Received: 27.04.2026
Accepted: 12.06.2026
Published online: 17.06.2026
UDC: 615.214(574)
DOI: 10.53511/pharmkaz.2026.3.2
BIDAN N.M. ¹, DATKHAYEV U.М. ¹, SERIKBAYEVA E.A. ¹, UMURZAKHOVA G.Zh. ², UTEGENOVA G. ¹’²
, ZHAKIPBEKOV K.S. ¹, BOSHKAYEVA A.K. ¹
¹ «Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University», Almaty, Kazakhstan
² JSC «South Kazakhstan Medical Academy», Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Introduction. Psychopharmacotherapy in psychiatric and narcological patients is often associated with the use of combination treatment regimens and a high medication burden, increasing the risk of polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions.
Objective. To evaluate the structure of psychopharmacotherapy and the characteristics of medication burden in psychiatric and narcological patients in real clinical practice.
Materials and methods. A retrospective study was conducted based on the analysis of medical records of 100 psychiatric and narcological inpatients treated at a specialized mental health center. The structure of drug prescriptions, the number of concurrently administered medications, and the characteristics of combination therapy were assessed.
Results. Patients of the narcological profile demonstrated a higher medication burden compared to psychiatric patients. The average number of prescribed medications per patient was 16.0 in the narcological group and 8.1 in the psychiatric group. The most commonly prescribed medications included haloperidol, aminazine, diazepam, carbamazepine, and
valproic acid preparations. The high frequency of combination therapy indicated a widespread prevalence of polypharmacy.
Discussion. The obtained results confirm the widespread use of combined psychopharmacotherapy in psychiatric and narcological practice and highlight the need for continuous safety monitoring in conditions of high medication burden.
Conclusion. The retrospective analysis demonstrated a high prevalence of polypharmacy, particularly among narcological patients. The findings confirm the importance of optimizing psychopharmacotherapy and maintaining continuous monitoring of medication safety.
Keywords: psychopharmacotherapy, psychotropic drugs, polypharmacy, psychiatry, narcology, drug safety
