Psychopharmacology research in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Ethnic differences in patients' responses to drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders have been increasingly reported. Differences can be found in the English-speaking Caribbean population due to its multi-ethnic composition. With the goal of identifying studies on psychopharmacology and ethnicity, we searched for all abstracts and full papers on clinical psychopharmacology emerging from research in the English-speaking Caribbean published in the West Indies Medical Journal, the Caribbean Medical Journal and Medline. We found no studies focusing on this topic, although there were some which may indirectly imply the existence of such differences. High blood levels of imipramine have been found in Barbadian patients, and the majority of cases of neuroleptic malignant syndrome have been reported in Africans, as well as high levels of CPK. However, the numbers of patients studied have not been large enough to be representative. A significantly higher incidence of alcoholism has also been reported in males of East Indian origin. We concluded there is an urgent need in the region for undertaking this type of research to ensure a more favorable treatment outcome of patients treated with such drugs.
Jaime
L K
LK
Department of Pharmacology, University of the West Indies. Karelia Montane <lkjaime@yahoo.com>
Maharajh
H
H
D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology*; D011600:Psychopharmacology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012106:Research; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs