Trends in the prescription of psychotropic drugs and hormone substitutes in Austria

Introduction: Psychological instability as a result of changing hormone lev els are commonly observed during menopause. We examined the question whethe r the prescription of psychotropic drugs is related to age or gender and wh ether the increase in the prescription rate of hormone substitutes has an i mpact on this phenomenon. Methods: Age and gender-specific prescription rates of psychotropic drugs a nd hormone substitutes were examined in a retrospective study using data of the European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association of Austria. The re levant Austrian figures were established on the basis of representative sam ples. Results: There are no gender-specific differences in terms of prescription frequency up to the age of 45 years. After the age of 45, there is a signif icant increase in the prescription of psychotropic drugs for women. When co mparing the years 1991 and 1996, we find a reduction in the number of presc riptions of psychotropic drugs and an increase in the prescription rate of hormone replacement drugs. Discussion: An increase in the prescription rate of hormone substitutes may contribute to the psychological stabilisation of menopausal women and ther eby reduce the need for psychotropic drugs.