ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to assess the pattern and utilisation of psychotropic drug prescriptions by psychiatrists in Kerman Province, Iran. The prescriptions of 27 psychiatrists were randomly selected from two Iranian public insurance organisations and were analysed for the mean number of drugs/prescriptions, drug category and the most frequently prescribed drug in each category as well as overall. A total of 6,414 prescriptions were analysed. The mean number of drugs per prescription was 2.9. Antidepressants [61.0%] were the most frequently prescribed category of psychotropic medications, followed by antipsychotics [29.5%], sedative/hypnotics or anti-anxiety drugs [27.5%] and mood stabilisers [18.5%]. The combination of antidepressants with antipsychotics was the most commonly prescribed combination [18.8%]. Fluoxetine [16.5%] and trifluoperazine [13.5%] were among the most frequently prescribed antidepressants and antipsychotics, respectively. Clonazepam [10.5%] was the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine agent, followed by alprazolam [8.5%]. In terms of total drug utilisation, sertraline [12.4%] was the most commonly used psychotropic medication followed by fluoxetine [9.7%], trifluoperazine [6.6%], propranolol [4.5%] and clonazepam [3.7%]. A high proportion of psychotropic prescriptions in Kerman Province were for antidepressants, followed by antipsychotics and the benzodiazepines. Further research is needed to determine the underlying correlation between prescription practice and the diagnosis and patient characteristics, as well as to investigate the use of different psychotropic medications
ABSTRACT
The present study was performed to determine the effect of intracerebroventricular [ICV] administration of W- 7, a specific calmodulin inhibitor, on the development of tolerance to antinociceptive effect morphine administration. This study was carried out on male wistar rats, weighing 200-250 g. Morphine was administered daily [15 mg/kg for 8 days]. The threshold to thermal nociceptive stimuli was measured by tail-flick test. W-7 [0.25, 0.5 and 1 micro mol/rat] was injected through ICV. Maximal possible effect percentage [MPE%] was considered as analgesia index. Our result showed that chronic morphine exposure induced tolerance to its antinociceptive effect and administration of W-7 [0.5 and 1 micro mol/rat] decreased the development of tolerance to it. In conclusion these data showed that chronic injection of W-7 inhibited the development of morphine tolerance which indicates that calmodulin and its dependent pathways may play a role in the morphine tolerance processes