ArticleHuman psychopharmacology2025
National Prescribing Trends and Cost Analysis of Antidepressants, Anxiolytics, and Hypnotics in England, 2010-2023.
Article in Human psychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychopharmacological Mechanisms of Antidepressant Withdrawal: Insights From Venlafaxine.Human psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- National Prescribing Trends and Cost Analysis of Antidepressants, Anxiolytics, and Hypnotics in England, 2010-2023.Human psychopharmacology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
introductionWe describe prescribing of anxiolytics/hypnotics/antidepressants at an all-England level between 2010 and 2023, taking account of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic-period.
methodsAll Primary Care Prescribing data for England for anxiolytics/hypnotics/antidepressant agents taken as tablets or capsules from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2023 were considered.
resultsAntidepressants: the greatest increases were in sertraline prescriptions increasing from 2.9million 2010 by 685% to 23.0 million-2023; duloxetine increased by 545% to 3.9million prescriptions; mirtazapine by 269% to 12.4million prescriptions. Regarding cost, overall average cost fell 2010-2023 by 54% from £4.86(Euros 5.68) to £2.25(Euros 2.63) per prescription. Anxiolytics: the number of prescriptions for anxiolytics fell 6.5-4.8 m (-27%) overall, with all anxiolytics falling except buspirone. The greatest period of fall was seen between 2018 and 2023. Lorazepam/diazepam/chlordiazepoxide were down 23%,16%, 88% respectively. Average cost of prescriptions fell by 13% to £3.20(Euros 3.74). Hypnotics: the number of prescriptions for hypnotics fell 41% from 9.8million to 5.8million in 2023. All prescriptions fell in number. Annual trends showed no deviations for the COVID-19 core pandemic (2020/2021) years.
conclusionOverall trends demonstrate a more than doubling of antidepressant prescribing over the period 2010-2023, with similar volume reduction in anxiolytics/hypnotics over the same period. Such real world data facilitate the development of policy influencing insights for psychotropic prescribing management now and in coming years.
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