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[Continued use of hypnotic initiated as part of antidepressant treatment]
Introduction:
Chronic hypnotic prescription is common, but not recommended. This study analysed whether hypnotic use at the beginning of antidepressant treatment could be the starting point for future hypnotic use.
Methods:
Concomitant hypnotic and antidepressant prescriptions were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Fund for employees of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais database. Dispensing of hypnotics during the two quarters following discontinuation of antidepressant treatment was investigated.
Results:
8.9% of patients continued using hypnotics after having stopped antidepressants. Factors associated with this continued dispensing were female gender, age greater than or equal to 45 years, quarterly dispensing of hypnotics during antidepressant treatment, dispensing of three or more hypnotics per quarter during antidepressant treatment, and previous dispensing of opioid substitution therapy.
Conclusion:
A minority of patients continued using hypnotics after stopping antidepressant treatment initiated with hypnotics.
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