Prescription drug and healthcare use among Swedish patients treated with antidepressants.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze healthcare and prescription drug use among patients taking and those not taking antidepressant drugs in a Swedish community.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

General population of the rural Swedish municipality Tierp of approximately 20,000 inhabitants.

PARTICIPANTS

All residents of Tierp aged 25 years or older during 1988.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Mean number of ambulatory care visits, hospital bed days, and prescriptions per person; proportion of those taking prescription drugs in different pharmacologic classes.

RESULTS

Patients treated with antidepressant drugs had a significantly (p < 0.05) greater use of ambulatory care, hospital care, and prescription drugs than those who did not take antidepressants in the study population. They also had an increased frequency of use of prescription drugs from virtually all pharmacologic classes. Furthermore, the risk for polypharmacy was high in patients treated with antidepressant medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Those who took antidepressant drugs consumed more health services and prescription drugs than did those not taking an antidepressant. Patients receiving antidepressant treatment may be at serious risk for iatrogenic disease and should be evaluated carefully with respect to concomitant drug use.