Prescription Pattern of Antidepressants and the Potential for Personalized Medicine in the Qatari Population

Abstract

Studying the prescription pattern of medications will help in understanding potential unnecessary prescriptions, due to the trial-and-error method of prescribing, and the need for personalized medicine in a population. Therefore, in this study, our aim was to explore the prescribing pattern and off-label use of antidepressants in the Qatari population. We conducted a retrospective study of Qatari patients who received prescriptions for antidepressants from the major healthcare providers in Qatar, for a period of 24 months between June 2018 and May 2020. The number of patients, prescriptions, and diagnostic indications were analyzed. The chi-square test was used for identifying statistically significant association of the number of individuals prescribed with age category or gender. Of the 14,601 Qatari patients who were prescribed antidepressants, the majority were female (61%, p < 2.2 × 10^-16), and were at or above 60 years of age (27%, p < 2.2 × 10^-16). More numbers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (22,085 out of 48,031; 46%), were dispensed than other classes of antidepressants, with escitalopram (26%) at the top of the list. Preponderance of prescription of antidepressants for non-mental health diseases was observed. Population-level prescription trends, as we reported here, when combined with patient genetic variability and outcome data, will have the power to predict the potential for treatment failures and adverse effects of these medications in the population. We also recommend educating non-mental health prescribers about the adherence to evidence and guidelines to ensure patient safety while prescribing antidepressants.

Keywords: Middle East; antidepressants; prescription pattern.

Figure 1

(a) The distribution of the number of Qatari patients receiving prescriptions of antidepressants over a period of 2 years in all the HMC/PHCC hospitals stratified by age or gender, and (b) the number of prescriptions of antidepressants dispensed over a period of 2 years in the HMC/PHCC hospitals, with the number of prescriptions dispensed monthly on the Y-axis and the months on the X-axis.

Figure 2

Diagnostic indications for antidepressant prescriptions in the Qatari population for mental health disorders (MHDs) and non-MHDs.

Figure 3

Use of antidepressants for the treatment of mental health disorders in the Qatari population, stratified into various categories and displayed based on (a) drugs, and (b) diagnoses. OCD: Obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Figure 4

Non-mental health disease (non-MHD) use of antidepressants in the Qatari population, stratified into various non-MHD categories and displayed based on the (a) drugs, and (b) diagnoses. BPPV: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, CVA: Cerebrovascular accident, IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome.

Figure 5

(a) The distribution of the number of Qatari patients receiving prescriptions of antidepressants over a period of 2 years in the Mental Health Hospital alone, stratified by age or gender, and (b) the number of prescriptions of antidepressants dispensed over a period of 2 years in the Mental Health Hospital alone, with the number of prescriptions dispensed monthly on the Y-axis, and the months on the X-axis.