Can selective serotonin inhibitor drugs in elderly patients in nursing homes be reduced?
(2007) In Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care 25(1). p.3-8- Abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) could be withdrawn for elderly residents who had been on treatment for at least one year and to evaluate a method for systematic drug review. DESIGN: Open, prospective, interventional study. SETTING: Four counties in Sweden. SUBJECTS: Elderly residents at 19 nursing homes, with ongoing treatment with SSRIs for more than one year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation, registration of drugs used and rating with Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A semi-structured telephone interview with 15 participating physicians and 19 nurses. RESULTS: About one-third of all 822 residents in the nursing homes had ongoing antidepressant... (More)
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) could be withdrawn for elderly residents who had been on treatment for at least one year and to evaluate a method for systematic drug review. DESIGN: Open, prospective, interventional study. SETTING: Four counties in Sweden. SUBJECTS: Elderly residents at 19 nursing homes, with ongoing treatment with SSRIs for more than one year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation, registration of drugs used and rating with Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A semi-structured telephone interview with 15 participating physicians and 19 nurses. RESULTS: About one-third of all 822 residents in the nursing homes had ongoing antidepressant treatment, predominantly with SSRIs; 75% of them had been treated with SSRIs for at least one year and 119 (60%) of these were considered eligible for the study. The intervention was judged successful in 52% of these residents of whom 88% had a MADRS rating of less than 20 points. The GPs and the nurses experienced the method as practicable. CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal of SSRI treatment was successful in the majority of cases. The MADRS may be a valuable addition to clinical evaluation when deciding whether to end or continue SSRI treatment. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1298549
- author
- Lindstrom, Kjell ; Ekedahl, Anders LU ; Carlsten, Anders ; Martensson, Jan and Molstad, Sigvard
- publishing date
- 2007
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
- volume
- 25
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 3 - 8
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:33847202537
- ISSN
- 0281-3432
- DOI
- 10.1080/02813430600958427
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 55f2086a-1d72-41bd-8a09-11ff7361b607 (old id 1298549)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:15:17
- date last changed
- 2022-01-27 01:06:24
@article{55f2086a-1d72-41bd-8a09-11ff7361b607,
abstract = {{OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) could be withdrawn for elderly residents who had been on treatment for at least one year and to evaluate a method for systematic drug review. DESIGN: Open, prospective, interventional study. SETTING: Four counties in Sweden. SUBJECTS: Elderly residents at 19 nursing homes, with ongoing treatment with SSRIs for more than one year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation, registration of drugs used and rating with Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A semi-structured telephone interview with 15 participating physicians and 19 nurses. RESULTS: About one-third of all 822 residents in the nursing homes had ongoing antidepressant treatment, predominantly with SSRIs; 75% of them had been treated with SSRIs for at least one year and 119 (60%) of these were considered eligible for the study. The intervention was judged successful in 52% of these residents of whom 88% had a MADRS rating of less than 20 points. The GPs and the nurses experienced the method as practicable. CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal of SSRI treatment was successful in the majority of cases. The MADRS may be a valuable addition to clinical evaluation when deciding whether to end or continue SSRI treatment.}},
author = {{Lindstrom, Kjell and Ekedahl, Anders and Carlsten, Anders and Martensson, Jan and Molstad, Sigvard}},
issn = {{0281-3432}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{3--8}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care}},
title = {{Can selective serotonin inhibitor drugs in elderly patients in nursing homes be reduced?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02813430600958427}},
doi = {{10.1080/02813430600958427}},
volume = {{25}},
year = {{2007}},
}