Polypsychopharmacy on the Rise in Primary Care
The prevalence of polypsychopharmacy in Dutch primary care has increased significantly from 2012 to 2021. This trend is associated with factors such as multiple psychiatric diagnoses, opioid use, and higher GP consultation frequency. The study highlights the need for structured medication reviews and improved access to non-pharmacological interventions.
- ▪Polypsychopharmacy increased from 7.6 to 12.6 per 1000 patients between 2012 and 2021.
- ▪The most common combinations of psychotropic medications involved antidepressants with antipsychotics, anxiolytics, or sedatives-hypnotics.
- ▪Factors such as female sex, age, and opioid use were strongly associated with polypsychopharmacy.
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TOPLINE:Polypsychopharmacy — the concomitant use of two or more different classes of psychotropic medication — increased between 2012 and 2021 in Dutch primary care; the most common combinations involved antidepressants with antipsychotics, anxiolytics, or sedatives-hypnotics. Factors such as multiple psychiatric diagnoses, opioid use, and high GP consultation frequency were associated with polypsychopharmacy.METHODOLOGY:Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a regional database in Netherlands containing medical records from 272,460 to 311,031 adult patients across 100 general medical practices from 2012 to 2021.Polypsychopharmacy was defined as the concomitant use of psychotropic medication from two or more different classes for at least 90 days.
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