The use of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia in North Staffordshire.

Objective: To examine the long-term effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics in a naturalistic setting for patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of atypical antipsychotic prescribing in one Health District between 1994 and 2001. Time to discontinuation of the first atypical antipsychotic prescribed was calculated using survival analysis.

Results: 253 patients were identified. Clozapine had a significantly lower discontinuation rate compared with olanzapine and risperidone (p = 0.018). Patients taking risperidone were 1.3 times more likely to discontinue than those taking olanzapine (p = 0.23). Older age (p = 0.0001), male sex (p = 0.016) and exposure to antidepressants (p = 0.014) significantly predicted compliance.

Conclusions: Clozapine is an effective long-term schizophrenia treatment. The trend to superior effectiveness of olanzapine over risperidone in the long-term has not been reported before and warrants further investigation.