Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions
Background: Patients with mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, who seek medical care in private psychiatric clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have recently expressed concerns to doctors about difficulty in filling psychotropic medications, such as Amitriptyline and Aripiprazole, at retai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2017-07-01
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| Series: | Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319016416301293 |
| _version_ | 1818274768684580864 |
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| author | Yazed Sulaiman Al-Ruthia Wael Mansy Mohammad Barasin Yazeed Mohammad Ghawaa Mohammed AlSultan Mohammad A. Alsenaidy Solaiman Alhawas Sultan AlGhadeer |
| author_facet | Yazed Sulaiman Al-Ruthia Wael Mansy Mohammad Barasin Yazeed Mohammad Ghawaa Mohammed AlSultan Mohammad A. Alsenaidy Solaiman Alhawas Sultan AlGhadeer |
| author_sort | Yazed Sulaiman Al-Ruthia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Patients with mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, who seek medical care in private psychiatric clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have recently expressed concerns to doctors about difficulty in filling psychotropic medications, such as Amitriptyline and Aripiprazole, at retail community pharmacies. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a shortage of some commonly prescribed psychotropic medications in retail community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia, and if so, to explore the possible reasons behind the shortage of these medications. Methods: The availability of 28 commonly prescribed psychotropic medications was checked in multiple retail community pharmacies in 4 different regions of Saudi Arabia. Further, potential reasons behind the shortage of some psychotropic medications in retail community pharmacies were also explored. Results: Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Aripiprazole, Bupropion, Buspirone, Duloxetine, Haloperidol, Hydroxyzine, Lithium, Prochlorperazine, Procyclidine, Promethazine, Thioridazine, Trazodone, and Trifluoperazine were unavailable in over half of the 248 community pharmacies surveyed. Four possible reasons behind the shortage of these medications were reported by 31 pharmacists working in different retail community pharmacies’ purchasing departments, with a majority (58.06%) reporting the primary reason for a shortage of these medications that they are slow-moving items with low profit margins. Conclusions: The findings of this study should expedite the reform process in both the Ministry of Health and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to publish and enforce an essential list of medications for retail community pharmacies, which should include the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:19:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b72a65ec1214d76a3c8f894c819175f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1319-0164 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T22:19:07Z |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b72a65ec1214d76a3c8f894c819175f2022-12-22T00:09:59ZengElsevierSaudi Pharmaceutical Journal1319-01642017-07-0125574474910.1016/j.jsps.2016.10.013Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutionsYazed Sulaiman Al-Ruthia0Wael Mansy1Mohammad Barasin2Yazeed Mohammad Ghawaa3Mohammed AlSultan4Mohammad A. Alsenaidy5Solaiman Alhawas6Sultan AlGhadeer7Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDrug Information Center, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaBackground: Patients with mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, who seek medical care in private psychiatric clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have recently expressed concerns to doctors about difficulty in filling psychotropic medications, such as Amitriptyline and Aripiprazole, at retail community pharmacies. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a shortage of some commonly prescribed psychotropic medications in retail community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia, and if so, to explore the possible reasons behind the shortage of these medications. Methods: The availability of 28 commonly prescribed psychotropic medications was checked in multiple retail community pharmacies in 4 different regions of Saudi Arabia. Further, potential reasons behind the shortage of some psychotropic medications in retail community pharmacies were also explored. Results: Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Aripiprazole, Bupropion, Buspirone, Duloxetine, Haloperidol, Hydroxyzine, Lithium, Prochlorperazine, Procyclidine, Promethazine, Thioridazine, Trazodone, and Trifluoperazine were unavailable in over half of the 248 community pharmacies surveyed. Four possible reasons behind the shortage of these medications were reported by 31 pharmacists working in different retail community pharmacies’ purchasing departments, with a majority (58.06%) reporting the primary reason for a shortage of these medications that they are slow-moving items with low profit margins. Conclusions: The findings of this study should expedite the reform process in both the Ministry of Health and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to publish and enforce an essential list of medications for retail community pharmacies, which should include the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319016416301293PsychotropicMedicationShortageCommunityPharmaciesSaudi Arabia |
| spellingShingle | Yazed Sulaiman Al-Ruthia Wael Mansy Mohammad Barasin Yazeed Mohammad Ghawaa Mohammed AlSultan Mohammad A. Alsenaidy Solaiman Alhawas Sultan AlGhadeer Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal Psychotropic Medication Shortage Community Pharmacies Saudi Arabia |
| title | Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions |
| title_full | Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions |
| title_fullStr | Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions |
| title_short | Shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Causes and solutions |
| title_sort | shortage of psychotropic medications in community pharmacies in saudi arabia causes and solutions |
| topic | Psychotropic Medication Shortage Community Pharmacies Saudi Arabia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319016416301293 |
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