Polypharmacy and antidepressant acceptability in comorbid depression and type 2 diabetes: a cohort study using UK primary care data
Annie Jeffery, Cini Bhanu, Kate Walters, Ian Chi Kei Wong, David Osborn, Joseph Hayes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy may increase the risk of drug interactions, side effects, and poor adherence; however, the impact of polypharmacy on antidepressant acceptability in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is unknown. AIM: To investigate the association between number of prescribed medications and early antidepressant discontinuation in adults with T2DM. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cohort study using UK primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2018. METHOD: Cox regression with penalised B-splines was used to describe the association between the number of concurrently prescribed medications at the time of starting antidepressant treatment and each of the outcomes. RESULTS: = 8672) of participants switched antidepressant agents. An inverse relationship between the number of concurrent medications and discontinuing antidepressant treatment altogether was found. The median of 7 concurrent medications was associated with a 65.06% decrease in early antidepressant discontinuation; hazard ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval = 0.37 to 0.55. No evidence of an association between the number of concurrent medications and switching antidepressant agents was found. CONCLUSION: Early discontinuation of antidepressants is common in adults with T2DM; however, individuals with higher levels of concurrent polypharmacy may be more adherent to treatment. These are likely to represent individuals with worse physical or mental health. Individuals with lower levels of concurrent polypharmacy may benefit from adherence support.