Real-world pharmacotherapy treatment patterns among patients diagnosed with postpartum depression in the United States

Abstract

Background: Pharmacotherapy is one modality recommended to treat postpartum depression (PPD), but treatment patterns are not well characterized. In this study we characterized psychiatric medications used to treat PPD in real-world settings. Methods: Two cohorts of patients diagnosed with PPD within 180 days of delivery between October 2015 and January 2022 were retrospectively studied using two U.S. claims databases (Symphony Health [SH], Myriad Genetics-Komodo Health [MGKH]). Prescription fills of select psychiatric medications in the 365 days after PPD diagnosis were assessed using pharmacy claims. Results: The two cohorts (SH, MGKH) included 124,742 and 22,141 patients with PPD, respectively. Most patients with PPD (SH: 64.9%, MGKH: 76.4%) filled at least 1 prescription in the year following diagnosis; of those, 76.4% and 62.7%, respectively, discontinued treatment at least once. Medication changes were also common among treated patients, with 16.6% in SH and 18.3% in MGKH filling 3 or more unique psychiatric medications. In each cohort, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) comprised 72.2% of observed first-line treatments following PPD diagnosis, and sertraline was the most common first-line SSRI (39.4% and 41.4% of first-line treatments, respectively). Later-line therapies were not dominated by any single medication or medication class. Conclusions: While the majority of patients with PPD were prescribed pharmacotherapy, treatment patterns were heterogeneous and characterized by frequent discontinuation and medication switching. These results suggest that first-line treatments may fail, and that some patients may need multiple medication trials to improve symptoms. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.