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Original Research Article
Prescribing Patterns of
Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine for Patients with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Ilse Truter
Drug Utilisation Research
Unit (DURU), Department of Pharmacy, Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University (NMMU), Port Elizabeth, South
Africa
*For correspondence:
Email:
ilse.truter@nmmu.ac.za; Tel: +
27-41-5042131; Fax: + 27–41-5042744
Received: 1 April 2014
Revised accepted: 8 June
2014
Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, July 2014;
13(7): 1157-1162
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v13i7.21
Abstract
Purpose: To
determine the prescribing pattern of methylphenidate and
atomoxetine to patients with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in South
Africa.
Methods: A
retrospective, cross-sectional pharmacoepidemiological
study was conducted based on the data from a medical aid
administrator in South Africa for 2011. All records for
ADHD patients who received one or more prescriptions for
methylphenidate and/or atomoxetine (ATC Code N06BA) were
extracted for analysis.
Results: A
total of 455 patients (mean age: 16.5 ± 11.56 yr)
received 1653 prescriptions for methylphenidate and/or
atomoxetine at a total cost of South African Rand
554,915.84 (US dollar 1.0 = Rand 6.76). A majority of
these patients (70.34 %) were males and 21.10 % were
older than 18 yr (25.76 % of females and 19.81 % of
males). About a third of the prescriptions (30.44 %)
were dispensed to children younger than 12 years while
25.88 % were dispensed to adolescents (12 to 18 years).
Most prescriptions (92.01 %) were for methylphenidate
while atomoxetine accounted for 7.99 % of the
prescription. A majority of the prescriptions for
methylphenidate (47.86 %) were for children younger than
12 yr, and most prescriptions for atomoxetine (52.27 %)
were for adolescents.
Conclusion: Methylphenidate is the mainstay in the
treatment of ADHD in South Africa, with atomoxetine
prescribed more often to older patients. Drug use is
rational and dosages are within the recommended dosage
ranges. As expected, older patients are receiving
treatment for ADHD.
Keywords: Methylphenidate, Atomoxetine,
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder,
Pharmacoepidemiology |
