Women are prescribed psychotropic drugs more often

Barmer GEK Arzneimittelreport 2012: Women are prescribed psychotropic drugs more frequently than men

06/29/2012

That women and men are different is not new. An investigation commissioned by Barmer GEK has now shown that doctors may make gender-specific differences when prescribing medication. While women are prescribed psychotropic drugs more frequently, men are more likely to receive heart medication such as beta-blockers.

In women, the soul suffers, in men the heart
A relatively new branch of research is gender medicine. It deals with the connection between diseases and therapies and the gender of the patient. Because men and women are differently ill, they show other symptoms in the same disease. While heart attacks were almost a men's business in the past, women are now catching up with this diagnosis but have other symptoms than male patients. Nevertheless, the heart remains a predominantly male problem organ, while women more often have mental suffering. This conclusion can be drawn at least from a study commissioned by the Barmer GEK, according to which doctors prescribe men much more frequently cardiovascular drugs, while women are prescribed two to three times as often as antidepressants, tranquilizers or sleeping pills.

A team led by study leader Gerd Glaeske from the University of Bremen has examined the results of the study more closely and investigated the question of whether the different medication is always medically justified or whether role stereotypes are involved if women are prescribed psychotropic drugs more frequently than men. This suspicion was confirmed. The researchers concluded that gender-specific differences in drug prescription are often medically difficult to justify. Psychotropic drugs also increase the risk of dependency on women. Glaeske urges more research on the gender response to drugs. There are too few data on the possible other mode of action of drug components in the female organism. The metabolism may take place differently than in men. „We need a negative list that reliably informs physicians about substances that can cause dangerous effects in women.“ The list could be modeled on the Priscus list, which includes dangerous drugs for the elderly.

Guidelines for drug prescription are paid too little attention
Another result of the drug report shows that doctors often do not act according to the guidelines for drugs. According to this, dentists prefer to give their patients a more expensive antibiotic instead of the recommended amoxicillin. Even with painkillers a combined preparation instead of the recommended mono-preparation is prescribed more often.

In addition, too often cholesterol-lowering drugs were prescribed for prevention. However, the benefit of these drugs has not been proven. According to the report, physicians generally prescribe too many expensive drugs whose efficacy is not clearly proven.

Women are prescribed 22 percent more medication than men. On average, 937 recipes are issued for 100 women. However, the cost of medication is distributed almost equally between both sexes. For women, an average of 449 euros and 411 euros for men. The figures from the report refer exclusively to Insured of the Barmer as well as to recipes, which are settled in the context of cash payments.

Barmer GEK spent four billion euros on pharmaceuticals
According to the 2012 Pharmaceutical Report, Barmer GEK spent around 3.9 billion euros on pharmaceuticals last year. Another 400 million euros were invested in recipes and imported drugs. About 32 percent of the expenditure was attributable to new, cost-intensive special preparations for cancer, rheumatism or multiple sclerosis, although these accounted for just under three percent of the regulations, said Barmer GEK. However, the development of drug expenditure was overall positive, Rolf Ulrich Schlenker, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Barmer GEK. The Pharmaceutical Market Reorganization Act (AMNOG) has slowed down the sometimes casual handling of expenses in the pharmaceutical market, stressed Schlenker. Therefore, the AMNOG should not be softened in the opinion of the Deputy Chairman. (Ag)

Read about:
Painkillers only in small packs
Common mental illnesses among commuters
Women receive significantly more medicines
Prescription of high risk birth control pills
New drugs often not better but more expensive
Homeopathy: soon no more cash?
Drug conversion affects many patients
Copayment Exemption Limits for Pharmaceuticals 2012
Do not take medication while lying down
Non-prescription medicines by no means harmless