The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on consumption of psychotropic drugs in central region of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced mental health worldwide. This study assessed the use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers in Sarajevo Canton across three periods: before, during, and after the pandemic.

Methods: The data used in this study were taken from the database of the production system of the Public Institution “Apoteke Sarajevo,” Bosnia and Herzegovina. The database contains a total of 1,764,582 records on the sale of individual drugs, i.e., 2,361,059 original packages of drugs that are the subject of this research. Prescription data for psychotropic medications in the adult population were analyzed and compared between the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic phases.

Results: Antidepressant use increased by 2.76% during the pandemic and by an additional 3.82% afterward. Anxiolytics showed a reduction of 5.29% during the pandemic and a further 18.14% decline post-pandemic. Antipsychotic prescriptions increased by 5.26% during the pandemic but decreased by 8.65% in the following period. Mood stabilizers increased by 6.8% during the pandemic and fell by 5.57% afterward. The most commonly used drugs were escitalopram among antidepressants, lamotrigine among mood stabilizers, bromazepam and diazepam among anxiolytics, and sulpiride, haloperidol, and promazine among antipsychotics.

Conclusion: The pandemic was associated with a rise in antidepressant and mood stabilizer use, likely reflecting heightened psychological stress and social isolation, whereas anxiolytics declined and antipsychotics fluctuated. These findings underline the lasting impact of the pandemic on community mental health and the need for improved preventive and therapeutic strategies.