Comparison of antipsychotic prescribing practices following failure of antipsychotic monotherapy in the acute care setting.

Introduction: Numerous strategies exist following antipsychotic monotherapy failure including transition to another antipsychotic, dosing above FDA recommendations, or dual antipsychotic therapy. This study described antipsychotic prescribing practices on an acute psychiatry unit following antipsychotic monotherapy failure and compared outcomes to determine if any strategy resulted in superior short-term outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective chart review assessed postintervention time to discharge for patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder requiring therapy change following treatment failure.