Table 3.
Overview of drug use per safety class and the five most frequently used drugs per class according to Weersink et al. [11]
| Safety classa | Drug | ATC code | No. of users | Period prevalence during total follow-up (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safe | Total (n = 27)b | 4836 | 86.1 | |
| Spironolactone | C03DA01 | 2734 | 48.7 | |
| Furosemide | C03CA01 | 2470 | 44.0 | |
| Lactulose | A06AD11 | 1661 | 29.6 | |
| Amoxicillin and enzyme inhibitor | J01CR02 | 1416 | 25.2 | |
| Propranolol | C07AA05 | 1354 | 24.1 | |
| No additional risks known | Total (n = 50)b | 4366 | 77.7 | |
| Macrogol, combinations | A06AD65 | 1623 | 28.9 | |
| Tramadol | N02AX02 | 1091 | 19.4 | |
| Esomeprazole | A02BC05 | 924 | 16.4 | |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | B01AC06 | 789 | 14.0 | |
| Metoclopramide | A03FA01 | 711 | 12.7 | |
| Additional risks known | Total (n = 3)b,c | 156 | 2.8 | |
| Azathioprine | L04AX01 | 99 | 1.8 | |
| Methadone | N07BC02 | 52 | 0.9 | |
| Heparin | B01AB01 | 6 | 0.1 | |
| Unsafe | Total (n = 25)b | 3368 | 60.0 | |
| Pantoprazole | A02BC02 | 1963 | 34.9 | |
| Diclofenac | M01AB05 | 1246 | 22.2 | |
| Ibuprofen | M01AE01 | 612 | 10.9 | |
| Naproxen | M01AE02 | 592 | 10.5 | |
| Atorvastatin | C10AA05 | 347 | 6.2 | |
| Unknown | Total (n = 27)b | 2244 | 39.9 | |
| Doxycycline | J01AA02 | 1080 | 19.2 | |
| Nitrofurantoin | J01XE01 | 622 | 11.1 | |
| Flucloxacillin | J01CF05 | 619 | 11.0 | |
| Magnesium hydroxide | A02AA04 | 240 | 4.3 | |
| Pheneticillin | J01CE05 | 160 | 2.8 | |
| Depending on the severity of cirrhosisd | Total (n = 49)b | 3872 | 68.9 | |
| Omeprazole | A02BC01 | 1809 | 32.2 | |
| Codeine | R05DA04 | 908 | 16.2 | |
| Metoprolol | C07AB02 | 872 | 15.5 | |
| Simvastatin | C10AA01 | 846 | 15.1 | |
| Fentanyl | N02AB03 N01AH01 |
594 | 10.6 | |
| Safety not yet evaluated | Total (n = 1005)e | 5415 | 96.4 | |
| Thiamine (vitamin B1) | A11DA01 | 1374 | 24.5 | |
| Temazepam | N05CD07 | 1302 | 23.2 | |
| Other emollients and protectives | D02AX | 1236 | 22.0 | |
| Oxazepam | N05BA04 | 1121 | 20.0 | |
| Phytomenadione | B02BA01 | 894 | 15.9 |
The total number of users per safety class is calculated for the total follow-up and includes all drugs from that class, not only the top five. Patients were only counted once in the total number
ATC Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical
aThe drug-risk category indicates potential safety risks
bFor drugs evaluated by Weersink et al. [11], total numbers represent the number of evaluated drugs prescribed
cThis is one of the top three because only three drugs were part of this class
dSince no data were available about the severity of cirrhosis (Child–Pugh class), these drugs could not be classified further
eFor drugs with no safety evaluation as yet, the total is the total number of ATC classes without evaluation