Adherence of antidepressants during pregnancy: MEMS compared with three other methods

Data about adherence of antidepressants during pregnancy are lacking. However, it is important to gain insight into adherence in this population to reduce perinatal risks for relapse of depression.

The objective of this study was to search for an inexpensive and easy method to implement daily for assessing medication adherence during pregnancy.

An observational study was conducted to measure adherence by comparing pill count, Beliefs about Medicine questionnaire (BMQ) and blood level monitoring against the standard, the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). We used a logistic regression model to determine potential predictors for poor adherence (age, marital class, highest level of education, monthly net income, employment, smoking, alcohol use and type of antidepressant).

From January 2010 until January 2012, 41 women were included within the first trimester of pregnancy; data could be evaluated in 29 women. Using MEMS, 86% of the women took in more than 80% of all prescribed doses on time and could be classified as adherent. Pill counts showed good agreement with MEMS. We did not find predictors for poor adherence in our study population.

Adherence of antidepressants during pregnancy using MEMS is 86%. There was a good agreement between MEMS and pill counts. This method may serve as a good alternative that can be easily implemented into daily practice.