Soha Mahmoud - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Soha Mahmoud
Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 2015
Combining antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is relat... more Combining antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is relatively common. Rates in the literature have varied with an average ranging from 10% to 40% [1]. A recently published systematic review that summarized 173 studies reporting on rates and correlates of antipsychotic polypharmacy from the 1970s to today in over 1.5 million patients found that the overall mean antipsychotic polypharmacy rate was 26% [2]. Concerns about antipsychotic polypharmacy include the possibility of higher than necessary numbers of medications, greater than necessary total dosages, increased acute and long-term adverse effects, drug-drug interactions, increased non-adherence, difficulties in determining the effect of each treatment, substantially higher cost, a risk for increased mortality, and the general lack of evidence for the effectiveness and safety of antipsychotic polypharmacy [3-8]. It is our observation that despite the lack of clinical evidence, the anti-psychotic prescribing practices are very prevalent in our department. So far there was no quantitative or qualitative study that looked into this important issue. But there is little literature evidences found regarding the benefits of adding another antipsychotic. We are set to review the prescribing practices at the department of Psychiatry, HMC, in regard to the Antipsychotic polypharmacy, and see how it compares to the international general psychiatric practice then compare it to the existing guidelines. The results are discussed, recommendations are drafted and we plan on follow up in a separate yet later study the progress we would made in bringing about any change in the prescribing behavior after a remedial one year of educational intervention.
Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 2015
Combining antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is relat... more Combining antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is relatively common. Rates in the literature have varied with an average ranging from 10% to 40% [1]. A recently published systematic review that summarized 173 studies reporting on rates and correlates of antipsychotic polypharmacy from the 1970s to today in over 1.5 million patients found that the overall mean antipsychotic polypharmacy rate was 26% [2]. Concerns about antipsychotic polypharmacy include the possibility of higher than necessary numbers of medications, greater than necessary total dosages, increased acute and long-term adverse effects, drug-drug interactions, increased non-adherence, difficulties in determining the effect of each treatment, substantially higher cost, a risk for increased mortality, and the general lack of evidence for the effectiveness and safety of antipsychotic polypharmacy [3-8]. It is our observation that despite the lack of clinical evidence, the anti-psychotic prescribing practices are very prevalent in our department. So far there was no quantitative or qualitative study that looked into this important issue. But there is little literature evidences found regarding the benefits of adding another antipsychotic. We are set to review the prescribing practices at the department of Psychiatry, HMC, in regard to the Antipsychotic polypharmacy, and see how it compares to the international general psychiatric practice then compare it to the existing guidelines. The results are discussed, recommendations are drafted and we plan on follow up in a separate yet later study the progress we would made in bringing about any change in the prescribing behavior after a remedial one year of educational intervention.