Off-label use of antipsychotics, often at low doses, is increasing. Exploring the link between individual antipsychotic treatment patterns, including low-dose continuous use, and cardiometabolic health is crucial to prevent long-term morbidity and mortality. The current retrospective study examined the prevalence of cardiometabolic medicine use among antipsychotic-users, and its association with their past antipsychotic treatment patterns.

Using a 10% sample of the Australian national medicine dispensing claims data from 2022, we identified individuals aged 15–64 years with ≥2 antipsychotic dispensings (antipsychotic-users) and non-users. We extracted their past 5-year antipsychotic treatment patterns (dose, duration and use of multiple agents). Using Poisson regression and accounting for age and sex, we calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cardiometabolic medicine use (anti-diabetics, antihypertensives, lipid modifiers, anti-thrombotics) among antipsychotic-users versus non-users. We applied unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis to identify common antipsychotic-cardiometabolic co-dispensing.

Use of any cardiometabolic medicine was more prevalent among antipsychotic-users (35.8%, n = 28,345) than non-users (26%, n = 1,106,610) yielding an aPR of 1.30 (CI 1.28–1.33). aPRs for the use of anti-diabetics, lipid modifiers and antihypertensives were the highest among the younger age groups between 20 and 49 years and among women. Clustering analysis revealed increased co-dispensing of antipsychotics and anti-diabetics including sulfonylureas, statins, platelet aggregation inhibitors and beta blockers. The prevalence of cardiometabolic medicine use was associated with higher antipsychotic doses (23–54%), treatment duration (12–37%) and use of multiple agents (51%) compared with non-users. However, the prevalence of cardiometabolic medicine use for continuous (≥1 year) low-dose use of aripiprazole, asenapine, brexpiprazole, chlorpromazine, lurasidone, olanzapine, periciazine and quetiapine was also elevated (13–43%).

Use of cardiometabolic medicines is increased among people on long-term antipsychotic treatment. These results highlight the need for active monitoring for cardiometabolic adverse effects, with antipsychotic cessation where possible, or timely interventions to limit morbidity.