Pharmacotherapy for psychiatric inpatients with alcohol use disorder or acute intoxication: results from an observational pharmacovigilance program-status and changes between 2000 and 2016.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a mental disorder with a high prevalence and is one of the most common diagnoses requiring inpatient treatment. For the pharmacological management of withdrawal and detoxification, tranquilizing and anticonvulsant drugs, as well as symptom-triggered therapy, are recommended. In this study, we investigated the use of psychotropic drugs in the inpatient treatment of patients with AUD or acute intoxication by analyzing data from the Drug Safety Program in Psychiatry (German: Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie; AMSP).

Pharmacotherapy of psychiatric inpatients with mental and behavioral disorders caused by sedatives or hypnotics (F13): Results from an observational pharmacovigilance program between 2000 and 2017.

Background: The treatment of choice for substance use disorder (SUD) caused by sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics (SHA) is to slowly taper the dose of the implicated substance to the point of abstinence, thereby minimizing withdrawal symptoms. Concomitant pharmacotherapy may be indicated to manage excessive withdrawal or rebound symptoms. This study investigated the use of psychotropic drugs for the treatment of SHA-dependent SUD patients in Germany.

Twenty-four years of prescription patterns in bipolar disorder inpatients with vs without lithium: a pharmacoepidemiological analysis of 8,707 cases in German-speaking countries.

Background: Global pharmacoepidemiological evidence suggests dynamically changing prescription patterns in patients with bipolar disorders. We assessed trends in the use of pharmacological agents used in the management of bipolar disorders in inpatients.

Methods: We examined drug use data provided by the Drug Safety in Psychiatry Programme AMSP (German: "Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie"), including psychiatric hospitals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Psychotropic drug-induced adverse drug reactions in 462,661 psychiatric inpatients in relation to age: results from a German drug surveillance program from 1993-2016.

Background: Clinical practice suggests that older adults (i.e., ≥ 65 years of age) experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) more often than younger patients (i.

Twenty-Three Years of Declining Lithium Use: Analysis of a Pharmacoepidemiological Dataset from German-Speaking Countries.

Introduction: Pharmacoepidemiological data suggest that lithium prescriptions for bipolar disorder are gradually decreasing, with less attention having been paid to other indications.

Methods: We examined lithium prescriptions between 1994 and 2017 in data provided by the Drug Safety in Psychiatry Program AMSP, including psychiatric hospitals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We compared lithium use for different diagnoses before and after 2001 and in three periods (T1: 1994-2001, T2: 2002-2009, and T3: 2010-2017).

Edema related to treatment with psychotropic drugs.

Edema as an adverse drug reaction is a commonly underestimated yet potentially debilitating condition. This study analyzes the incidence of severe psychotropic drug-induced edema (e.g.

[Understanding and assessing the antidepressant drug-associated risk of bleeding].

Antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are the most commonly prescribed psychopharmacological drug group. Thus, a precise knowledge of the expected adverse drug reactions is indispensable. The increased risk of bleeding events is well documented, especially in patients treated with SSRIs.

[Effect of the direct healthcare professional communication on citalopram and escitalopram drug utilization for inpatient treatment of anxiety disorders].

Background: In 2011, direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) letters on citalopram and escitalopram were sent out to address the risk of QTc prolongation in the ECG. Healthcare professionals were informed about a reduction of the maximum recommended daily dose. Furthermore, a contraindication for QTc-prolonging co-medication was given.

Pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder according to severity in psychiatric inpatients: results from the AMSP pharmacovigilance program from 2001-2017.

The International Classification of Diseases (10 Version) categorizes major depressive disorder (MDD) according to severity. Guidelines provide recommendations for the treatment of MDD according to severity. Aim of this study was to assess real-life utilization of psychotropic drugs based on severity of MDD in psychiatric inpatients.

Dear Doctor Letters regarding citalopram and escitalopram: guidelines vs real-world data.

Dear Doctor Letters (DDLs, Direct Healthcare Professional Communications) from 2011 provided guidance regarding QTc-prolonging effects with risk of torsade de pointes during treatment with citalopram and escitalopram. This study examines the DDLs' effects on prescription behavior. Data from 8842 inpatients treated with citalopram or escitalopram with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) were derived from a European pharmacovigilance study (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie, AMSP) from 2001 to 2017.

Antipsychotic drug treatment of schizophrenia in later life: Results from the European cross-sectional AMSP study.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between patient age and the selection and dosage of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) for treatment of schizophrenia. We describe age effects for multiple individual APDs, thus allowing comparisons between drugs.

Methods: Prescription data of 32,062 inpatients with schizophrenia from 2000 to 2017 were obtained from the Drug Safety Program in Psychiatry (AMSP) database.

Urological adverse drug reactions of psychotropic medication in psychiatric inpatients - A drug surveillance report from German-speaking countries.

