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16 September 2021

Off-label antipsychotic use patterns among Texas Medicaid adults 2013–2016

Authors: Shuang Chen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2099-9945, Jamie C Barner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6078-8093 [email protected], and Eun Cho https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9172-8624Author Info & Affiliations

Publication: Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research

Volume 10, Number 14

https://doi.org/10.2217/cer-2021-0048

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Abstract

Aim: To describe trends in off-label antipsychotic use among Texas Medicaid adults and examine whether demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with off-label use. Methods: Three diagnostic groups (i.e. no diagnosis, on label and off-label) were created based on mental health disorder diagnoses and related antipsychotic prescriptions. Results: During 2013–2016, the prevalence of off-label antipsychotic use decreased from 22.5% to 17.4% and the proportions of no mental health diagnosis remained stable (7.3–9.4%). Patients aged ≥25 years and second-generation antipsychotic users had significantly lower odds of receiving antipsychotics off-label or with no diagnosis. Conclusion: Compared with previous Medicaid database studies, the proportions of off-label antipsychotic use and antipsychotic use with no concurrent psychiatric diagnosis were notably lower.

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