Complain about a product or service

Higher Rx Costs May Limit Seniors’ Access to Antidepressants

Seniors prone to serious depression, which often goes untreated

April 8, 2008

Depression • Study Probes Link Between Antidepressants, Birth Defects • Antidepressant Use Increasing In The United States • Children May Be Impacted By Parents' Anxiety Disorder • Higher Rx Costs May Limit Seniors’ Access to Antidepressants • Dual Approach Best for Depressed Teens • Depression Not a Normal Part of Aging • Study: Few Risks from Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy • Panel Finds Omega 3 Little Help Against Depression • Antidepressants Similar in Effectiveness, But Side Effects Differ • Antidepressants: Crutch or Catalyst? • Drugs Not Always a Cure for Depression Dr. Henry Fishman: • Don't Give Up On Depression • Exercise and Depression • The Winter Blues --- • First-Time Mothers at Increased Risk for Depression • Holidays May Bring Out Depression In Seniors • Depression Bigger Problem For Men Than Women • FDA Approves the First Drug for Seasonal Depression • Acne Drug's Possible Depression Link Under Review • Treating Depression May Mean Trying Different Drugs • Study Suggests Antidepressant-Suicide Link • FDA OKs Patch For Depression • Feeling the Holiday Blues? You Must Have Children • Gene May Trigger Depression, Study Finds • Exercise and Depression • Former Prozac Users Slam FDA • Consumer Drug Ads May Influence Doctors' Rx Decisions

New cost-sharing policies may prevent some older adults diagnosed with depression from filling new antidepressant prescriptions, according to an analysis published in the April 2008 issue of Psychiatric Services.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded study examined eight years of data from a British Columbia, Canada, program that evolved from comprehensive prescription coverage to cost-sharing in which seniors were responsible for a part of the costs of their prescriptions.

Adults age 65 and older can suffer from major depression, but treating them with antidepressants can cause problems due to cost and potential interactions with other medications taken. As a result, many of those diagnosed with depression do not fill an antidepressant prescription.

Philip Wang, M.D., Dr. P.H., of NIMH’s Division of Services and Intervention Research, and colleagues analyzed the province’s prescription data from January 1997 to December 2005.

After previously providing comprehensive prescription coverage, in January 2002 the province implemented a $10-25 Canadian co-pay with each prescription. Co-payments require the patient to pay a fixed amount for each prescription.

Then in May 2003, the co-pay policy was replaced with an income-based deductible and a 25 percent coinsurance payment after the deductible was met. Co-insurance requires the patient to pay a portion of the medication price, a potential hardship for people with many prescriptions.

After meeting an out-of-pocket ceiling, full coverage kicked in. The transition is similar to what many U.S. retirees experience when they move from private insurance programs to Medicare, which also requires deductibles and coinsurance payments.

The researchers found that while neither policy change resulted in people discontinuing existing antidepressant prescriptions, each coverage policy change was associated with a decrease in the start of antidepressant therapy, suggesting that newly diagnosed seniors may not be filling new prescriptions.

The added costs likely prevented some from starting new prescriptions, said Wang and colleagues. Also, the researchers speculate that the stigma associated with antidepressants may have curtailed use, especially among those on lower fixed incomes.

Wang and colleagues conclude that the consequences of decreases in antidepressant initiation are unclear and will require more research.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.