Utilization Pattern of Antipsychotics at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman

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.