Background. Patients with schizophrenia are managed with antipsychotics and other psychotropic medications. Objectives. This\nstudy aimed to assess the commonly prescribed psychotropic medications for patients with schizophrenia, explore the types of\ntherapeutic monitoring that were performed, and find out whether the side effects experienced by the patients played any role\nin their adherence behaviour. Methods. This hospital-based cross-sectional study enrolled 259 patients with schizophrenia from\nAccra Psychiatric Hospital and Pantang Psychiatric Hospital. Data were collected onmental status, side effects, types of therapeutic\nmonitoring performed, and adherence behaviour. Results.Olanzapine was the commonly prescribed psychotropicmedication.Most\nof respondents (73.4%) experienced mild levels of side effects. The negative effects were predominantly genitourinary (26%) and\ngastrointestinal (17.2%). Blood pressure and heart ratemeasures were themain types of monitoring performed but nomeasurement\nof drug levels was reported. About 98.1% of the participants poorly adhered to their medications and the major reasons for poor\nadherence were economic challenges, forgetfulness, and the feeling of wellness. Conclusion. Adherence to medication is a major\nhealth problem among patients with schizophrenia and there is a need to improve adherence and treatment outcomes.
Loading....