Objective:

to learn about antidepressant use in the Uruguayan population between 2010 and 2014.

Method:

the use of drugs was studied to evaluate the consumption of antidepressants by analysing the dispensing of drugs in the pharmacies that are part of the participating institutions. The study used the defined daily dose variable (DDD) by 1.000 inhabitants/day (DHD).

Results:

69% of the Uruguayan population was included in the study. The global antidepressant dose by inhabitants per day for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 was 26,49, 29,71, 30,17; 30,79 and 32,55 respectively (average in the five years 30,4) being the global increase of percentage 22,88%5 for that period.

The SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) were the most widely used group of antidepressants. Sertraline was the antidepressant of greatest consumption in the 5 years of the study (DHD 13,65), and the one that presented the highest percentage increase was duloxetine, followed by escitalopram.

Conclusion:

antidepressant use at the national level during the period analysed is lower than that seen in other countries, although a tendency to increase was found. This may be interpreted as a sign for the need to evaluate the evolution in the 2015-2020 period, and to conduct studies on prescription practices and current indications using other methodologies, such as prevalence studies or indication-prescription or prescription-indication studies.

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