National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis

Few studies have delineated the real-world, long-term trends of prescription patterns of antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to describe their vicissitudes in the nationally representative sample of the US from 1996 to 2015 and explore their characteris...

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Main Authors: Yan Luo, Yuki Kataoka, Edoardo G. Ostinelli, Andrea Cipriani, Toshi A. Furukawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00035/full
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author Yan Luo
Yuki Kataoka
Edoardo G. Ostinelli
Andrea Cipriani
Toshi A. Furukawa
author_facet Yan Luo
Yuki Kataoka
Edoardo G. Ostinelli
Andrea Cipriani
Toshi A. Furukawa
author_sort Yan Luo
collection DOAJ
description Few studies have delineated the real-world, long-term trends of prescription patterns of antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to describe their vicissitudes in the nationally representative sample of the US from 1996 to 2015 and explore their characteristics. We used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative database of the US population, between 1996 and 2015. We estimated the prevalence of MDD among adults, calculated the proportions of those on antidepressant treatment as well as those on specific drugs through the two decades, and determined their dosages in 2015. We conducted multivariable regression to find possible factors related to their suboptimal prescriptions. The prevalence of adults diagnosed with MDD increased from 6.1% (95% CI, 5.7–6.6%) in 1996 to 10.4% (9.7–11.1%) in 2015. The proportion of patients without any antidepressant therapy decreased but still accounted for 30.6% (28.3–33.1%) in 2015. Sertraline and fluoxetine were among the most frequently prescribed antidepressants throughout the 20 years, while the trend for some new drugs changed dramatically. 16.1% (12.5–20.2%) of patients of MDD on antidepressant monotherapy were prescribed with suboptimal doses in 2015; the risk was lower for those who had higher Body Mass Index (OR 0.94 [0.90–0.99]), longer-term prescriptions (OR 0.92 [0.87–0.97]), and the risk was higher for those who were prescribed with tricyclic antidepressants (OR 11.21 [2.12–59.34], compared with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)), and antidepressants other than SSRIs and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (OR 4.12 [1.95, 8.73], compared with SSRIs). This study confirmed the growing numbers of patients with MDD and the increase in the antidepressant prescriptions among them. However, the existence of patients without any antidepressant prescriptions or with suboptimal prescriptions and the variable prescription patterns through the decades might suggest some unresolved gaps between evidence and practice.
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spelling doaj.art-6c972bc3c1bd4a6aa048646027433e932022-12-21T23:18:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402020-02-011110.3389/fpsyt.2020.00035505759National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based AnalysisYan Luo0Yuki Kataoka1Edoardo G. Ostinelli2Andrea Cipriani3Toshi A. Furukawa4Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanHospital Care Research Unit, Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center, Hyogo, JapanDepartment of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanFew studies have delineated the real-world, long-term trends of prescription patterns of antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to describe their vicissitudes in the nationally representative sample of the US from 1996 to 2015 and explore their characteristics. We used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative database of the US population, between 1996 and 2015. We estimated the prevalence of MDD among adults, calculated the proportions of those on antidepressant treatment as well as those on specific drugs through the two decades, and determined their dosages in 2015. We conducted multivariable regression to find possible factors related to their suboptimal prescriptions. The prevalence of adults diagnosed with MDD increased from 6.1% (95% CI, 5.7–6.6%) in 1996 to 10.4% (9.7–11.1%) in 2015. The proportion of patients without any antidepressant therapy decreased but still accounted for 30.6% (28.3–33.1%) in 2015. Sertraline and fluoxetine were among the most frequently prescribed antidepressants throughout the 20 years, while the trend for some new drugs changed dramatically. 16.1% (12.5–20.2%) of patients of MDD on antidepressant monotherapy were prescribed with suboptimal doses in 2015; the risk was lower for those who had higher Body Mass Index (OR 0.94 [0.90–0.99]), longer-term prescriptions (OR 0.92 [0.87–0.97]), and the risk was higher for those who were prescribed with tricyclic antidepressants (OR 11.21 [2.12–59.34], compared with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)), and antidepressants other than SSRIs and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (OR 4.12 [1.95, 8.73], compared with SSRIs). This study confirmed the growing numbers of patients with MDD and the increase in the antidepressant prescriptions among them. However, the existence of patients without any antidepressant prescriptions or with suboptimal prescriptions and the variable prescription patterns through the decades might suggest some unresolved gaps between evidence and practice.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00035/fullmajor depressive disorderantidepressantprescriptiontrendsuboptimal dose
spellingShingle Yan Luo
Yuki Kataoka
Edoardo G. Ostinelli
Andrea Cipriani
Toshi A. Furukawa
National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
Frontiers in Psychiatry
major depressive disorder
antidepressant
prescription
trend
suboptimal dose
title National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
title_full National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
title_fullStr National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
title_full_unstemmed National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
title_short National Prescription Patterns of Antidepressants in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depression in the US Between 1996 and 2015: A Population Representative Survey Based Analysis
title_sort national prescription patterns of antidepressants in the treatment of adults with major depression in the us between 1996 and 2015 a population representative survey based analysis
topic major depressive disorder
antidepressant
prescription
trend
suboptimal dose
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00035/full
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