What are older peoples' experiences of taking antidepressants?

Antidepressants are prescribed widely to older people but little is known about older peoples' own reported experiences of taking them in routine practice.

A doctor interviewed 92 people, aged over 65, with a hospital diagnosis of depression, who had been prescribed an antidepressant in the past year.

Most of the subjects were prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), at a standard dose, for at least 8 weeks. Most people felt the antidepressants were helpful, although a third felt they made no difference. Two thirds of older people reported having adverse effects of which most were moderate or severe. The most common adverse effects were headache and dry mouth. Only a third said that they always took their tablets.

The sample was restricted to older people seen by hospital services. Interviews were carried out by a doctor and patients may not have been entirely truthful.

Older people have important views about their treatment that they are prepared to tell a doctor. A lot of older people do not think their antidepressants are helpful, and the majority experience adverse effects. Many do not always take their medication. Doctors should routinely ask older people about their experiences of taking antidepressants.