Real-world antipsychotic prescribing patterns in psychotic disorders: polypharmacy, clozapine, and…

Cross-sectionalIrish journal of medical science· Jul 2026

Real-world antipsychotic prescribing patterns in psychotic disorders: polypharmacy, clozapine, and long-acting injectable use in a tertiary outpatient cohort.

Büşra Uçar Bostan, Ali Tarık Altunç, Ersel Bulu … Ömer Faruk Demirel

GeriatricsCross-sectionalClinical practiceQ2IF 1.9

Nearly one-third of psychotic disorder outpatients received antipsychotic polypharmacy.

Real-world antipsychotic prescribing patterns in psychotic disorders: polypharmacy, clozapine, and long-acting injectable use in a tertiary outpatient cohort.

Büşra Uçar Bostan … Ömer Faruk Demirel

Irish journal of medical science · Jul 2026 · Q2 in General Medicine

Background

Antipsychotic polypharmacy (antipsychotic polypharmacy) remains common in schizophrenia despite guideline recommendations favoring monotherapy.

Methods

Were evaluated by antipsychotic polypharmacy status, clozapine use, and long-acting injectable use.

n = 114 outpatients

Results

32.4% of outpatients were prescribed two or more antipsychotics rather than one.

65.7%

Monotherapy

32.4%

Polypharmacy (≥2 agent

More results

Aripiprazole (30.7%), olanzapine (28.1%), and clozapine (25.4%) were most frequently prescribed, with aripiprazole the most common in antipsychotic polypharmacy regimens.

LAIs were prescribed in 18.4% of patients.

Antipsychotic polypharmacy was associated with longer illness duration and lower employment rates.

More results

Clozapine use was independently associated with longer illness duration and higher PANSS negative symptom scores.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Antipsychotic polypharmacy remains common in tertiary outpatient psychotic disorders care and may reflect treatment complexity beyond illness severity, underscoring individualized prescribing strategies.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Clozapine use is associated with longer illness duration and greater negative symptom burden, although delays in initiation may persist. Prospective studies are needed to clarify optimal strategies and improve individualized care.

Real-world antipsychotic prescribing patterns in psychotic disorders: polypharmacy, clozapine, and long-acting injectable use in a tertiary outpatient cohort.

Real-world antipsychotic prescribing patterns in psychotic disorders: polypharmacy, clozapine, and long-acting injectable use in a tertiary outpatient cohort.

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