Archives of general psychiatry
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Arch. Gen. Psychiatry · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyNational trends in psychotropic medication polypharmacy in office-based psychiatry.
Psychotropic medication polypharmacy is common in psychiatric outpatient settings and, in some patient groups, may have increased in recent years. ⋯ There has been a recent significant increase in polypharmacy involving antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. While some of these combinations are supported by clinical trials, many are of unproven efficacy. These trends put patients at increased risk of drug-drug interactions with uncertain gains for quality of care and clinical outcomes.