Materials and Methods: This was an observational, cross sectional study in which one hundred prescriptions of metabolic syndrome patients on medical therapy attending the Medicine OPD of GMC/Rajindra Hospital, Patiala were analyzed. All the prescriptions were analyzed for the pattern of the medication prescribed. All the observations thus made were statistically analyzed using appropriate tests.

Results: The mean age of patients was 58.27±10.32 years. There were 57 female patients and 43 male patients. Various prescribed medication groups were anti-diabetic drugs (99%), anti- hypertensive drugs (76%) and hypolipidemic drugs (59%). The various anti-diabetic groups prescribed were biguanides (85%), sulphonylureas (76%), DPPIs (28%), α-Glucosidase inhibitors (16%), thiazolidinediones (15%) and insulin (8%). The various anti-hypertensive groups were angiotensin receptor antagonists (42%), beta-blockers (29%), CCBs (29%), diuretics (29%) and ACE inhibitors (17%). The WHO core prescribing indicators were: average number of drug per prescription (5.64); drugs prescribed by generic name (3.19%); prescriptions with antibiotic (3%); prescriptions with an injection (8%); and drugs from essential drug list (52.62%).

Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome is not a single disease entity but a group of concomitant disorders together. Hence the prescription of drugs in these patients follows a pattern which quite aptly mirrors the symptomatology of the syndrome. This is one condition where polypharmacy is appropriate.