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Published on: September 26, 2012

Anti-depressant use in association with interferon and glatiramer acetate treatment in multiple sclerosis

S B Patten1, J V A Williams, L M Metz

  • 1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. patten@ucalgary.ca

Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|November 8, 2007
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

This study found no increased risk of depression with interferon beta treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Antidepressant use was similar between interferon beta and glatiramer acetate, confirming no association in MS.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Previous trials failed to link interferon beta treatment to depression in MS, despite interferons causing depression elsewhere.
  • This lack of association in MS may stem from insufficient statistical power in prior studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between interferon beta treatment and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
  • To compare antidepressant prescription rates between MS patients treated with interferon beta and glatiramer acetate.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized longitudinal data from the IMS Health Canada Therapy Dynamics database (up to 36 months).
  • Used antidepressant prescriptions as a proxy for depressive disorders.
  • Compared antidepressant use frequency between glatiramer acetate and interferon beta cohorts.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in antidepressant treatment frequency were observed between the interferon beta and glatiramer acetate groups.
  • Approximately 40% of patients in all treatment cohorts received antidepressants during the study period.
  • New antidepressant prescriptions and adjusted analyses (age, sex) showed comparable rates; neurologist-prescribed antidepressant use was low (2.4%).

Conclusions:

  • The analysis provides no evidence that interferon beta treatment is associated with a higher frequency of antidepressant use in MS patients.
  • These findings support the conclusion that depression is not linked to interferon beta treatment in multiple sclerosis.

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