Trends in the Use of Benzodiazepines, Z-Hypnotics, and Serotonergic Drugs Among US Women and Men Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
JAMA Netw Open
; 4(10): e2131012, 2021 10 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1482078
ABSTRACT
Importance The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have disrupted access to psychiatric medications, particularly for women. Objective:
To assess the sex differences in trends in the prescribing of benzodiazepines, Z-hypnotics and serotonergic (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs]), which are commonly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Design, Setting, andParticipants:
This cohort study used data from Clinformatics Data Mart, one of the largest commercial health insurance databases in the US. Enrollees 18 years or older were required to have complete enrollment in a given month during our study period, January 1, 2018, to March 31, 2021, to be included for that month. Main Outcomes andMeasures:
Prescription of a benzodiazepine, Z-hypnotic, or SSRI or SNRI. For each month, the percentage of patients with benzodiazepine, Z-hypnotic, or SSRI or SNRI prescriptions by sex was calculated.Results:
The records of 17â¯255â¯033 adults (mean [SD] age, 51.7 [19.5] years; 51.3% female) were examined in 2018, 17â¯340â¯731 adults (mean [SD] age, 52.5 [19.7] years; 51.6% female) in 2019, 16â¯916â¯910 adults (mean [SD] age, 53.7 [19.8] years; 51.9% female) in 2020, and 15â¯135â¯998 adults (mean [SD] age, 56.2 [19.8] years; 52.5% female) in 2021. Compared with men, women had a higher rate of prescriptions for all 3 drugs classes and had larger changes in prescription rates over time. Benzodiazepine prescribing decreased from January 2018 (women 5.61%; 95% CI, 5.60%-5.63%; men 3.03%; 95% CI, 3.02%-3.04%) to March 2021 (women 4.91%; 95% CI, 4.90%-4.93%; men 2.66%; 95% CI, 2.65%-2.67%), except for a slight increase in April 2020 among women. Z-hypnotic prescribing increased from January 2020 for women (1.39%; 95% CI, 1.38%-1.40%) and February 2020 for men (0.97%; 95% CI, 0.96%-0.98%) to October 2020 (women 1.46%; 95% CI, 1.46%-1.47%; men 1.00%; 95% CI, 0.99%-1.01%). Prescribing of SSRIs and SNRIs increased from January 2018 (women 12.77%; 95% CI; 12.75%-12.80%; men 5.56%; 95% CI, 5.44%-5.58%) to April 2020 for men (6.73%; 95% CI, 6.71%-6.75%) and October 2020 for women (15.18%; 95% CI, 15.16%-15.21%). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic onset was an increase in Z-hypnotic as well as SSRI and SNRI prescriptions in both men and women along with an increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions in women, findings that suggest a substantial mental health impact of COVID-19-associated mitigation measures.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Benzodiazepines
/
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
/
Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors
/
COVID-19
/
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
JAMA Netw Open
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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