Transdermal patches: the emerging mode of drug delivery system in psychiatry

Abstract

Adherence to prescribed psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medication is a serious issue in people with mental illness that can contribute to poor health outcomes. Some of the factors influencing adherence include side effects of medication and the ease of use. With mental healthcare provision increasingly focusing on a community model of health delivery, there seems to be a renewed interest in addressing complex dilemmas of safety and adherence to treatment. The use of alternative methods of safely delivering medication in innovative ways may resolve some of these difficulties. There has been little discussion about the wider use of transdermal patches in the field of psychiatry in published literature. This article describes the findings from the literature on key principles underlying transdermal delivery strategies, the scope of clinical use in psychiatric illness and explores its challenges and advantages.