Continuing versus new antidepressant use in older adults: US prescribing trends from 2006 to 2015

Abstract

Objectives: Antidepressant use has increased in older adults recently. This study examines the trends of antidepressant prescribing by prescription status (continuing vs. new prescriptions). Methods: Data were collected from 2006 to 2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), a nationally representative sample of office-based outpatient visits. I limited the sample to adults aged 65 or older (n = 10,708 unweighted). Using a repeated cross-sectional design with survey sampling techniques, prevalence rates of antidepressant prescriptions were estimated by prescription status. Stratified analyses were also performed by key variables (e.g., age, gender, and race/ethnicity). Results: Continuing antidepressant prescriptions increased over time significantly (OR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03–1.11), and no temporal trend was found in new antidepressant prescriptions. In stratified analyses, the increasing trends of continuing antidepressant prescriptions were pronounced in visits to primary care physicians (OR = 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01–1.12). Conclusion: Increasing antidepressant prescribing trends were found in continuing prescriptions. Continued antidepressant prescribing among older adults should be monitored for appropriate use.