Drug utilization study of antiepileptic drugs in the pediatric department, tertiary care hospital, Bangalore, India.

Objective: The main objective of the present study is to find out the loose links between prescription of medication and its utilization in the pediatric department, especially with drugs that belong to the antiepileptic medication category.

Methodology: This prospective observational study was carried out for 6 months in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Tertiary Care Hospital, Bangalore. The study was conducted on 100 patients receiving antiepileptic medication. The patient demographics and all medically relevant information were noted in a predefined data collection form.

Results: The study showed that the maximum number of patients receiving antiepileptic medication belongs to the age group of 2-6 years. While comparing the prevalence of ADR levetiracetam, phenytoin and clobazam were identified which are associated with ADR. The highly prescribed drug was valproic acid and carbamazepine. The ADRs documented were loss of appetite, vomiting, anemia, and Steven-Johnson syndrome. Evaluation of prescription was performed, which is a major factor in drug-related ADRs. In the discussion part, various methods of improvement in the prevention of ADRs due to prescription error have been suggested which can improve drug utilization and precaution. An economic study was done in the end to put a light on the cost-effective treatment therapy which might improve patient adherence.

Conclusion: It was concluded that valproic acid was a highly prescribed drug and carbamazepine was the second-most prescribed drug. It was found that majority of prescription was without a generic name and with inappropriate abbreviations.