title: Sex differences in use of psychotropic drugs and drug-induced side effects in schizophrenia patients: findings of the Research on Asia Psychotropic Prescription (REAP) studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the sex differences in prescribing patterns of psychotropic drugs and drug-induced side effects in schizophrenia patients in Asia using the data of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Pattern (REAP) surveys.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prescription patterns of 6,441 schizophrenia inpatients in six Asian countries and regions were investigated during the 2001-2009 period. The patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and their prescriptions for psychotropic drugs were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate analyses found the following factors to be significantly associated with the male sex: a younger age, higher doses of antipsychotics, less prominent delusions and hallucinations, more prominent negative symptoms, less likelihood of a prescription for second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), greater use of antipsychotic polypharmacy, mood stabilizers and depot antipsychotics, more frequent tardive dyskinesia (TD), and less weight gain. In multivariate analyses, fewer prescriptions for SGAs, greater use of mood stabilizers, anticholinergics, antipsychotic polypharmacy and depot antipsychotics, extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) and TD, and less weight gain were independently associated with the male sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sex is one of the independent contributors to psychotropic prescription and side effects in Asian schizophrenia patients. Psychopharmacological treatment guidelines for schizophrenia should consider the sexes separately.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Tao
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Chuan-Yue
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tian-Mei
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Edwin Ho Ming
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yan-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Gabor S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvari
authors.forename: Helen F K
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Shu-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mian-Yoon
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinfuku
authors.forename: Chay Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Ee Heok
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kua
authors.forename: Senta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Jitendra Kumar
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Trivedi
authors.forename: Eun Kee
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Pichet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Udomratn
authors.forename: Kok-Yoon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sartorius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001208:Asia; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents