Prevalence of drug interactions and its related factors in patients with epilepsy referred to Razi Hospital in Birjand

Background and Aims: Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder, with approximately 80% of people suffering from epilepsy in developing countries.Due to the importance of drug interactions among antiepileptic drugs, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of drug interactions between antiepileptic drugs and other drugs, as well as associated factors . Materials and Methods:In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 patients with epilepsy referring to Razi Hospital in Birjand in 2020 were studied.The patients receiving at least two drugs were included in the study.Drug interactions were evaluated in Lexicomp software.The data was entered into SPSS19 software.The Chi-square, Fisher's tests, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results:The results showed that 154 patients (51%) were women in this study.The mean age of the patients was 45.1216.20 years.220 (73.3%) had drug interactions, and 111 (50.5%) had polypharmacy.The number of 1,147 drugs were prescribed, and 939 drug interactions were reported, of which 680 (72.4%) were moderate type C, 94 (10%) were major type D, 97 (10.3%) were major type C, 45 (4.8%) were moderate type D, and 23 (2.4%) were mild type B. The variables of occupation, type of epilepsy, medical history, education level, and age were effective in drug interactions of the patient. Conclusion:This study showed the importance of awareness of drug interactions in patients with epilepsy.The presence of a clinical pharmacist can be effective in preventing such interactions in hospitalized patients.