What is it about?
This is a response to the author's original article. Dr. Cusimano suggests that, before instituting regulatory changes or implementing new laws, more research is needed on the relationship between 90-day fills at the pharmacy and suicide. The literature is inconclusive on if having access to 90 day's worth of medication (instead of 30 days) increases the risk of suicide attempts or completed suicides, though there is evidence that 90-day supplies increase patient adherence relative to 30-day supplies, and long-term use of antidepressants has actually been linked to lower rates of suicide.
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Why is it important?
This letter highlights a need for more research into the relationship between 90-day fills at the pharmacy and suicide, questioning the assumption that receiving more pills per dispense leads to more suicide.
Perspectives
I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this subject with Drs. Barnett, Carlo, and Phatak, and hope to generate interest in better understanding the relationship between the "quantity supplied" and suicide in the era of the 90-day prescription.
Joe Cusimano
Shenandoah University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Intentional Overdose Prevention in the Era of the 90-Day Prescription, Psychiatric Services, November 2021, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.721104.
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