Antipsychotic medications lower car crash risk for drivers with schizophrenia, study finds

Taking antipsychotic drugs as prescribed lowers the chance of a automotive crash for drivers with schizophrenia, in keeping with new analysis printed within the Canadian Medical Affiliation Journal.

Schizophrenia may cause hallucinations and disorganized habits that have an effect on the power to securely function a motorcar. Most individuals with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotic drugs that enhance many of those signs. Researchers hypothesized that these drugs might also scale back the chance of a motorcar crash—however provided that sufferers proceed to take the medicine as prescribed.

Dr. John A. Staples and colleagues on the College of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, used 20 years of population-based well being and driving knowledge to look at 1130 motorcar crashes involving drivers with a prognosis of schizophrenia and prior remedy with antipsychotics. They discovered that taking antipsychotic medicine as prescribed considerably diminished the percentages of a crash.

“We discovered that good adherence to antipsychotic medicine (relative to finish nonadherence) was related to a 50% discount within the odds of a crash,” notes Dr. Staples. “We consider our outcomes counsel that antipsychotic drugs scale back crash danger amongst people with schizophrenia.”

“Our outcomes present another reason for docs and members of the family to encourage folks with schizophrenia to take their antipsychotics as prescribed. We expect our outcomes additionally counsel that well being methods ought to put extra assets into applications to assist antipsychotic adherence amongst folks with schizophrenia,” says Dr. Staples.

He provides, “If a driver with schizophrenia is not taking their drugs as prescribed, ought to their driver’s license be briefly suspended? This strategy deserves some consideration. However we additionally know that individuals with schizophrenia are sometimes marginalized, with restricted alternatives for employment and social engagement.

“Taking away their driver’s license would possibly make them extra remoted. We expect extra analysis is required in order that policy-makers can perceive these dangers earlier than enacting a coverage that may be coercive or dangerous.”

Clinicians can discover present, evidence-based steerage on assessing health to drive in sufferers with circumstances that will have an effect on driving means in “Figuring out Medical Health to Function Motor Autos: CMA Driver’s Information”, tenth version.