Third-Party Funded Projects on Affective Disorders
Geriatric Psychiatry and Pharmacovigilance (GAP), funded by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices
When being medicated with psychotropic drugs, elderly people have a higher risk of unwanted side effects due to changes in the metabolism and a higher incidence of concomitant diseases and polypharmacy. The Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Hannover and the Institute for Pharmaceutical Drug Safety in Psychiatry (AMSP), participates in a study investigating side effect rates and risk profiles of giving psychotropic drugs to geriatric psychiatric patients.
In this scope, on selected geriatric psychiatric wards, unwanted side effects as well as diagnoses, somatic parameters, and medication of all patients over 65 are recorded. In case of severe side effects, the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring lab of the Department of Psychiatry Würzburg additionally determines the patient's blood levels of the administered psychotropic drugs. The study aims at identifying characteristics and frequency of unwanted psychotropic drug side effects in the elderly, investigating the connection to the blood levels and finding possible risk constellations for certain groups of patients and certain types of medication.
You can find further information here: GAP-Studie
