A Study on Adverse Effects of Antidepressants in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Abstract

Objective: To identify the adverse effects of antidepressants at the initiation of therapy. To make causality assessment of the adverse effect identified using WHO ADR probability scale. Materials and Methods: Patients prescribed with at least one antidepressant were randomly selected and monitored for adverse drug reactions (ADRs), irrespective of their age and gender. Results: Of the 100 patients who received antidepressants, 33 patients experienced 10 ADRs. Selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most common therapeutic class of drugs associated with ADRs. Gastrointestinal system was most commonly affected system organ class. Gastritis and dry mouth were the most frequently reported ADRs. Majority of the ADRs were ‘mild’ in their severity. Conclusion: In this study, incidence of adverse reaction to antidepressants was 32% and the most common group of Antidepressants implicated are SSRIs.