Open Access

Antipsychotic polypharmacy in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A retrospective study

  • Authors:
    • Bogdan Patrichi
    • Cristiana Ţăpoi
    • Radu Ştefan Rogojină
    • Irina Bedreagă
    • Anca Dumitrache
    • Andreea Itu
    • Radu Dragomir
    • Adela-Georgiana Buciuc
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: August 27, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10659
  • Article Number: 1225
  • Copyright: © Patrichi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is a common practice in the treatment of schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to identify the prevalence of APP in our department, as well as the trends associated with co‑prescribing antipsychotics. We collected data from the medical records of all 193 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia who were admitted to Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia Clinical Psychiatry Hospital (Bucharest, Romania), Department 9, during January 2019‑December 2019. Demographic characteristics of the patients, clinical diagnosis, psychiatric admission type and duration of hospitalization were examined. Data regarding the antipsychotic regimen at discharge and other psychotropic drugs used were collected. A total of 69 (35.75%) patients received more than 2 antipsychotics upon discharge. Patients treated with APP did not differ in regards to sex, age, education level, employment status, marital status, living situation, type of admission from those receiving antipsychotic monotherapy (APM). Prolonged hospitalization was found to be an independent predictor of APP (P=0.014). Most of the combinations used in our unit included clozapine (47.8%), and the most frequently used treatment in the APP group was the combination of paliperidone and clozapine (14.5%). In the APP group, 30 (43.5%) patients included in their regimen was a long‑acting intramuscular antipsychotic. There was no significant difference in terms of the use of mood stabilizers, antiparkinsonian drugs or anxiolytics between the APP and the APM group; yet, a higher prevalence of antidepressant use, although not statistically significant (P=0.067), in the APP group compared to the APM group, was observed. The use of APP as a long‑term regimen is a common practice in our department, as it is worldwide. There is a great need for randomized‑control trials and evidence‑based studies in order to define the safest and most effective combinations of antipsychotics and also the characteristics of patients that may benefit from these combinations.
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November-2021
Volume 22 Issue 5

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Spandidos Publications style
Patrichi B, Ţăpoi C, Rogojină RŞ, Bedreagă I, Dumitrache A, Itu A, Dragomir R and Buciuc A: Antipsychotic polypharmacy in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A retrospective study. Exp Ther Med 22: 1225, 2021
APA
Patrichi, B., Ţăpoi, C., Rogojină, R.Ş., Bedreagă, I., Dumitrache, A., Itu, A. ... Buciuc, A. (2021). Antipsychotic polypharmacy in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A retrospective study. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 22, 1225. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10659
MLA
Patrichi, B., Ţăpoi, C., Rogojină, R. Ş., Bedreagă, I., Dumitrache, A., Itu, A., Dragomir, R., Buciuc, A."Antipsychotic polypharmacy in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A retrospective study". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 22.5 (2021): 1225.
Chicago
Patrichi, B., Ţăpoi, C., Rogojină, R. Ş., Bedreagă, I., Dumitrache, A., Itu, A., Dragomir, R., Buciuc, A."Antipsychotic polypharmacy in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A retrospective study". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 22, no. 5 (2021): 1225. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10659