Objectives: In Bangladesh 16.05% of adult population suffer from psychiatric illness of which 28.7% suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Although antidepressants are the recommended first-line pharmacological treatments for MDD, their prescribing patterns have not been studied in Bangladesh. This study investigates antidepressant prescription patterns at the outpatient psychiatry department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Bangladesh. Material and methods: A retrospective review of the case notes of psychiatry outpatients at BSMMU was carried out between April 2014 and December 2015. A total of 281 MDD patients (aged 18 to 60 years) were randomly recruited. Relevant information was obtained by collection of prescription details from the patients or their relatives by face to face interview. Results: The average number of drugs prescribed per prescription was 2.4. Antidepressants were prescribed in 83.6% (235) encounters that constituted 76.5% (235) of the total number of prescribed drugs. About 82.5% (232) antidepressants were prescribed in combination with psychotherapy. Nearly 50% (141) of prescribed antidepressants were selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Among all antidepressant classes, escitalopram (22.1%), mirtazapine (21.4%), and sertraline (16.4%) were the leading drug prescribed. Lithium was prescribed to 4.6% (13) of patients. Conclusion: Novel antidepressant (SSRIs and SNRIs) drugs were prescribed more compared to traditional drugs (TCAs and TeCAs). In many cases, antidepressants were prescribed in combination with psychotherapy which is good practice to treat depression. It is expected that this investigation will be helpful to treat MDD patients with more precision in drug assortment and benefit to the patients.
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