Nationwide utilization of antidepressants and anxiolytics during pandemic restrictions: results from the Trends in Drug Utilization During COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey (PANDUTI-TR) study.

Background: The prevalence of mental health disorders rose when the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was most pronounced, potentially altering the consumption of antidepressants and anxiolytics. We aimed to evaluate changes in antidepressant and anxiolytic utilization throughout the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Methods: Nationwide drug sales and prescribing data through 01.03.2018-31.12.2022 were sourced from IQVIA Turkey. We assessed mean monthly consumption and expenditure trends of antidepressants and anxiolytics, along with quarterly prescribing levels, across three periods: "before restrictions" (BfR, 01.03.2018-31.03.2020), "during restrictions" (DuR, 01.04.2020-31.03.2022), and "after restrictions" (AfR, 01.04.2022-31.12.2022), using "defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day" (DID) measure.

Results: Antidepressant consumption escalated from 47.9 ± 4.3 DID in BfR to 56.2 ± 8.9 DID in DuR (P < .001), reaching 60.5 ± 8.9 DID in AfR (P < .001 vs. BfR). Anxiolytic use increased from 2.0 ± 0.3 DID in BfR to 2.5 ± 0.3 DID in DuR (P < .001), and to 2.7 ± 0.3 DID in AfR (P < .001 vs. BfR). Expenditure also rose in DuR and AfR for both drug groups (P < .01). Prescribing trends for antidepressants decreased in DuR (P < .001) and showed an insignificant rebound in AfR (P > .05 vs. BfR and DuR), while anxiolytic prescribing surged in DuR (P = .001 vs. BfR) and subsequently reverted in AfR (P > .05 vs. BfR and DuR). These patterns were consistent across both new and ongoing users.

Conclusions: This study showed a sustained increase in the use of antidepressants and anxiolytics following the onset of pandemic despite fluctuations in prescribing, implying a heightened need for pharmacotherapy and greater burden of depressive and anxiety disorders, especially for the latter.