The Prescribing Pattern of Methyldopa in the Outpatient Setting

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to describe the prescribing pattern of methyldopa in a public hospital in Alkharj. Methodology: This is a retrospective study that was conducted to know the prescribing pattern of methyldopa. The data were collected from the outpatient electronic prescriptions in a public hospital in Alkharj in 2017 and 2018. Results: Only 27 patients in the outpatient setting received methyldopa in 2017 and 23 patients in 2018. all of the patients who received methyldopa were females. Most of the prescribers were residents (82.61%) and only 17.39% were consultants. About 82.61 % of the prescriptions were written by obstetrics and gynecology department. Conclusion: The prescribing of methyldopa is infrequent in the outpatient setting. Although it is generally safe, it may cause numerous side-effects as well as it can interact with other medications, so it is important to monitor its prescribing trends to ensure that it is prescribed appropriately.