Abstract
In Italy, during the COVID-19 waves two lockdowns were implemented to prevent virus diffusion in the general population. Data on antidepressant (AD) use in these periods are still scarce. This study aimed at exploring the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on prevalence and incidence of antidepressant drug use in the general population. A population-based study using the healthcare administrative database of Tuscany was performed. We selected a dynamic cohort of subjects with at least one ADs dispensing from 1 January 2018 to 27 December 2020. The weekly prevalence and incidence of drug use were estimated across different segments: pre-lockdown (1 January 2018–8 March 2020), first lockdown (9 March 2020–15 June 2020), post-first lockdown (16 June 2020–15 November 2020) and second lockdown (16 November 2020–27 December 2020). An interrupted time-series analysis was used to assess the effect of lockdowns on the observed outcomes. Compared to the pre-lockdown we observed an abrupt reduction of ADs incidence (Incidence-Ratio: 0.82; 95% Confidence-Intervals: 0.74–0.91) and a slight weekly decrease of prevalence (Prevalence-Ratio: 0.997; 0.996–0.999). During the post-first lockdown AD use increased, with higher incidence- and similar prevalence values compared with those expected in the absence of the outbreak. This pandemic has impacted AD drug use in the general population with potential rebound effects during the period between waves. This calls for future studies aimed at exploring the mid–long term effects of this phenomenon.
Highlights
We considered a dispensing as consecutive if it was claimed within the duration of the prior dispensing plus a 30-day grace period, which was added to account for irregular refill patterns and minor non-compliance
Of the predicted model; Dashed line: expected scenario in the absence of LMI. The findings of this observational descriptive study showed that an abrupt reduction of antidepressant drugs drugs (ADs) incidence and a gradual reduction of AD prevalence occurred in the general population during the first lockdown
We found a change in AD use during pandemic lockdowns in the general population
Summary
Was one of the first countries in Europe to be hit by the new virus [2,3,4]. 2020 to 15 June 2020 to stop the virus spread in the general population [5]. In the following summer months, restrictions have been eased and people were allowed to work and travel. This resulted in a second large COVID-19 wave with a higher number of cases and consequent implementation of new lockdown restrictions from November 2020 to the end of December 2020 [5]. The measures adopted during the two lockdowns encompassed social distancing, smart-working, quarantine, people movement restriction, closure of non-essential activities, and limitation of the physical interactions
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