Use of antipsychotics - An analysis of lifetime treatment in 66 patients with psychoses

• Only a minority of patients treated with antipsychotics in clinical studies continue their treatments throughout a longer study period. Few studies address this issue from a lifetime perspective. In this naturalistic study, we aimed at analysing the prescription pattern of antipsychotic drugs among a sample of Swedish patients with a diagnosis of psychotic illness, from the first contact with psychiatry (typically between 1973 and 1997) until the last written note in the case history documents. A retrospective descriptive analysis was performed of all case history data of 66 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders. Patients with schizophrenia were prescribed antipsychotic medication more than 90% of the time. Each patient generally had been prescribed several (up to 16) different antipsychotic drugs and a quarter of the patients had been prescribed two or more antipsychotics for a third of their prescription time. Patients with psychosis were exposed to a cumulatively growing number of antipsychotics. Various factors, including clinician and patient expectations, and specific strengths and limitations of available antipsychotics may account for frequent medication changes over time. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Antipsychotic drugs

Schizophrenia

Retrospective

Poly-pharmacy

Lifetime

antipsychotic drugs

Publikations- och innehållstyp

art (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)