ArticleIrish journal of medical science2022
Antidepressant medication prescribing patterns in Irish general practice from 2016 to 2020 to assess for long-term use.
Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- A 21-year Comparative Study of Prescriptions of Benzodiazepines and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Related Drugs in a Japanese University Hospital.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Patterns of Analgesic Prescribing and High-Risk Prescribing in Primary Care in Ireland 2014-2022-A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Antidepressant Discontinuation: A Focus Group Study.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2025Article
- Psychotropic medications: a descriptive study of prescription trends in Tabriz, Iran, 2021-2022.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Potential deprescribing indications for antidepressants between 2012 and 2019: repeated cross-sectional analysis in two Scottish health boards.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- Deprescribing of antidepressants: development of indicators of high-risk and overprescribing using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- Prevalence, trends, and individual patterns of long-term antidepressant medication use in the adult Swiss general population.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2023Article
- A review of the prescribing culture of anti-depressants across government districts in Northern Ireland.Frontiers in drug safety and regulation · 2023Review
- Global trends in antidepressant, atypical antipsychotic, and benzodiazepine use: A cross-sectional analysis of 64 countries.PloS one · 2023Article
- Global prevalence of antidepressant drug utilization in the community: protocol for a systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/
aimsThe aim of this study was to identify the trends in antidepressant (AD) medication use in two Irish general practices over a 5-year period, 2016 to 2020. The rationale for this study is attributed to the growing prevalence of depression amongst the Irish general public as well as concerns surrounding long-term AD medication use.
methodsThe research was undertaken in 2021 examining AD prescription rates from 2016 to 2020. The medications of interest were selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI and SNRIs): sertraline, escitalopram, fluoxetine and venlafaxine. The number of medical card holders (MCH) and prescription dispensing rates were analysed for observable trends.
resultsAD medication use is rising amongst the Irish MCH population. The number of MCH prescribed AD grew from 9.42 to 12.3 per 100 MCH between the years 2016 and 2020, respectively. The year 2020 represented the largest proportion of MCH prescriptions, 6.32 AD prescriptions per 1000 MCH prescriptions. The years 2019 to 2020 represented the largest annual increase in prescription dispensing with a growth of 0.45 per 1000 MCH prescriptions. Annual figures show a continual increase in AD dispensing refill rates from 4.14 to 5.67 per 1000 MCH prescriptions in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
conclusionThis study illustrates a steady rise in AD medication within the general practice setting, with an observed rise in prescription dispensing rates. The high proportion of refill prescriptions demonstrates the long-term use of AD medications. This may be indicative of chronic depression or may highlight a lack of appropriate medication cessation strategies.
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