title: SSRI antidepressant drug use patterns in the naturalistic setting: a multivariate analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study of the duration and pattern of antidepressant use in actual clinical practice can provide important insights into how antidepressant prescribing patterns compare with recommended depression treatment guidelines.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study, using data available from depressed outpatients in the United States, is to assess the effects of initial SSRI antidepressant selection on the subsequent pattern and duration of antidepressant use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiple logistic regression analysis of data from a large prescription and medical claims database (MarketScan) for the years 1993 and 1994 were used to estimate the determinants of antidepressant drug use patterns for 1,034 patients with a "new" episode of antidepressant therapy who were prescribed one of three most often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), paroxetine, sertraline, or fluoxetine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients initiating therapy on sertraline or paroxetine were less likely than patients initiating therapy on fluoxetine to have four or more prescriptions of their initial antidepressant within the first 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that antidepressant selection is an important determinant of the initial duration and pattern of antidepressant use which is consistent with current recommended depression treatment guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Global Health Outcomes Research, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285-2128, USA.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hylan
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Crown
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meneades
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Heiligenstein
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Melfi
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Croghan
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Buesching
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017050:Episode of Care; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D020280:Sertraline