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Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023Non-adherence to antidepressants is associated with worse disease outcomes (morbidity and mortality) and correlates with higher healthcare resource utilization and...
Non-adherence to antidepressants is associated with worse disease outcomes (morbidity and mortality) and correlates with higher healthcare resource utilization and costs. A population-based registry study was conducted to assess non-adherence and to analyze the economic burden of treatment and from non-adherence to antidepressants in 2021. Non-adherence was measured by the Medication Possession Ratio and those below 80% were classified as non-adherent. In 2021, 246,718 patients (10.60% [95% CI: 10.48-10.72]) received antidepressants at a cost of €29 million. The median antidepressant cost per patient/year was €70.08€, ranging from €7.58 for amitriptyline to €396.66 for agomelatine. Out-of-pocket costs represented 6.09% of total expenditures, with a median copayment of €2.78 per patient. The 19.87% [95% CI 19.52-20.22)] of patients were non-adherent to antidepressants, costing €3.9 million (13.30% of total antidepressant costs). Non-adherence rates exceeded 20% for the tricyclic antidepressants, fluoxetine (23.53%), fluvoxamine (22.42%), and vortioxetine (20.58%). Venlafaxine (14.64%) and citalopram (14.88%) had the lowest non-adherence rates, of less than 15%. The median cost of non-adherent medications per patient/year was €18.96 and ranged from €2.50 (amitriptyline) to €133.42 (agomelatine). Reducing non-adherence to antidepressants is critical to improving clinical and economic outcomes. The implementation of interventions and standardized measures, including early detection indicators, is urgently needed. Antidepressants differ with regard to non-adherence and their cost, and this should be considered when prescribing this medication. The Medication Possession Ratio could be used by the healthcare provider and clinician to identify non-adherent patients for monitoring, and to take necessary corrective actions.
PubMed: 38035007
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1266034 -
IUBMB Life Sep 2023Beyond its actions on the nervous system, amitriptyline (AM) has been shown to lower inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibrogenic markers in a few pathological conditions in...
Beyond its actions on the nervous system, amitriptyline (AM) has been shown to lower inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibrogenic markers in a few pathological conditions in human and in experimental animal models. However, its effects on foreign body reaction (FBR), a complex adverse healing process, after biomedical material implantation are not known. We have evaluated the effects of AM on the angiogenic and fibrogenic components on a model of implant-induced FBR. Sponge disks were implanted subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice, that were treated daily with oral administration of AM (5 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days in two protocols: treatment was started on the day of surgery and the implants were removed on the seventh day after implantation and treatment started 7 days after implantation and the implants removed 14 after implantation. None of the angiogenic (vessels, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) or fibrogenic parameters (collagen, TGF-β, and fibrous capsule) and giant cell numbers analyzed were attenuated by AM in 7-day-old implants. However, AM was able to downregulate angiogenesis and FBR in 14-day-old implants. The effects of AM described here expands its range of actions as a potential agent capable of attenuating fibroproliferative processes that may impair functionality of implantable devices.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Humans; Amitriptyline; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Foreign-Body Reaction; Collagen
PubMed: 37086464
DOI: 10.1002/iub.2725 -
Joint Bone Spine Jan 2024Chronic pain is a common symptom of rheumatic diseases that impacts patients' quality of life. While non-pharmacological approaches are often recommended as first-line... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Chronic pain is a common symptom of rheumatic diseases that impacts patients' quality of life. While non-pharmacological approaches are often recommended as first-line treatments, pharmacological interventions are important for pain management. However, the effectiveness and safety of different pharmacological treatments for chronic pain in rheumatic diseases are unclear.
METHODS
This review critically synthesizes the current evidence base to guide clinicians in selecting appropriate pharmacological treatments for their patients, considering the expected benefits and potential risks and side effects.
RESULTS
For osteoarthritis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, opioids, and antidepressants are commonly used, with NSAIDs being the most recommended. In addition, topical agents, such as topical NSAIDs, are recommended for localized pain relief. For fibromyalgia, amitriptyline, serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and gabapentinoids are commonly used, with SNRIs being the most recommended. For back pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, opioids are used only for acute of flare-up pain, whereas neuropathic pain drugs are only used for chronic radicular pain. For inflammatory rheumatic diseases, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological agents are recommended to slow disease progression and manage symptoms.
CONCLUSION
While DMARDs and biological agents are recommended for inflammatory rheumatic diseases, pharmacological treatments for other rheumatic diseases only alleviate symptoms and do not provide a cure for the underlying condition. The use of pharmacological treatments should be based on the expected benefits and evaluation of side effects, with non-pharmacological modalities also being considered, especially for fibromyalgia.
