Exposure to some non-psychotropic drugs may be associated with less adverse outcomes for people with serious mental illness

A study recently published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that exposure to statins, calcium channel blockers or metformin might lead to improved outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The research compared rates of psychiatric hospitalization and self-harm during periods of exposure and non-exposure to these drugs, adjusting for a number of time-varying co-variate factors. A large number of people (142 691) with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BPD), schizophrenia, or non-affective psychosis (NAP) who were 15 years or older and who were treated with psychiatric medication from October 1, 2005, through December 31, 2016 were studied. Psychiatric hospitalizations and self-harm admissions were the principle outcome measures. HMG-CoA RI (statin) exposure periods were associated with reduced rates of psychiatric hospitalization in BPD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.83-0.89; P < .001), schizophrenia (aHR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.71-0.79; P < .001), and NAP (aHR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.75-0.85; P < .001) and reduced self-harm rates in BPD (aHR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.86; P < .001) and schizophrenia (aHR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.45-0.74; P < .001). Exposure to calcium channel blockers was associated with reduced rates of psychiatric hospitalization and self-harm in subgroups with BPD (aHRs, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.96; P < .001] and 0.81 [95% CI, 0.68-0.95; P = .01], respectively), schizophrenia (aHRs, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.74-0.85; P < .001] and 0.30 [95% CI, 0.18-0.48; P < .001], respectively), and NAP (aHRs, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.83-0.96; P = .002] and 0.56 [95% CI, 0.42-0.74; P < .001], respectively). During metformin exposure, psychiatric hospitalization rates were reduced in subgroups with BPD (aHR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.77-0.84; P < .001), schizophrenia (aHR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.69-0.77; P < .001), and NAP (aHR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92; P < .001), and self-harm was reduced in BPD (aHR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62-0.84; P < .001) and schizophrenia (aHR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; P < .001). The research points to the need to explore these issues more fully, with a potential therapeutic application being a potential outcome.