Perfect adherence to medication linked to half the odds of a crash compared with complete nonadherence<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, June 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For drivers with schizophrenia, better adherence to antipsychotic medications is associated with lower motor vehicle crash risk, according to a study published online June 9 in CMAJ<\/em>, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.<\/p>\n John A. Staples, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues performed a case-crossover study using population-based administrative health and driving data from British Columbia to examine whether antipsychotic adherence reduces the risk for a motor vehicle crash among individuals with schizophrenia. The study included individuals with schizophrenia who were involved as a driver in a police-attended motor vehicle crash during 2001 to 2016 and who filled prescriptions for antipsychotic medication as an outpatient in the two years before the crash; data were included for 1,130 eligible motor vehicle crashes.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the mean antipsychotic medication possession ratio was 0.69 in the 30 days before the crash (precrash interval) and 0.76 in the control interval (30-day interval ending one year before the crash). Relative to complete nonadherence, perfect adherence to antipsychotic medication was associated with half the odds of a crash (adjusted odds ratio, 0.50). Among subgroups defined by sex, age, and history of alcohol or drug use, the findings were consistent.<\/p>\n “Our results provide one more reason for doctors and family members to encourage people with schizophrenia to take their antipsychotics as prescribed,” Staples said in a statement. “We think our results also suggest that health systems should put more resources into programs to support antipsychotic adherence among people with schizophrenia.”<\/p>\n One author disclosed consulting for Boehringer Ingelheim, AbbVie, Newron, and Otsuka.<\/p>\n