January 17, 1986JAMA
Increased Antidepressant Use in Patients Prescribed β-Blockers
Why the study?
Does beta-blocker use increase the risk of tricyclic antidepressant use in patients taking antihypertensive or hypoglycemic medications?
Population
143,253 Medicaid recipients taking antihypertensive agents, insulin, or oral hypoglycemic agents
Comparison
Beta-blockers vs Hydralazine, hypoglycemics, methyldopa, or…
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
2 years
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
β-Blocker use was associated with higher TCA prescriptions; hypothesis-generating for iatrogenic depression and requires prospective confirmation.
Structured PICO
Does beta-blocker use increase the risk of tricyclic antidepressant use in patients taking antihypertensive or hypoglycemic medications?
P
Population
143,253 Medicaid recipients taking antihypertensive agents, insulin, or oral hypoglycemic agents
I
Intervention
Beta-blockers
C
Comparator
Hydralazine, hypoglycemics, methyldopa, or reserpine
O
Outcome
Prevalence rates of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) usesafety
Beta-blocker use is associated with a significantly higher risk of being prescribed tricyclic antidepressants compared to other antihypertensives or hypoglycemics, suggesting a risk of iatrogenic depression.
Cite This Study
Jerry Avorn (1986) studied this question.