No differences between men and women in adverse drug reactions related to psychotropic drugs: a survey from France, Italy and Spain

A large number of studies have suggested that being a woman represents a potential risk factor for the development of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The aim of this study is to further explore the differences between men and women with regard to reported ADRs, particularly those associated with psychotropic drugs. We used spontaneous reports of suspected ADRs collected by Midi‐Pyrénées (France), Veneto (Italy) and Castilla y León (Spain) Regional Pharmacovigilance Centres (January 2007–December 2009). All the reports including a psychotropic medication were selected in a first step; age distribution, seriousness and type of ADRs were compared between men and women. Reports of nonpsychotropic drugs were similarly identified and treated. The absolute number of reports and the proportion, considering population, were higher in women than in men. This was observed for all reports, but was particularly higher for psychotropic drugs (592 vs. 375; P