AIM: Antipsychotics off-label use is common in clinical practice but information is limited to reveal the trends of antipsychotic use in specific mental disorder in Taiwan. This study aimed to examine the trends and associated factors of antipsychotic use among outpatients with anxiety disorders in Taiwan during 2005-2013. METHODS: We assessed the annual prescriptions of antipsychotic use in 9 consecutive years (2005-2013) using the National Health Insurance Research Database among adults (aged >/=18 years) with anxiety disorders in outpatient visits in Taiwan. We applied logistic regression to examine the trends and associated factors of antipsychotic use. RESULTS: The proportion of antipsychotic medication use for anxiety disorder increased from 8.4% in 2005 to 9.1% in 2013. First-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) use is more than that of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) in patients with anxiety disorder through the 9-year period. Sulpiride and flupentixol were the two-most common FGAs in the treatment of anxiety disorder. Patients with specific anxiety disorder (traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder/agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder), female gender, younger adult (age <65 years), comorbidity with major depression or minor depression, antidepressants concurrent use and visits to psychiatrists, medical centers and primary care were significantly tended to prescribe antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: Antipsychotic off-label use significantly increased among patients with anxiety disorder in this national representative cohort. Such increased use of antipsychotics could be driven by augmentation of their prescription for major depression. As their efficacy and safety remain uncertain, further study is warranted.
Date:
2019-08
Relation:
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 2019 Aug;73(8):501-507.