Topics: Humans; Chronic Pain; Fibromyalgia; Acetaminophen; Quality of Life; Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors; Rheumatic Diseases; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
PubMed: 37495074
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2023.105624 -
BMJ Open Dec 2023Investigate risk for falls, fractures and syncope in older adult patients treated with nortriptyline compared with paroxetine and alternative medications.
Adverse drug events associated with nortriptyline compared with paroxetine and alternative medications in an older adult population: a retrospective cohort study in Southern California.
OBJECTIVE
Investigate risk for falls, fractures and syncope in older adult patients treated with nortriptyline compared with paroxetine and alternative medications.
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.
SETTING
The electronic medical record and prescription drug database of a large integrated healthcare system in Southern California.
PARTICIPANTS
Ambulatory patients, age ≥65 years diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder or peripheral neuropathy, dispensed one or more of ten study medications between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2018.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
HR for falls, fractures and syncope with exposure to study medications adjusted for patient demographic variables and comorbidities.
RESULTS
Among 195 207 subjects, 19 305 falls, 15 088 fractures and 11 313 episodes of syncope were observed during the study period. Compared with the reference medication, nortriptyline, the adjusted HRs (aHRs) for falls were statistically significantly greater for: paroxetine (aHR 1.48, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.57), amitriptyline (1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.33), venlafaxine (1.44, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.56), duloxetine (1.25, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.40), fluoxetine (1.51, 95% CI 1.44 to 1.59), sertraline (1.53, 95% CI 1.44 to 1.62), citalopram (1.61, 95% CI 1.52 to 1.71) and escitalopram (1.37, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.54), but not gabapentin (0.95, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.02). For fractures, compared with nortriptyline, aHRs were significantly greater for: paroxetine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram and gabapentin, with aHRs ranging from 1.30 for gabapentin to 1.82 for escitalopram; risk was statistically similar for amitriptyline. For syncope, the aHRs were significantly greater for: paroxetine, venlafaxine, fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram, with aHRs ranging from 1.19 for fluoxetine and paroxetine up to 1.30 for citalopram and sertraline; risk was similar for amitriptyline, duloxetine, escitalopram and gabapentin.
CONCLUSIONS
Compared with therapeutic alternatives, nortriptyline was found to represent a lower risk for falls, fractures and syncope, versus comparator medications, except for a few instances that had equivalent risk. The risk for these adverse events from paroxetine was comparable to the alternative medications.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Paroxetine; Nortriptyline; Citalopram; Fluoxetine; Sertraline; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; Amitriptyline; Duloxetine Hydrochloride; Retrospective Studies; Escitalopram; Gabapentin; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Syncope
PubMed: 38154883
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076028 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Nov 2023In this research, composited bimetallic organic framework-polyacrylonitrile (Ni-Co MOFs-PAN) was applied for thin-film solid phase microextraction (TF-SPME) of tricyclic...
Growth of bimetallic Ni-Co MOFs on a skeleton of electrospun PAN nanofibers and coating on a thin film for SPME of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in urine and plasma samples.
In this research, composited bimetallic organic framework-polyacrylonitrile (Ni-Co MOFs-PAN) was applied for thin-film solid phase microextraction (TF-SPME) of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) drugs from biological samples. The separation and quantification of the analytes were accomplished by HPLC-UV. First, seeded nanofibers with organic ligands were electrospun on a sheet of foil. Then, with the uniform in-situ solvothermal growth of Ni-Co MOFs on the skeletal surface of nanofibers, the nanoparticles were successfully attached to the surfaces without effective bonds and produced a thin layer with a high flexibility, large active surface and abundant functional groups for adsorption. The characteristics of the produced nanocomposite were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. The stirring rate, pH, ionic strength, adsorption and desorption time along with type and volume of desorption solvents as influential factors on extraction efficiencies of the analytes, were optimized by one variable at a time method. Under optimized conditions, wide linear range for analytes in water and plasma matrices were obtained from 0.2 to 1000.0 μg L and 1.0-1000.0 μg L, respectively, with R ≥ 0.9925. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.06-0.3 μg L in different media. Good repeatability and reproducibility were attained within intra-day, inter-day and film-to-film RSDs% (n = 3) below 3.3 %, 3.9 % and 4.7 %, respectively. Since desirable relative recoveries were calculated between 91.4 % and 100.4 %. The method can be used for the successful extraction and measurement of amitriptyline and nortriptyline as its metabolite in different sampling time from urine and plasma matrices.
Topics: Solid Phase Microextraction; Amitriptyline; Nortriptyline; Nanofibers; Reproducibility of Results; Skeleton; Limit of Detection
PubMed: 37778203
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115755 -
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary... Apr 2024Serotonin syndrome (SS) is an iatrogenic life-threatening condition caused by serotonergic agents. The treatment for SS involves the administration of a serotonin...
