Antipsychotic long-acting injections: prescribing practice in the UK.
BACKGROUND
Data from the USA, Australia and Europe suggest that the proportion of patients with schizophrenia prescribed an antipsychotic long-acting injection (LAI) varies from around a quarter to a third. Use of LAIs has been associated with male gender and younger age.


OBJECTIVE
To characterise the use of LAIs in people with schizophrenia in three clinical settings in the UK.


METHODS
The study used audit data from quality improvement programmes conducted by the Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health.


RESULTS
Long-acting injections were found to be prescribed for between a quarter and a third of patients, depending on the clinical setting. Flupentixol, risperidone and zuclopenthixol were most commonly prescribed and were combined with an oral antipsychotic in half of cases, frequently constituting high-dose prescribing. The use of LAIs was not consistently associated with age, gender or ethnicity.


CONCLUSIONS
Antipsychotic LAIs are commonly prescribed. We did not replicate previous findings with respect to demographic variables associated with their use.
Barnes
Thomas R E
TR
Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Shingleton-Smith
Amber
A
Paton
Carol
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006113:United Kingdom
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations