Refill patterns of atypical and conventional antipsychotic medications at a national retail pharmacy chain.

This study examined whether patients who received prescriptions for conventional and atypical antipsychotics in routine outpatient care continued medication therapy. Prescription refill records of more than 25,000 patients from a national retail pharmacy chain were surveyed during a full eight-month period. At the start of the ninth month, 48 percent of the patients taking conventional agents were continuing therapy. The overall rate for those taking atypical agents was 44 percent; however, the rate for those taking clozapine was 71 percent. Atypical agents, despite their improved side effect profile, were not associated with higher rates of continued treatment. A highly supervised medication administration process, frequent patient-provider contact, and favorable patient selection may help explain the higher rate among patients taking clozapine.