Trends in lithium prescription in Spain from 1985 to 2003.
Lithium use for bipolar disorder has decreased in the United States. We aimed at studying lithium prescription in Spain from 1985 to 2003. Prescription data, expressed in daily defined dose per 1,000 inhabitants per day, were obtained. Lithium prescription increased uninterruptedly from 0.21 to 0.79 DID. The psychiatric reform in Spain and a broader definition of BD during the last decades are possible explanations for this rise.
Fundació Institut Català de Farmacologia, Clinical Pharmacology Service, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. xcc@icf.uab.es
Xavier
X
Castells
Antoni
A
Vallano
David
D
Rigau
Joselin
J
Pérez
Miguel
M
Casas
Dolors
D
Capellà
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016651:Lithium Carbonate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain
D016651:Lithium Carbonate