Little is known about the qualitative and quantitative differences in the use of antipsychotics in Arab countries. This study is aimed to examine and compare the prescribing pattern of antipsychotics in two different Arab settings and specifically determine the factors influencing polypharmacy.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan (National Center for Mental Health Hospital, Amman) and Egypt (Mansoura University Hospital, Mansoura) and included 162 inpatients [g1] with schizophrenia. Patients were surveyed using a standardized protocol.[g2]

There were no significant differences between Egyptians and Jordanians with respect to; demographic, anthropometric, polypharmacy or mean maximum dose of antipsychotics. Jordanians had significantly lower number of hospitalizations and relapses than Egyptian patients. Atypical than typical first antipsychotics were prescribed more to Jordanians compared to Egyptian patients. Irrespective of the patients’ nationalities, the mean hospitalizations, and relapse were predictors of polypharmacy.

Antipsychotic prescribing pattern differs between the Egyptians and Jordanian patients with schizophrenia[g3]. The risks with polytherbay calls for improving the prescribing patterns of antipsychotic drugs in Arab region to establish guidelines on the proper indications and uses for antipsychotic drugs.