Use of antidepressants in diabetes patients not using drugs, but only monitoring blood glucose

Abstract

Objective : Patients with diabetes have an increased Odds Ratio （OR） for depressive disor- der. We wanted to investigate if patients with metabolic syndrome and/or diabetes type 2 not treated with antidiabetic agents, have an OR for concurrent antidepressant use comparable to other types of diabetes. Methods : Drug delivery data from 25 pharmacies were analysed with respect to sale of antidepressants, oral antidiabetic agents, insulin and blood glucose test strips. Results : Total population of the area was 337,019, whereas 254,083 were 18 or older. Of these 20,139 were patients receiving insulin, oral antidiabetics, glucose test strips and/or antidepressants. Those receiving antidepressants were 5.8% of those 18 or older whereas 2.4% received any antidiabetic medication (including test strips for HBGM). For patients receiving no medications but test strips alone, the adjusted OR for use concurrent use of antidepressants was 1.62 (95% confidence interval: 1.19 - 2.23), p = 0.002. For insulin-only receiving patients, the adjusted OR was 1.65 (1.41 - 1.93), p = 0.000, whereas for patients receiving only oral antidiabetics, it was 1.53 (1.38 - 1.71), p = 0.000. Patients receiving both insulin and oral antidiabetics: 2.23 (1.75 - 2.85), p = 0.000. Conclusion : Patients receiving only blood glucose strips have an OR of concurrently receiving antidepressants, not different from those receiving insulin only or oral antidiabetics only.