Urological adverse drug reactions (UADR) are common during treatment with psychotropic medication. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic description of the differential profile of UADR of psychotropic drugs in a large naturalistic population. Data stems from psychiatric hospitals collected by AMSP (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie), a continuous multi-center pharmacovigilance program in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Treatment of depression: Are psychotropic drugs appropriately dosed in women and in the elderly? Dosages of psychotropic drugs by sex and age in routine clinical practice.

Background: Several researchers have shown higher concentration-dose ratios of psychotropic drugs in women and the elderly. Therefore, lower dosages of psychotropic drugs may be recommended in women and the elderly. This study describes sex- and age-related dosage of psychotropic drugs prescribed to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in routine clinical practice.

[Vaccination Against COVID-19 in Patients Treated with Psychotropic Drugs].

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been available in the European Union since December 2020. Persons suffering from mental illness have an increased risk of a severe or fatal course following an infection with SARS-CoV-2. Thus, the question arises to what extent interactions between the newly approved vaccines and psychotropic drugs may be expected.

Psychotropic drug-induced hyponatremia: results from a drug surveillance program-an update.

Hyponatremia (HN) is the most common electrolyte imbalance (defined as a serum sodium concentration Na(S) of  < 130 mmol/l) and often induced by drugs including psychotropic drugs. AMSP (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie) is a multicenter drug surveillance program that assesses severe or unusual adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occurring during treatment with psychotropic drugs. This study presents data from 462,661 psychiatric inpatients treated in participating hospitals between 1993 and 2016 and serves as an update of a previous contribution by Letmaier et al.

Atypical dyskinesias under treatment with antipsychotic drugs: Report from the AMSP multicenter drug safety project.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe atypical dyskinesias (AtypDs) occurring during treatment with antipsychotic drugs (APDs). AtypDs are dyskinesias showing either an unusual temporal relationship between onset of treatment and start of the adverse drug reaction (ADR) or an unusual presentation of clinical symptoms.

Methods: Data on the utilisation of APDs and reports of severe APD-induced AtypDs were collected using data from the observational pharmacovigilance programme - 'Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (English: drug safety in psychiatry)' (AMSP) - from 1993 to 2016.

A case series of serious and unexpected adverse drug reactions under treatment with cariprazine.

Reporting of new or unexpected adverse drug reactions of medicines that are subject to additional monitoring ("black triangle" label), such as the antipsychotic drug cariprazine, is of paramount importance to improve pharmacotherapy safety.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Second- and Third-Generation Antipsychotic Drugs-Influence of Smoking Behavior and Inflammation on Pharmacokinetics.

Both inflammation and smoking can influence a drug's pharmacokinetic properties, i.e., its liberation, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.

Sex differences in pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder: results from the AMSP pharmacovigilance program from 2001 to 2017.

Data on drug prescription for outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) suggest women are more likely to be treated with psychotropic drugs, while data on sex differences regarding pharmacological treatment of psychiatric inpatients are currently not available. Drug utilization data from the program "Drug Safety in Psychiatry" (German: Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie, AMSP) of 44,418 psychiatric inpatients with MDD were analyzed for sex differences between 2001 and 2017. Sex differences were analyzed using relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Time trends in pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder: Results from the AMSP Pharmacovigilance Program from 2001-2017.

Background: Currently available data on the prescription practice among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) reflect the outpatient setting. This is the first study to provide information on time trends of psychotropic drug utilization in psychiatric inpatients.

Method: Data stems from German-speaking psychiatric hospitals collected by the program "Drug Safety in Psychiatry" (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie, AMSP) between 2001 and 2017.

Pharmacotherapy of 1,044 inpatients with posttraumatic stress disorder: current status and trends in German-speaking countries.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder with limited approved pharmacological treatment options and high symptom burden. Therefore, real-life prescription patterns may differ from guideline recommendations, especially in psychiatric inpatient settings. The European Drug Safety Program in Psychiatry ("Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie", AMSP) collects inpatients' prescription rates cross-sectionally twice a year in German-speaking psychiatric hospitals.

Severe drug-induced liver injury in patients under treatment with antipsychotic drugs: Data from the AMSP study.

Objectives: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) has been associated with various antipsychotic drugs (APDs). Comparative studies between individual APDs are largely not available.

Methods: Antipsychotic drug utilisation data and reports of severe antipsychotic DILI were assessed by using data from an observational pharmacovigilance programme-Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP)-during the period 1993-2016.

Severe weight gain as an adverse drug reaction of psychotropics: Data from the AMSP project between 2001 and 2016.

Severe weight gain induced by psychotropics is a known problem in psychiatry. Various drugs from different classes may lead to weight gain that may further lead to potentially life-shortening diseases, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A total of 344 cases of severe weight gain (>10% of body weight) have been documented by the drug safety in psychiatry program AMSP between 2001 and 2016.

Cardiovascular Adverse Reactions During Antipsychotic Treatment: Results of AMSP, A Drug Surveillance Program Between 1993 and 2013.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of global mortality. Some antipsychotic agents can show severe cardiovascular side effects and are also associated with metabolic syndrome.

Methods: This observational study was based on data of AMSP (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie), a multicenter drug surveillance program in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, that recorded severe drug reactions in psychiatric inpatients.