Psychotropic prescription: the evaluation of related directions and notifications

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the obeying Brazilian Legislation about prescription and dispensation of the psychotropic drugs of lists B and C-1 according to the law 344/98-SVS/MS, based on 753 prescriptions of November 2000 from 7 pharmacies. Disobeying rules by pharmacies was showed in 88.0% from prescriptions B, and in 85.0% from C1, while this percentage was of 99.6% from B and 96.5% from C1 among the doctors. The most important failures observed on prescriptions were: absence of patient address (92.6% from B and 80.1% from C1); absence of the quantity dispensed (85.5% from B and 72.6% from C1); absence of the quantity prescribed. Medicine dispensation occurred correctly in the period of time fixed by law in 89.2% from B, and in 57.1% from C lists. Anorexigens predominated among the prescriptions B (52.3%) followed by benzodiazepines (47.7%). Fluoxetin was predominant among prescriptions C1 (68.8%), followed by amytriptilin (12.5%). Prescriptions were mostly emitted by general clinicians (51.4%). The results showed inadequate practices concerned to the controlled drugs prescription and delivery, confirming the necessity of a better fiscalization.