title: Adverse psychic reactions to psychotropic drugs--a report from the AMUP study.
abstract: The AMUP study (AMUP = Arzneimittelüberwachung in der Psychiatrie (Drug Monitoring in Psychiatry)) was conducted from 1979 to 1989 in order to provide for a systematic and standardized assessment of all adverse reactions to psychotropic drugs under the conditions of routine clinical treatment at two psychiatric hospitals. This paper presents data from the AMUP study on the type and frequency of adverse psychic reactions to psychotropic drug groups and relevant single drugs. Psychic ADR leading to drug discontinuation were observed in 4.5% of 15,264 inpatients monitored over an eight-year period. Only neurological ADR were more frequent (4.9%). Neuroleptics and antidepressants were involved with similar frequencies in ADR that were at least "probably" drug-related (3.3 and 3.5%). Lithium salts and benzodiazepines were only rarely involved in psychic ADR. Toxic delirium (1.0%), agitation (0.9%), and sedation (0.8%) were the most frequent single events, usually rated as "probably" drug-related. Depression and psychotic states were next in frequency, but judged as only "possibly" drug-related in a considerable proportion of cases. Haloperidol, the most common high-potency neuroleptic, was imputed mainly for depression, sedation, agitation, and (malignant) neuroleptic syndrome; with medium-potency perazine, toxic delirium and sedation prevailed; among the most common antidepressants, amitriptyline was above all connected with toxic delirium, while with clomipramine agitation predominated. The paper discusses the particular difficulties encountered in the field of psychic ADR in psychiatric patients regarding causality assessment, and emphasizes the need for continuous ADR assessment studies including state hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Department of the Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grohmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ströbel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rüther
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dirschedl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helmchen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hippius
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Müller-Oerlinghausen
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003243:Consciousness / Q000187:drug effects; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D011358:Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000523:psychology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs