CNS diseases

Compliance with the guidelines for laboratory monitoring of patients treated with lithium: a retrospective follow-up study among ambulatory patients in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVES: Laboratory monitoring of patients using lithium is important to prevent harm and to increase effectiveness. The aim of this study is to determine compliance with the guidelines for laboratory monitoring of patients treated with lithiumverall and within subgroups. METHODS: Patients having at least one lithium dispensing for six months or longer between January 2010 and December 2015 were identified retrospectively using data from the Dutch PHARMO Database Network

Read more

All-cause mortality with current and past use of antidepressants or benzodiazepines after major osteoporotic and hip fracture

In the first year, after an osteoporotic fracture of a hip, forearm, upper arm, or spine, the dispensing rates of antidepressants and benzodiazepines increased significantly. After those fractures, recent and past use of antidepressants and benzodizepines was associated with increased all-cause mortality; current use was not associated with mortality risk

Read more

Pharmaceutically treated anxiety but not depression prior to cancer diagnosis predicts the onset of cardiovascular disease among breast cancer survivors

PURPOSE: To examine the associations between pharmaceutically treated anxiety and depression present in the year prior to breast cancer diagnosis and the risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), while controlling for traditional cardiovascularisk factors and clinical characteristics in a population-based observational study

Read more

Psychiatric medication use before and after the onset of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents: A population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Several studies showed a bidirectional association between type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders in adults. Because there is limited information on the association between type 1 diabetes (T1D) and psychiatric disorders (including pychiatric medication use) in children and adolescents, we assessed frequency of use of these medications before and after the onset of T1D

Read more

Antipsychotic drug use associated with urinary tract infections in older women

OBJECTIVES: Antipsychotic drugs are frequently prescribed to elderly patients, but they are associated with serious adverse effects. The objective of the current study was to investigate the association between use of antipsychotics by elderly womeand the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). COHORT STUDY SETTING: Dispensing data were obtained from the PHARMO Database Network for the period 1998-2008

Read more

Prescribing pattern of antipsychotic drugs during the years 1996-2010: a population-based database study in Europe with a focus on torsadogenic drugs

INTRODUCTION: Antipsychotic drugs (APDs) are used to treat several mental illnesses. Some APDs have long been known to be associated with QT prolongation, potentially leading to torsades de pointes (TdP) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). In 2005, thiridazine was withdrawn because of the risk of SCD, bringing further attention to the arrhythmogenic potential of APDs

Read more

Post authorization safety study comparing quetiapine to risperidone and olanzapine

OBJECTIVES: To compare rates of specific adverse outcomes between patients starting quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone use in the Netherlands. METHODS: Observational study using the PHARMO Database Network, including patients starting quetiapin(4658), olanzapine (5856), or risperidone (7229) in 2000-2009, comparing rates of all-cause mortality, failed suicide attempts, extrapyrimidal symptoms (EPS), diabetes mellitus (DM), hypothyroidism, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

Read more

Treatment with rivastigmine or galantamine and risk of urinary incontinence: results from a Dutch database study

BACKGROUND: Treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) may increase the risk of urinary incontinence (UI). OBJECTIVE: To assess whether ChEI use was associated with the risk of UI among older patients with AD. METHOD: A crossover cohort study using the PHARMO Record Linkage System included 10 years of data on drug dispensing histories for over two million Dutch residents

Read more

Association between ADHD drug use and injuries among children and adolescents

To study the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug use and the incidence of hospitalization due to injuries. A random sample of 150,000 persons (0-18 years) was obtained from the Dutch PHARMO record linkage systemAn ADHD medication cohort as well as an up to six age/sex/index date sampled control cohort with no history of ADHD drug use was formed

Read more