The use of drugs for physical conditions in adults with mental retardation.

ABSTRACT

A survey of the drugs given for physical complaints in two mental handicap hospitals is described. Thirty-six per cent of 537 adults in hospital A and 43% of 944 adults in hospital B received medications and, of those who did, over half in each hospital received only one drug. The hospital populations differed significantly but both showed a significant increase in total drug usage with increasing age in both sexes, higher among females in every group. This increase was greatest with C.V.S. drug usage, but it did not reach significance for the three most frequently prescribed groups, which were gastrointestinal drugs (to 13% of the total patients), vitamins and nutritional supplements (11%), dermatological (10%) and cardiovascular (10%) drugs. Mental level was significantly indirectly related to usage of gastrointestinal drugs, drugs for anaemia, and vitamins and nutritional supplements, and directly to usage of cardiovascular drugs.