0344 TRENDS IN PRESCRIPTIONS OF SEDATIVE-HYPNOTICS AMONG KOREAN ADULTS: A NATIONWIDE PRESCRIPTION DATABASE STUDY 2011–2015.

Abstract

Introduction: Abundant prescription of sedative-hypnotics has been a serious issues because of the abuse, dependence, and side effects including cognitive impairement. we expect to contribute our results to monitor the usage of sedative-hypnotics and establish a basis for reducing sedative-hypnotic abuse. Methods: Data from Health Insurance Review & Assessment (HIRA) Service 2011-2015 of Republic of Korea on prescriptions of sedative-hypnotics was analyzed. We included prescriptions from hospitals record of inpatients and outpatients and from community health care centers. After analyzing the entire population above age 18 in HIRA data, analyses were limited to the people with diagnostic codes F510 (nonorganic insomnia), G470 (insomnia). After analyzing the prescription numbers by individual items, prescription codes were grouped as 1) benzodiazepines (with their half-life: short-acting, intermediate-acting, and long-acting), 2) non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics (such as zolpidem, zolpidem tartrate), 3) antidepressants, and 4) antipsychotics(Low-dose formulation of quetiapine, chloropramazine). We also calculated monthly percent change of the number of prescriptions by drug group, using join point regression. Results: Diazepam was the most frequently prescribed for the entire population regardless of diagnosis (about 2,000,000 per month). Diazepam's prescription has been declining over time, but about 1,700,000 prescriptions per month have been assigned by the end of 2015. Zolpidem was the most frequently prescribed item among patients with insomnia (about 120,000 per month). The number of sedative- hypnotic prescription divided by the number of mid-year population showed a statistically significant increase in both men and women. When evaluating the prescription change by sedative-hypnotics type in monthly percent change analysis, antipsychotics showed a statistically significant increase about 20% in the age range of 50-59 years and over 70 years. Conclusion: Diazepam is the most frequently prescribed sedative- hypnotics for total population in Korea, while zolpidem is the most frequently prescribed for insomnia patients. The prescription frequency of zolpidem has been increasing.