Adverse Drugs Reaction and Prescribing Pattern of Antidiabetic Medications in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: An Observational Ambispective Study

Objective: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a global health concern and multiple medications are used for its treatment. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) pose a concern for patient health and treatment compliance. This study aimed to evaluate ADR in T2D patients receiving antidiabetic medications and to analyze the prescribing patterns. Materials and methods: An observational ambispective study was conducted in a six-month period, enrolling 615 T2D patients. Collected data included patient demographics, comorbidities, disease duration, body mass index, prescribed medications, and ADRs. The causal relationship between ADR and drug was assessed as per WHO-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) criteria. Data was descriptively summarized using Microsoft Excel 365 software. Results: In 615 patients, 220 experienced at least one ADR. Out of 220, percentage of ADR occurrence among female (37.6%) was higher than male (34.4%) patients. The most commonly prescribed drugs were biguanides, followed by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and thiazolidinediones. ADRs were higher in patients prescribed metformin followed by pioglitazone, glimepiride, sitagliptin and dapagliflozin. Thirty-two types of ADRs(424 incidents) were recorded, with gastrointestinal disturbances as most prevalent followed by weakness and tiredness. All reported ADRs were categorized as "Possible" according to WHO UMC causality categories. Conclusions: The study emphasizes the notable occurrence of ADRs in T2D patients and highlights the need for vigilant monitoring. Although ADRs were mild to moderate in nature, optimal treatment strategies for T2D management will benefit from multicenter studies establishing a comprehensive ADR database.