Study on drug retention of methylphenidate and atomoxetine in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This study retrospectively analyzed the medication prescriptions of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) in Ningbo Psychiatric Hospital and Ningbo Women and Children’s Hospital from March 2018 to September 2020 and compared the drug retention rate of methylphenidate hydrochloride and atomoxetine hydrochloride. The prescription automatic screening system was used to screen the prescriptions in children with ADHD. Kaplan-Meier regression analysis was used to compare prescription retention rates between the two regimens after adjusting for gender, age, body weight, and prescription cost. The mean age of the methylphenidate hydrochloride group was 8.75 ± 2.16 years, and the monthly prescription cost was 327.37 ± 146.64 RMB. The average age of the atomoxetine group was 8.33 ± 1.73 years, and the monthly prescription cost was 363.15 ± 154.90 ￥. There were some differences in the age of enrollment and the monthly prescription cost between the two regimens(all P < 0.01). Moreover, the retention rate of methylphenidate hydrochloride was higher compared with atomoxetine hydrochloride within 18 months. Kaplan-Meier regression analysis showed that this trend was significant(Tarone-ware, Chi-square value = 14.893, P < 0.001). Prescription costs might be a factor affecting drug retention. This study found that the retention rates were decreased month by month in children with ADHD, and after 5 months, the retention rates were 52.20% and 41.22%, respectively, far below the recommended levels of the guidelines.

Study on drug retention in menopausal women with sequential hormone therapy and tibolone

In the present study, we aimed to retrospectively analyze the medication prescriptions of menopausal women diagnosed with menopausal syndrome in our hospital from 2015 to 2018, and compare the retention rate of estrogen and progesterone sequential therapy and hormone continuous therapy in menopausal women. The rational drug management system of Ningbo Women and Children’s hospital was used to screen the prescriptions of menopausal syndrome in 4 years. After the age, year included in the study, and prescription cost were adjusted, Kaplan-Meier regression analysis was performed to compare the prescription retention rates of the two drug regimens. The distribution of the two HRT regimens in the 4 years showed an increasing trend year by year, and the age groups of the two HRT regimens were mainly distributed between 41 and 60 years old, accounting for 97.1% and 87.06%, respectively. The cost distribution for the other two HRT regimens was approximately the same. Compared with the two HRT regimens, the drug retention rate of hormone continuous regimens was higher than that of hormone sequential regimens within 4 years. Kaplan-Meier regression analysis showed that the trend was significant(Tarone-Ware, Chi-square value = 3.857, P = 0.050). This study found that the median retention time of HRT therapy in menopausal women in our hospital was about half a year, which was significantly lower than that reported in previous studies of 1 year or longer. In addition, the present study found that compared with Femoston, the tibolone regimen significantly increased retention time in the treatment of menopausal syndrome.