[Pharmacotherapeutic trends at the beginning of the millennium in Hungary: pharmacotherapy of bipolar patients. Part II].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the pharmacotherapeutical trends in the treatment of bipolar outpatients in Hungary. The first part of the paper included the basic data and this second part discusses more detailed results from more aspects. Hungarian and international trends were compared. The investigation of the number of simultaneously given different drugs showed that bipolar II patients take the largest number of psychotropics within the bipolar spectrum, and patients with mania or depression as actual condition. The use of mood stabilizers is frequent (80%), and it is in line with the international data, but the rate of carbamazepine (25% as prophylactic drug) is higher in Hungary than in other countries. The rate of the patients on permanent anxiolytics is higher than expected. The gender differences are not significant; women are given more antidepressants and anxiolytics than men, but the prevalence of actual depressive phases is higher in the female than in the male population. There were some significant differences in the therapeutic trends (use of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics) among the Hungarian regions and between the different types of institutions. The international comparison showed that the rate of Hungarian bipolar patients on lithium was significantly lower than in other countries. Although studies with old and new drugs as well as the progress of clinical pharmacology influence everyday practice constantly, the results of this investigation provide some basic data for the trials in the future.