Cholesterol-lowering drugs and antidepressants—A study of prescription symmetry

Prescribing cascades in community‐dwelling adults: A systematic review

“…The suspected ADRs, symptoms or new diagnoses explored were broad‐ranging (see Table 2 ) most commonly depression ( n = 13) 33 , 37 , 40 , 45 , 52 , 55 , 57 , 72 , 93 , 97 , 98 , 110 , 112 ; peripheral oedema ( n = 11) 5 , 6 , 7 , 28 , 30 , 36 , 64 , 96 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 116 ; urinary incontinence ( n = 9). 24 , 26 , 30 , 41 , 44 , 50 , 53 , 74 , 117 and parkinsonism ( n = 9).…”

Simvastatin Causes Changes in Affective Processes in Elderly Volunteers

“…Because of these potential confounders, findings from cholesterol‐lowering treatments may be more informative. A pharmacoepidemiological study testing the hypothesis that prescription of 3‐hydroxy‐3 methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) would be associated with subsequent prescriptions for antidepressants was negative, 12 but a cohort study suggested that individuals eating an antihyperlipemic diet and those taking simvastatin exhibited a greater rate of absence from work due to depression 13 …”

Identifying patients using antidepressants for the treatment of depression: A predictive algorithm for use in pharmaceutical and medical claims data

“…Pharmaceutical‐based measures are also increasingly being used in studies of individual morbidities, including depression. Antidepressant dispensings have been used as a surrogate measure when estimating the prevalence of depression, and examining depression as an exposure or outcome . However, in the case of depression, such measures are likely to result in substantial misclassification .…”

“…A predictive algorithm meeting this criterion has previously been developed; however, it identified depression only among new starters of antidepressants. All of the abovementioned applications of pharmaceutical‐based measures of depression, however, are based on both existing and new users of antidepressants. It is possible that prevalent users of antidepressants differ from new users on potentially predictive factors such as type and dose of antidepressant used.…”