OBJECTIVE
Serotonin syndrome (SS) is an iatrogenic life-threatening condition caused by serotonergic agents. The treatment for SS involves the administration of a serotonin antagonist (cyproheptadine). However, the dosing schedule for cyproheptadine is not uniform in the literature.
METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 23 adult patients (>18 years) admitted to the Neurology Department and met the Hunter criteria for SS.
RESULTS
The mean age was 35.2 years, and 52% were female. Ten patients were managed in the intensive care unit (ICU), whereas thirteen patients were admitted to the ward. Hyperreflexia was the most common clinical feature (100%), followed by clonus (91%), tachycardia (83%), and tremor (83%). Other common clinical features were rigidity (65%), increased bowel sound (61%), diaphoresis (48%), fever (43%), hypertension (39%), and myoclonus (30%). All but one patient received two or more serotonergic drugs. Tramadol was the most common serotonergic agent (39%), followed by sodium valproate (21%), and amitriptyline (21%). Cyproheptadine was administered to all patients. All patients admitted in the ICU received a loading dose of 12 mg followed by 2 mg every 2 h for at least 24 h. All patients admitted to the ward were given 4 mg of cyproheptadine three times each day. Every patient showed at least some response to cyproheptadine within 24 h. The total doses of cyproheptadine and the length of treatment differed between patients.
CONCLUSION
Any response to cyproheptadine at a therapeutic dose within 24 h, even a partial one, could be a diagnostic indicator of the existence of SS.
PubMed: 38827706
DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_652_23 -
World Psychiatry : Official Journal of... Jun 2024Psychotic depression (PD) is a severe mental disorder leading to functional disability and high risk of suicide, but very little is known about the comparative...
Real-world effectiveness of antidepressants, antipsychotics and their combinations in the maintenance treatment of psychotic depression. Evidence from within-subject analyses of two nationwide cohorts.
Psychotic depression (PD) is a severe mental disorder leading to functional disability and high risk of suicide, but very little is known about the comparative effectiveness of medications used in its maintenance treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the comparative effectiveness of specific antipsychotics and antidepressants, and their combinations, on the risk of psychiatric hospitalization among persons with PD in routine care. Persons aged 16-65 years with a first-time diagnosis of PD were identified from Finnish (years 2000-2018) and Swedish (years 2006-2021) nationwide registers of inpatient care, specialized outpatient care, sickness absence, and disability pension. The main exposures were specific antipsychotics and antidepressants, and the main outcome measure was psychiatric hospitalization as a marker of severe relapse. The risk of hospitalization associated with periods of use vs. non-use of medications (expressed as adjusted hazard ratio, aHR) was assessed by a within-individual design, using each individual as his/her own control, and analyzed with stratified Cox models. The two national cohorts were first analyzed separately, and then combined using a fixed-effect meta-analysis. The Finnish cohort included 19,330 persons (mean age: 39.8±14.7 years; 57.9% women) and the Swedish cohort 13,684 persons (mean age: 41.3±14.0 years; 53.5% women). Individual antidepressants associated with a decreased risk of relapse vs. non-use of antidepressants were bupropion (aHR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.63-0.85), vortioxetine (aHR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.96) and venlafaxine (aHR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-0.98). Any long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) (aHR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.45-0.80) and clozapine (aHR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.91) were associated with a decreased risk of relapse vs. non-use of antipsychotics. Among monotherapies, only vortioxetine (aHR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.95) and bupropion (aHR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.56-0.89) were associated with a significantly decreased risk of relapse vs. non-use of both antidepressants and antipsychotics. In an exploratory analysis of antidepressant-antipsychotic combinations, a decreased relapse risk was found for amitriptyline-olanzapine (aHR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.28-0.71), sertraline-quetiapine (aHR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.67-0.93) and venlafaxine-quetiapine (aHR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.73-0.91) vs. non-use of antidepressants and antipsychotics. Benzodiazepines and related drugs (aHR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.24-1.34) and mirtazapine (aHR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.07-1.29) were associated with an increased risk of relapse. These data indicate that, in the maintenance treatment of PD, bupropion, vortioxetine, venlafaxine, any LAI, clozapine, and only few specific antidepressant-antipsychotic combinations are associated with a decreased risk of relapse. These findings challenge the current recommendation by treatment guidelines to combine an antipsychotic with an antidepressant (without further specification) as standard treatment in PD.
PubMed: 38727044
DOI: 10.1002/wps.21205 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Jul 2024Abrocitinib is approved to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and eliminated mainly through cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme. Two commonly used antidepressants,...
