Frequency distribution of the first antidepressant prescribed for new antidepressant users by therapeutic class by country and jurisdiction
| Antidepressant | Canada | USA | UK | Taiwan | ||
| Ontario sample (n=60 366 patients n=61 696 Rx) | Montreal sample (n=13 303 patients n=14 217 Rx) | Quebec city and Mtl (n=1308 patients n=1324 Rx) | Boston (n=10 131 patients n=10 586 Rx) | CPRD (n=15 868 patients n=15 970 Rx) | NHIRDB (n=17 580 patients n=17 790 Rx) | |
| n Rx (%) | n Rx (%) | n Rx (%) | n Rx (%) | n Rx (%) | n Rx (%) | |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | ||||||
| Citalopram | 8760 (14.2) | 4708 (33.1) | 410 (30.9) | 2117 (19.9) | 4232 (26.4) | 335 (1.8) |
| Escitalopram | 9000 (14.6) | 1 (0.0) | 73 (5.5) | 438 (4.1) | 145 (0.9) | 825 (4.6) |
| Fluoxetine | 697 (1.1) | 114 (0.8) | 8 (0.6) | 1156 (10.9) | 876 (5.4) | 773 (4.3) |
| Fluvoxamine | 172 (0.3) | 44 (0.3) | 6 (0.4) | 29 (0.2) | 1 (0.0) | 101 (0.5) |
| Paroxetine | 1924 (3.1) | 515 (3.6) | 23 (1.7) | 432 (4.0) | 92 (0.5) | 435 (2.4) |
| Sertraline | 2561 (4.2) | 640 (4.5) | 132 (20.2) | 1481 (13.9) | 990 (6.1) | 1174 (32.2) |
| Subtotal | 23 114 (37.4) | 6022 (42.3) | 652 (49.2) | 5653 (53.3) | 6336 (39.6) | 3643 (20.4) |
| Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors | ||||||
| Desvenlafaxine | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) | 4 (0.3) | 28 (0.2) | – | – |
| Duloxetine | 3190 (5.2) | 161 (1.1) | 57 (4.3) | 267 (2.5) | 156 (0.9) | 241 (1.3) |
| Milnacipran | 0 (0.0) | – | – | 2 (0.0) | – | 18 (0.1) |
| Venlafaxine | 3323 (5.4) | 1514 (10.6) | 105 (7.9) | 434 (4.0) | 144 (0.8) | 206 (1.1) |
| Subtotal | 6513 (10.5) | 1676 (11.7) | 166 (12.5) | 731 (6.9) | 290 (1.8) | 465 (2.6) |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | ||||||
| Amitriptyline | 10 448 (16.9) | 2629 (18.4) | 120 (9.0) | 796 (7.5) | 7255 (45.4) | 1181 (6.6) |
| Dosulepin | – | – | – | – | 177 (1.1) | 25 (0.2) |
| Imipramine | – | – | – | 32 (0.3) | 54 (0.3) | 7340 (41.2) |
| Nortriptyline | 3158 (5.1) | 95 (0.6) | 18 (1.3) | 566 (5.3) | 208 (1.3) | – |
| Other TCAs* | 1860 (12.0) | 263 (1.8) | 24 (1.8) | 117 (1.1) | 113 (0.%) | 778 (4.4) |
| Subtotal | 15 466 (25.0) | 2987 (21.0) | 162 (12.2) | 1511 (14.2) | 7807 (48.8) | 9324 (52.4) |
| Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors | ||||||
| Trazodone | 12 373 (20.1) | 2362 (16.6) | 192 (14.5) | 1279 (12.0) | 360 (2.2) | 3574 (20.0) |
| Norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitors | ||||||
| Bupropion | 1406 (2.3) | 278 (1.9) | 49 (3.7) | 1056 (9.9) | 34 (0.2) | 215 (1.2) |
| Noradrenergic serotonin-specific antidepressants | ||||||
| Mirtazapine | 2819 (4.6) | 892 (6.2) | 103 (7.7) | 354 (3.3) | 1141 (7.1) | 535 (3.0) |
| Subtotal | 16 598 (26.9) | 3532 (24.8) | 344 (26.0) | 2689 (25.%) | 1535 (9.6) | 4324 (24.3) |
| Other antidepressants† | 5 (0.0% | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.0) | 2 (0.%) | 34 (0.2) |
*Other TCAs include Amoxapine, Clomipramine, Desipramine, Doxepin, Lofepramine and Trimipramine.
†Other antidepressants include Nefazodone, Maprotiline, Agomelatine and Roboxetine.
CPRD, Clinical Practice Research Datalink; NHIRDB, National Health Insurance Research Database; TCAs, tricyclic antidepressants.