Drug defaulting by patients on long-acting phenothiazines

Abstract

SynopsisThis survey investigates drug defaulting by schizophrenic patients on a regime of long-term medication with injections of long-acting phenothiazines (LAP). Although the frequency of discontinuing LAP was appreciably less than reported in most surveys on oral medication, it remained a problem. An analysis of the reasons for patients discontinuing LAP identified several causes: patient-refusal, side-effects, failure of administration of the regime, and patients losing contact with the medical services by moving to other districts.