Pharmaco-epidemiology in 136 hospitalized schizophrenic patients.
The authors surveyed pharmacotherapy in a group of 136 newly admitted patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of schizophrenia. They found that nine antipsychotic agents were used; the median daily dose (in chlorpromazine equivalents) was 1088 mg (mean +/- SD = 1428 +/- 1260 mg; range = 75-6186 mg). Women received greater mean daily doses of antipsychotics than men (1688 versus 1284 mg). Using a Cox model survival analysis, the authors found no statistical association between length of stay and the mean daily dose of antipsychotic medication. The mean daily dose of high-potency agents was 2.7 times greater than the dose of low-potency agents. The excess exposure to haloperidol alone resulted in 16.3% of the overall neuroactive drug costs.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012737:Sex Factors
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D006220:Haloperidol