Deprescribing Antipsychotics: a Multiple Case Study

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France30 enrolled

Overview

The literature on antipsychotic deprescribing highlights the difficulty in establishing a clear consensus on the most optimal strategy due to the diversity of clinical situations encountered in daily practice: who should be deprescribed, when, at what rate, what strategy to employ in case of relapse, etc. The fear of relapse leads psychiatrists (particularly in France) to tend to maintain long-term treatment, even if the arguments for this maintenance may be debatable due to an uncertain benefit-risk balance. Conversely, patients often request a reduction or discontinuation, notably because of the side effects of the treatments. This argument serves to justify the value of presenting unique clinical situations like those in this study in a publication. The goal is for readers to gain a practical understanding of the successes and difficulties of deprescribing in real-life situations.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Psychotic Disorder

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults (≥18 years) * Patients with a psychotic or related disorder * Patients on long-term antipsychotic treatment, clinically stable, who accept or request a deprescription between January 1, 2021, and October 30, 2025 Exclusion Criteria: \- Patients who have expressed their opposition to participating in the study

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Describe clinical situations where discontinuation of antipsychotics or a reduction of antipsychotics below the theoretically minimum recommended doses was possible.

Stopping or reducing treatment: * Some patients may do well with less medication, * or even without medication, under carefully monitored conditions.

Time frame: Up to 12 months