Preferential prescribing of type of combined oral contraceptive pill by general practitioners to teenagers with acne

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the oral contraceptive prescribing patterns of general practitioners for teenagers in the UK and any preferential prescribing for those with acne. Method: The General Practice Research Database was used in a retrospective observational study. Records of females aged 13-19 years were examined for the years 1994 and 1997. Results: In 1994, third-generation pills were widely prescribed, whereas, in 1997, levonorgestrel pills were most commonly prescribed. In those with a recent history of acne, the most commonly prescribed single product was one containing cyproterone acetate. Conclusion: General practitioners appear to favor cyproterone acetate-containing pills for those with acne; this proclivity became more pronounced after the pill scare. General practitioners had all but ceased using third-generation pills in 1997, even when there was a therapeutic indication.

• ACNE VULGARIS
• ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
• FAMILY PLANNING (KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE)
• FAMILY PRACTICE
• PHYSICIANS' PRACTICE PATTERNS
• DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS