the main indication for the use of antipsychotics (26.9%) followed by depressive disorders (23.2%) and bipolar affective disorder (11.6%). Monotherapy accounted for the majority (93.0%) of prescriptions. Conclusion: At SQUH atypical antipsychotics accounted for the majority of antipsychotic prescriptions which is in-line with most standard therapeutic guidelines recommendations for the treatment of psychotic disorders. Further research exploring the tolerability and outcome of such treatment is needed.