Gender Differences in Acceptability and Efficacy
Anxiety and major depressive disorders remain prevalent – and persistent. And we rely on antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the most part, as the first line of defense. Now, a new study out of France underscores how effective those treatments are – across genders.
The French researchers studied the acceptability of individual antidepressants among men and women, working off of prescription data from more than 1 million new antidepressant users in 2011.
(The team defined acceptability as “the continuation of the initial antidepressant versus switching or discontinuation.” This classification illustrated both efficacy and tolerability.)
The study found escitalopram to be the most acceptable antidepressant across sexes, with similar rankings overall.
But they observed notable sex-related differences when it came to fluoxetine and paroxetine. Women seemed to tolerate fluoxetine better, while men responded better to paroxetine. These differences, the paper’s authors inferred, could be linked to weight concerns, since paroxetine has a higher propensity for weight gain, which women are more likely to report as a concern.
The findings highlight the role of tolerability factors, such as weight-related side effects, in influencing treatment continuation. While sex alone isn’t necessarily a definitive basis for personalizing antidepressant prescriptions, understanding specific tolerability concerns could help drive those decisions in the future.
IN OTHER PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY NEWS
- Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex seem to work as a safe and effective novel schizophrenia treatment.
- The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reports on a study that shows – after 4 years of treatment – a olanzapine/samidorphan combo worked as a safe and well-tolerated treatment option.
- The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders has published research that looks at a novel curriculum aimed to increase non-psychiatry providers’ confidence in treating mental health conditions.
- JCP also has highlights from The Southwest Forum on Difficult to Treat Depression.
- And, finally, read up on the latest PTSD research.
