TY  - JOUR
A1  - Booker, Anke
A1  - Bohlken, Jens
A1  - Rapp, Michael Armin
A1  - Kostev, Karel
T1  - Persistence with antidepressant drugs in patients with dementia: a retrospective database analysis
T2  - International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
N2  - Background: The aims of the present study are to determine what proportion of patients with dementia receives antidepressants, how long the treatment is administered, and what factors increase the risk of discontinuation. Methods: The study was based on Disease Analyzer database and included 1,203 general practitioners (GP) and 209 neurologists/psychiatrists (NP). 12,281 patients with a diagnosis of dementia and an initial prescription of an antidepressant drug between January 2004 and December 2013 were included. The main outcome measure was antidepressant discontinuation rates within 6 months of the index date. Results: After 6 months of follow-up, 52.7% of dementia patients treated with antidepressants had stopped medication intake. There was a significantly decreased risk for treatment discontinuation for patients using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs) compared to tricyclic antidepressants. There was a significantly increased risk of treatment discontinuation for older patients and patients treated in NP practice. Comorbidity of diabetes or history of stroke was associated with a decreased risk of treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: The study results show insufficient persistence in antidepressant treatment in dementia patients in a real world setting. The improvement must be achieved to ensure the treatment recommended in the guidelines.
KW  - depression
Y1  - 2016
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/45375
SN  - 0946-1965
VL  - 54
SP  - 323
EP  - 329
PB  - Dustri-Verlag Dr. Karl Feistle
CY  - Deisenhofen-München
ER  -