[Trends in pharmaceutical care for men].

Over the past few years, perceptible changes - both fundamental and specific - have taken place in pharmaceutical care for men. While the most striking difference persists, namely that between somatic drug therapies for men and drugs for the treatment of psychological disorders and diseases, the large discrepancies that long existed between the quantities prescribed for men and women have meanwhile not only evened out, but men are even prescribed larger quantities than women if they undergo drug therapy. An analysis of the drugs prescribed particularly for men revealed that they are primarily prescribed for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (hypertension and cardiac insufficiency) and metabolic disorders (diabetes, gout), especially in elderly patients. The evaluation also showed that the drugs prescribed most frequently for younger men also included psychostimulants and antidepressants, such as SSRIs, for diagnoses of ADHD and depression.Besides these prescribed medicaments, other drugs must also be taken into account that reflect men's gender-specific everyday needs. These include drugs for treating erectile dysfunction, hair growth products or drugs for male menopause or to build muscle. The sometimes serious undesired effects of these products are often given small attention because of the desired benefit of supporting the perceived male role. While hormones are widely used in anabolic steroids, the use of hormones in contraceptive pills for men is evidently still far away from the aforementioned trends in pharmaceutical care for men.