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Use of combinations of antipsychotics: McLean Hospital inpatients, 2002
Author(s) -
Centorrino Franca,
Fogarty Kate V.,
Sani Gabriele,
Salvatore Paola,
Cincotta Stephanie L.,
Hennen John,
Guzzetta Francesca,
Talamo Alessandra,
Saadeh Mark G.,
Baldessarini Ross J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.719
Subject(s) - antipsychotic , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , chlorpromazine , psychosis , randomized controlled trial , psychiatry
Abstract Background The empirical use of combinations of antipsychotic agents appears to be increasing with little research support for the relative efficacy, safety or cost‐effectiveness of this practice. Such treatment was evaluated in hospitalized psychiatric patients. Methods Samples of consecutive inpatients treated with ≥ 2 (‘polytherapy’) vs 1 antipsychotic (‘monotherapy’) were matched on age, sex, diagnosis and admission clinical ratings, and these groups were compared on total daily chlorpromazine‐equivalent doses, days in hospital, and changes in clinical ratings between admission and discharge. Results The study sample included 69 polytherapy and 115 well‐matched monotherapy subjects. Despite matching for initial CGI and GAF ratings, polytherapy was associated with high PANSS subscale scores of positive symptoms among affective psychosis, and relatively greater PANSS subscale ratings of excitement‐agitation among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Estimated clinical improvement during hospitalization was similar among poly‐ and monotherapy patients, but total daily CPZ‐eq doses at discharge averaged twice‐greater with polytherapy, and hospitalization lasted 1.5 times longer. Conclusions Antipsychotic polytherapy as well as the types of agents combined may reflect clinician responses to particular symptom patterns. The value of specific combinations of antipsychotic agents and their comparison with monotherapies requires specific, prospective, randomized and well‐controlled trials that consider matching on clinical characteristics and truly comparable doses across regimens. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.