Abrocitinib is approved to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and eliminated mainly through cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme. Two commonly used antidepressants, amitriptyline and fluoxetine, could inhibit the activities of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4. In this study, we developed a new and quick ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for quantitatively analyzing the plasma concentration of abrocitinib, and further investigated the effects of amitriptyline or fluoxetine on the pharmacokinetics of abrocitinib in rats. The selectivity, linearity, recovery, accuracy, precision, matrix effect and stability of UPLC-MS/MS assay were satisfied according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines. Our result showed that when co-administered with amitriptyline and fluoxetine, the CLz/F of abrocitinib was reduced by 44.4 % and 33.3 %, respectively, while the AUC of abrocitinib was increased by 77.7 % and 49.4 %, respectively. It indicated that amitriptyline and fluoxetine could significantly increase the plasma concentration of abrocitinib in rats. Thus, dose adjustment of abrocitinib may be required when it is combined with amitriptyline or fluoxetine in ongoing clinical practice.
Topics: Animals; Fluoxetine; Rats; Male; Amitriptyline; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Antidepressive Agents; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Drug Interactions; Pyrimidines
PubMed: 38719170
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111041 -
International Journal of Clinical... Oct 2023Pharmacogenetics (PGx), especially in regard to CYP2D6, is gaining more importance in routine clinical settings. Including phenoconversion effects (PC) in result...
BACKGROUND
Pharmacogenetics (PGx), especially in regard to CYP2D6, is gaining more importance in routine clinical settings. Including phenoconversion effects (PC) in result interpretation could maximize its potential benefits. However, studies on genetics of pharmacokinetic genes including the functional enzyme status are lacking.
AIM
The retrospective analyses of clinical routine data aimed to investigating how the CYP2D6 functional enzyme status affects serum concentrations and metabolite-to-parent ratios of seven common psychotropic drugs and allows an evaluation of the relevance of this information for patient care.
METHOD
Two patient cohorts (total n = 316; 44.2 ± 15.4 years) were investigated for the CYP2D6 functional enzyme status and its associations with drug exposure and metabolism of venlafaxine, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, sertraline, escitalopram, risperidone and quetiapine.
RESULTS
We found an increase in intermediate and poor metabolizers, as well as a decrease in normal metabolizers of CYP2D6 when including PC. Moreover, we found associations between amitriptyline exposure with the phenoconversion-corrected activity score of CYP2D6 (Spearman correlation; p = 0.03), and risperidone exposure with CYP2D6 functional enzyme status (Kruskal-Wallis test; p = 0.01), as well as between metabolite-to-parent ratio of venlafaxine and risperidone with CYP2D6 functional enzyme status (Kruskal-Wallis test; p < 0.001; p = 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The data stress the relevance of PC-informed PGx in psychopharmacological treatment and suggest that PC should be included in PGx result interpretation when PGx is implemented in routine clinical care, especially before initiating amitriptyline- or risperidone-treatment, to start with a dose adequate to the respective CYP2D6 functional enzyme status. Moreover, PGx and therapeutic drug monitoring should be used complementary but not alternatively.
Topics: Humans; Antipsychotic Agents; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6; Retrospective Studies; Risperidone; Pharmacogenetics; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; Amitriptyline; Genotype; Phenotype; Antidepressive Agents
PubMed: 37166747
DOI: 10.1007/s11096-023-01588-8 -
Journal of Pain Research 2023Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) affects nearly 70% of cancer patients after chemotherapy, causing sensory, motor, autonomic dysfunction, and...
INTRODUCTION
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) affects nearly 70% of cancer patients after chemotherapy, causing sensory, motor, autonomic dysfunction, and neuropathic pain. The Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) framework is proposed as a better way to assess preventive or therapeutic interventions for CIPN.
METHODS
A survey was conducted among Italian healthcare professionals and researchers affiliated to the Italian Chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain (AISD) to identify the most important outcomes in clinical management and research.
RESULTS
Among the 73 respondents, 61 qualified for the survey, with an overall response rate of 1.2%. The vast majority were physicians (77%), most of whom were anesthesiologists (47.5%). The results showed that pain, survival, sensory impairment, motor impairment, and quality of life were consistently ranked as the most important outcomes, but there was significant disagreement in the outcomes relative ranking, making it difficult to develop a DOOR algorithm. The study also revealed that clinicians commonly use structured interviews to evaluate patients with CIPN, and the most prescribed drugs or supplements were palmitoylethanolamide, pregabalin, gabapentin and alpha lipoic acid as preventive agents and pregabalin, palmitoylethanolamide, duloxetine, gabapentin, and amitriptyline as therapeutic agents. However, many of these drugs have not been clinically proven to be effective for CIPN.
DISCUSSION
This study suggests that the implementation of a DOOR framework for CIPN using healthcare professionals is more difficult than expected, given the significant disagreement in our respondents' ranking of outcomes. Our work provides interesting topics for future research in CIPN, but its limitations include a small sample size, a low response rate, and a possible selection bias.
PubMed: 37790191
DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S414389