Antidepressant Medication Prescribing Practices for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.
The purpose of this study was to describe the prescribing practices of clinicians for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).



This population-based, descriptive study of insured patients (N=54,107) identified people who were 18 years or older, had a claim for MDD, had at least one prescription for an antidepressant medication in 2013, and had continuous insurance coverage during the study period. Prescription claims were evaluated to determine the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medication and most common dose.



The three most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications were citalopram (N=11,995, 22.2%), sertraline (N=10,791, 19.9%), and trazodone (N=9,501, 17.6%). The most common daily doses were 20 mg citalopram (N=6,304, 52.6%), 50 mg sertraline (N=4,173, 38.7%), and 100 mg trazodone (N=3,220, 33.9%).



This is the first report of its kind that provides drug- and dosage-level details to demonstrate that antidepressant prescribing in clinical practice is largely within recommended guidelines.
Dr. Lara Treviño and Dr. Gresky are with the Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana Inc., Irving, Texas (e-mail: l trevino@humana.com ). Dr. Ruble and Dr. Weinstein are with the Department of Medical Affairs, Humana Behavioral Health, Irving. Dr. Kenneth Treviño is in private practice in Dallas.
Lara A
LA
Treviño
Dr. Lara Treviño and Dr. Gresky are with the Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana Inc., Irving, Texas (e-mail: l trevino@humana.com ). Dr. Ruble and Dr. Weinstein are with the Department of Medical Affairs, Humana Behavioral Health, Irving. Dr. Kenneth Treviño is in private practice in Dallas.
Matthew W
MW
Ruble
Dr. Lara Treviño and Dr. Gresky are with the Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana Inc., Irving, Texas (e-mail: l trevino@humana.com ). Dr. Ruble and Dr. Weinstein are with the Department of Medical Affairs, Humana Behavioral Health, Irving. Dr. Kenneth Treviño is in private practice in Dallas.
Kenneth
K
Treviño
Dr. Lara Treviño and Dr. Gresky are with the Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana Inc., Irving, Texas (e-mail: l trevino@humana.com ). Dr. Ruble and Dr. Weinstein are with the Department of Medical Affairs, Humana Behavioral Health, Irving. Dr. Kenneth Treviño is in private practice in Dallas.
Lawrence M
LM
Weinstein
Dr. Lara Treviño and Dr. Gresky are with the Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana Inc., Irving, Texas (e-mail: l trevino@humana.com ). Dr. Ruble and Dr. Weinstein are with the Department of Medical Affairs, Humana Behavioral Health, Irving. Dr. Kenneth Treviño is in private practice in Dallas.
Dana P
DP
Gresky
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014196:Trazodone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015283:Citalopram; D020280:Sertraline; D014196:Trazodone
Antidepressants; Depression; Treatment guidelines