Adverse Drug Reactions Associated With Drugs Prescribed in Psychiatry: A Retrospective Descriptive Analysis in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background Psychiatric disorders are chronic in nature which often require long and continuous medications. These medications are known to cause adverse effects on their use. Their monitoring and prevention are crucial for the practicing family and community physicians. Method This is a cross-sectional retrospective study conducted to analyze all the spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported from the psychiatry department to the ADR Monitoring Center, Department of Pharmacology, AIIMS Jodhpur during the time period from 2014 to 2020. Results A total of 334 ADRs were reported. The majority of the ADRs were reported from antipsychotics (60.6%) followed by antidepressants (25.5%) and antiepileptic drugs (5.8%). On further subgroup analysis of the drug classes among antipsychotics, Clozapine (15.8%) was the leading offending agent. Similarly, among Antidepressants, Escitalopram (6.1%) was causing the most side effects. The most common ADR reported was sedation (7.26%) followed by salivary hypersecretion (6.7%), akathisia (5.52%), and weight gain (5.52%). Conclusion Knowledge of common ADRs help in better management of the diseases and psychotropics as a class has various frequents ADRs. Early detection and suitable intervention can help the community physicians in the proper care of the patients and rational use of drugs.