title: Prescription profiles for pharmacological treatment of Japanese inpatients with schizophrenia: comparison between 2007 and 2009.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pharmacological treatment of schizophrenic patients in Japan is characterized by polypharmacy with high doses of antipsychotics. In this study, we examined the profiles of antipsychotic drug therapy in 2007 and 2009 to determine if there have been any recent shifts in treatment strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were schizophrenic inpatients (ICD-10-F20) admitted to 100 hospitals in 2007 and 152 hospitals in 2009. Information on the psychotropic agents prescribed on specified days in November 2007 and 2009 was acquired for each patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although no changes were observed in the rate of antipsychotic medications being prescribed, the rate of antipsychotic monotherapy in 2009 increased significantly. In 2007, among 15,761 patients, 4977 (31.6%) received antipsychotic monotherapy (i.e., administration of a single antipsychotic medication). In 2009, among 22,911 patients, 7741 (33.8%) received antipsychotic monotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of use of antipsychotic monotherapy has gradually increased, although the total dose has not changed significantly. The increase in the concomitant use of two or more second-generation antipsychotics is a recent trend in Japan, despite the lack of information on the efficacy and safety of this treatment strategy.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan. yoshio@phar.toho-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshio
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uno
authors.forename: Takaichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Ataru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inagaki
authors.forename: Toshitaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nabeshima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents