A 6-year retrospective study of adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions between nervous system drugs.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between nervous system drugs recorded for hospitalized patients in China. The secondary objective was to identify and record the possible mechanisms underlying these DDIs. METHODS: In this retrospective study performed from January 2007 to December 2012, we detected and analyzed ADRs caused by potential or actual DDIs between nervous system drugs, by using the Center of Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring, Bengbu Food and Drug Administration (CADRMBFDA) database. RESULTS: The CADRMBFDA database contained 1,207 reports of ADRs due to nervous system drugs, involving 1,079 hospitalized patients. Of the ADRs reported, 131 (12.14%) were associated with potential and actual DDIs. There were 259 (21.46% of the total ADR reports) reports on potential and actual DDIs. The proportion of serious ADRs (6 out of 131) was significantly higher among actual DDI reports (p < 0.001) than among the remaining reports (6 out of 942). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study confirmed that the CADRMBFDA database was a valuable resource for detecting actual DDIs. Moreover, the database helps identify drugs that can cause serious ADRs, thus indicating focus areas for healthcare education.