Even a few days of missed medication among patients with schizophrenia can have serious consequences, according to findings presented at the sixth annual meeting of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. The data show that the risk of hospitalization has a direct relationship with the number of days in which medication is not taken.

"Taking medication daily is difficult for anyone with a busy life, but for a person with schizophrenia, the showing that a gap in medication as brief as 1 to 10 days can double the risk." consequences of missing a dose can be devastating," said Chris Kozma, PhD. "While it's not surprising that missing medication can lead to re-hospitalization, these data challenge conventional wisdom by

In the current study, researchers analyzed prescription records for 4,325 patients with schizophrenia enrolled in a U.S. state system. All eligible patients had filled at least 1 prescription for antipsychotic medication during the 6 months prior to the study and took their prescribed treatment at least twice during the following 12 months.

Analysis of the data showed that the likelihood of hospitalization significantly increased as the duration of not taking medication increased. Patients were nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized if they went 1 to 10 days without taking medication compared with individuals who consistently took the drug as prescribed. The risk of hospitalization nearly tripled with an 11- to 30-day gap in medication and quadrupled when treatment lapsed for more than 30 days. In addition, the analysis showed that a 10 percent improvement in treatment compliance was associated with a 13 percent lower chance of hospitalization.

An estimated 2 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia, and the disease accounts for more hospital admissions than almost any other mental illness. Every year, between 20 and 50 percent of Americans with schizophrenia require hospitalization for their disease.