Bipolar patients face higher readmission risk after cutting medication doses too far

Reducing medication too sharply can raise the risk of hospital readmission for people with bipolar disorder, even after treatment has continued for more than three years.

A research team from Yonsei University College of Medicine and Severance Hospital found that the risk increased when mood stabilizer doses fell by more than 20% from the amount used during the acute phase. For antipsychotic drugs, the threshold was a reduction of more than 50%.

The team analyzed National Health Insurance Service data on 17,686 patients treated with mood stabilizers and 18,021 treated with antipsychotic drugs. The findings indicate that medication adjustments require caution even when symptoms have remained stable for a long period.