Antidepressant Prescription Claims Among Reproductive-Aged Women With Private Employer-Sponsored Insurance - United States 2008-2013

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016 Jan 29;65(3):41-6. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6503a1.

Abstract

Antidepressant medication use during pregnancy has been increasing in the United States (1). Many women require antidepressants on an ongoing basis, and a clear consensus on the safest medication options for both the mother and her fetus does not exist (2). Given that half of all U.S. pregnancies are unplanned (3), antidepressant use will occur during the first weeks of pregnancy, a critical period for fetal development. To understand trends among women of reproductive age, CDC used Truven Health's MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters data* to estimate the number of antidepressant prescriptions filled by women aged 15-44 years with private employer-sponsored insurance. During 2008-2013, an average of 15.4% of women aged 15-44 years filled at least one prescription for an antidepressant in a single year. The most frequently filled antidepressants included sertraline, bupropion, and citalopram. Prescribing of antidepressants is common, and research on antidepressant safety during pregnancy needs to be accelerated to provide evidence-based information to health care providers and women about the potential risks for antidepressant exposure before and during pregnancy and between pregnancies.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Prescriptions / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Benefit Plans, Employee / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pregnancy
  • Private Sector / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents