Objectives Polypharmacy in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders may include promising treatment options, yet may also be subject to additional side effects and interactions. In patients with severe depression, the prevalence of antidepressive (AD) combination treatment has not been thoroughly assessed yet. Methods We assessed the prevalence of antidepressive combination treatment in a sample of hospital patients at the LVR-Clinic in Düsseldorf, Germany in 2012. Results 1.198 residential or semi-residential patients were diagnosed with severe depressive episode and were treated with at least one antidepressant. 25.1 % of those received a combination of at least two antidepressants. The most frequent combination approaches were tri- and tetracyclic AD with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) yet various other combination approaches were observed. Conclusions Combination treatment is a common strategy. Future trends could be monitored via electronic prescription software, yet prospective confirmatory trials are needed to assess the rationale of different combination treatment approaches.
Anliegen Der Einsatz antidepressiver Kombinationsbehandlungen wurde bisher nur in wenigen Studien untersucht. Methode Die Verschreibungspraxis antidepressiver Kombinationstherapien wurde am LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf bei Patienten mit schwerer depressiver Episode (ICD-10 F32.2 und F33.2) retrospektiv untersucht. Ergebnis Von 1198 stationären und teilstationären Fällen erhielten 25,1 % eine Kombination aus zwei oder mehr Antidepressiva. Schlussfolgerung Kombinationstherapien werden häufig eingesetzt, was einem geringen Empfehlungsgrad der Behandlungsleitlinie gegenübersteht.
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