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Adverse reactions to antidepressants.
Rudolf Uher1, Anne Farmer, Neven Henigsberg
1P080 SGDP, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK. r.uher@iop.kcl.ac.uk
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|September 2, 2009
Summary
Self-report measures reliably assess antidepressant side effects, aiding treatment adherence. Many reported side effects were more common when patients were medication-free, not during antidepressant use.
Area of Science:
- Psychopharmacology
- Clinical Psychiatry
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Adverse drug reactions significantly impact antidepressant treatment adherence.
- Assessing antidepressant side effects is challenging due to symptom overlap and unreliable self-reports.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate a simple self-report measure for antidepressant adverse reactions.
- To characterize antidepressant side effects in a large patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- A new Antidepressant Side-Effect Checklist was compared with the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale.
- 811 adult depression participants in a multicenter trial comparing escitalopram and nortriptyline were assessed.
Main Results:
- Good agreement was found between patient self-reports and psychiatrist ratings.
- Reported side effects like dry mouth, constipation, and weight gain were linked to nortriptyline.
- Diarrhea, insomnia, and yawning were more prevalent with escitalopram treatment.
Conclusions:
- Self-report tools offer a reliable method for assessing antidepressant adverse reactions.
- Targeting specific side effects can potentially enhance patient adherence to antidepressant therapy.
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