Age and sex differences in outpatient antipsychotic prescriptions for schizophrenia: a claims data study.

Most studies on antipsychotic efficacy and safety, including sex differences, focus on young schizophrenia patients. However, with an aging population, the number of older schizophrenia patients is increasing. This group faces challenges due to varying treatment responses and higher risks of adverse reactions, and guidelines often lack specific recommendations due to insufficient trials.

Antipsychotic drug treatment of schizophrenia in later life: Results from the European cross-sectional AMSP study.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between patient age and the selection and dosage of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) for treatment of schizophrenia. We describe age effects for multiple individual APDs, thus allowing comparisons between drugs.

Methods: Prescription data of 32,062 inpatients with schizophrenia from 2000 to 2017 were obtained from the Drug Safety Program in Psychiatry (AMSP) database.