The prescription patterns of second-generation antipsychotics in schizophrenia outpatient setting

Background Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that requires long-term treatment to achieve symptom remission and quality of life improvement. Antipsychotic medications are primary treatments for schizophrenia patients. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have been recognized as first-line drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia. This study aimed at determining the prescription patterns of SGAs in schizophrenia outpatients in the National Mental Hospital in Indonesia. Methods A retrospective study with descriptive analysis was conducted between October and December 2018, exclusive to data of the patients with schizophrenia only. Data were collected from the prescription records of schizophrenia outpatients. This study performed a descriptive analysis of patient characteristics, percentage of SGAs prescribed, regimen doses of SGAs, average number of SGAs prescribed per patient, and pattern of antipsychotics prescribed. Results The most commonly used SGAs were risperidone 55%, followed by clozapine 38%, aripiprazole 3%, quetiapine 3%, and olanzapine 1%. Antipsychotics were generally prescribed in their recommended doses. Almost all SGAs were prescribed as polypharmacy, and the most common combination of SGAs were risperidone and clozapine. Conclusions This study highlighted that risperidone was the major choice for treatment in the outpatient setting. Polypharmacy is the most common pattern prescription of SGAs in the National Mental Hospital in Indonesia. New studies should focus on the analyses of polypharmacy prospectively, and the role of pharmacist in collaboration with other health professionals in the managing of schizophrenia therapy.