PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND HEALTH-CARE USE AMONG SWEDISH PATIENTS TREATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS

OBJECTIVE: To analyze healthcare and prescription drug use among patie nts taking and those not taking antidepressant drugs in a Swedish comm unity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: General population of t he rural Swedish municipality Tierp of approximately 20 000 inhabitant s. PARTICIPANTS: All residents of Tierp aged 25 years or older Juring 1988. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean number of ambulatory care visits, ho spital bed days, and prescriptions per person, proportion of those tak ing prescription drugs in different pharmacologic classes. RESULTS: Pa tients treated with antidepressant drugs had a significantly (p < 0.05 ) greater use of ambulatory care, hospital care, and prescription drug s than those who did not take antidepressants in the study population. They also had an increased frequency of use of prescription drugs fro m virtually all pharmacologic classes. Furthermore, the risk for polyp harmacy 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 antidepre ssant. Patients receiving antidepressant treatment may be at serious r isk for iatrogenic disease and should be evaluated carefully with resp ect to concomitant drug use.