Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in the Geriatric Population: A longitudinal Study.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Pharmacotherapy
• Treatment Outcomes

Background:

• Limited research exists on the efficacy and tolerability of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI-AP) specifically in geriatric populations.
• Understanding treatment adherence and outcomes in older adults with psychotic or mood disorders is crucial for optimizing care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare demographic, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes between older adults receiving LAI-AP and oral antipsychotics (PO-AP).
• To identify factors associated with the discontinuation of LAI-AP in this patient group.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of geriatric patients (≥60 years) with psychotic or mood disorders treated for at least 3 months.
• Utilized electronic medical records to collect data on demographics, diagnoses, medication types, side effects, comorbidities, and secondary medications.
• Outcome variables included missed appointments, psychiatric and medical hospitalizations, and emergency room visits; LAI-AP patients were analyzed for discontinuation.

Main Results:

• The LAI-AP group had a higher proportion of primary psychotic disorders (87.8% vs. 64.3% for PO-AP).
• PO-AP patients showed higher rates of missed appointments (18% vs. 13% for LAI-AP) and psychiatric admissions (0.019/month vs. 0.006/month for LAI-AP).
• Female sex was identified as a risk factor for LAI-AP discontinuation (86.7% of discontinuation group vs. 55.2% of continuation group).

Conclusions:

• LAI-AP demonstrated reduced hospitalizations and improved treatment engagement in older adults compared to PO-AP, with comparable tolerability.
• Preliminary findings suggest that gender may influence LAI-AP discontinuation rates.
• This study contributes valuable data to the understanding of LAI-AP use in geriatric psychiatric care.