Prevalence and correlates of antipsychotic polypharmacy among outpatients with schizophrenia attending a tertiary psychiatric facility in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern and correlates of antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) among outpatients with schizophrenia attending a tertiary psychiatric facility in Nigeria.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study of 250 patients with schizophrenia attending the outpatient clinic of a regional tertiary psychiatric facility in Nigeria was undertaken. They were administered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale and the Liverpool University Side Effects Rating Scale (LUNSERS).

RESULTS: Of the 250 subjects interviewed, 176 (70.4%) were on APP. APP was significantly associated with higher prescribed chlorpromazine equivalent doses of antipsychotics (p < 0.001), increased frequency of dosing (p < 0.001), negative symptoms (p < 0.01), poorer functioning (p = 0.04) and greater side-effect burden (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSION: The APP rate reported from this study is high. Clinicians should be mindful of its impact on dosage and side-effect profiles as APP use is associated with negative symptoms and poor psychosocial functioning.