Antipsychotic Polypharmacy in the Treatment of Patientswith Resistant Schizophrenia: A Descriptive Study

Purpose: To evaluate the frequency and use of antipsychotics polypharmacy (APP) in patients with resistant schizophrenia in Lebanon. Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted from February through May 2016. Necessary information was collected from patients’ charts. Results: 116 patients were included. The majority of the patients were on a combination of two antipsychotics. Out of the 29 patients, 4 were on Clozapine monotherapy, 18 were on Clozapine plus one antipsychotic and 7 were on Clozapine plus two antipsychotics. Out of 90 patients who developed adverse events on antipsychotics therapy, 74 patients were on a combination. Events from APP were reported cardiovascular (11) metabolic (11), anticholinergic (57), extrapyramidal symptoms (25), and blood abnormalities (9). 3 patients were detected to have a body mass index of more than 40 and receiving combination that contains either Clozapine or Risperidone and both are associated with frequent risk for side effect on weight gain, glucose level, and lipid profile. Moreover, 4 elderly patients were receiving a high dose of haloperidol, either in a combination of two or three antipsychotics. Conclusion: The results of this study warrant more efforts to be implemented to recommend the most effective APP with least side effects.