The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina spent about 22.2 million BAM on antidepressants and tranquilizers in one year.
According to the latest data available to the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022 BH citizens spent BAM 9,591,631 on antidepressants alone.
Looking back five years, there has been an increase in the consumption of antidepressants. For example, in 2017, 8,677,413 BAM was spent on antidepressants.
In 2022, from the group of antidepressants, the largest financial share was escitalopram, sertraline and paroxetine, which are mainly used for the treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
When it comes to anxiolytics, almost 10.9 million BAM was spent on them in 2022, and we are talking about drugs whose basic application is related to the treatment of anxiety states in the framework of various psychiatric disorders.
The largest group of anxiolytics consists of benzodiazepines, which, in addition to anxiolytic properties, also have sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant effects, the Agency says.
In the observed period, 1,766,986 marks were spent on hypnotics and sedatives.
Hypnotics and sedatives have a sedative and hypnotic effect, and some preparations, to a lesser extent, also show anxiolytic effects. The main field of application of hypnotics and sedatives is insomnia therapy.
From the group of anxiolytics, bromazepam had the largest turnover, and from the group of hypnotics and sedatives, zolpidem, the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina points out.