Sex differences in the pharmacotherapy of neurological patients

Abstract Recent epidemiological studies indicate that neurological disorders are currently the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. In recent decades, considerable progress has been made in understanding the aetiology and treatment of neurological disorders. To achieve an adequate therapeutic effect and reduce the possibility of unwanted reactions, it is necessary to gain a thorough understanding of the factors that influence pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. For many years, females have not been sufficiently included in clinical studies of drugs. The reasons are primarily related to the fear of adverse effects of the tested drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, at the beginning of the current millennium, females began to be increasingly included in clinical trials in response to recommendations from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, knowledge of sex differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs is increasing. Nevertheless, there are currently no specific recommendations regarding the dosage differentiation of most drugs between females and males. This article aims to summarize current knowledge on current knowledge on sex differences in the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of drugs commonly used to treat neurological patients to achieve a personalized approach. In the future, attention should be devoted to evaluating differences in the pharmacokinetics of drugs under development to optimize their therapeutic effects and reduce the number of adverse reactions in both sexes.