Appropriateness of prescribing practices for serotonergic antidepressants.
OBJECTIVE
Data from prescribing physicians were used to assess whether serotonergic antidepressants were used for appropriate indications and at appropriate initial dosages.


METHODS
Data were derived from the confidential logs of psychiatrists and primary care physicians who provided prescription information from January 1, 1997, through June 30, 1999, as part of the National Disease and Therapeutic Index physician survey. The survey is not affiliated with a reimbursement system and therefore minimizes bias related to reimbursement. Data on the primary reason for use and the dosage at the time of first use were obtained for prescriptions of citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, and extended-release venlafaxine.


RESULTS
Depressive disorders accounted for the majority of the 3,206 prescriptions for the six antidepressants (74 percent to 86.2 percent). The next most common indications for use were anxiety (4.1 percent to 12.6 percent) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (1.3 percent to 3.3 percent). For patients with depressive disorders, psychiatrists prescribed slightly higher antidepressant dosages than primary care physicians.


CONCLUSIONS
Serotonergic antidepressants are used primarily for the treatment of depression and depression-related disorders and are prescribed at the recommended starting dosages.
Loosbrock
Danielle L
DL
Eli Lilly Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285, USA.
Tomlin
Molly E
ME
Robinson
Rebecca L
RL
Obenchain
Robert L
RL
Croghan
Thomas W
TW
D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011570:Psychiatry; D011897:Random Allocation; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors