Antidepressant recipes soared during pandemic, fuel prices

Antidepressants used skyrocketing by 2020 during a pandemic, according to a new study, and prices have increased as a result. This research comes from the University of Huddersfield, which records that recipe trends and costs highlight the need for mental health strategies and interventions to ‘optimize’ the use of these drugs.

This new study focuses on recipes and antidepressants in the UK, although similar trends are also reported in other countries. For example, the FDA reported last summer demanding Sertraline, one of the most popular antidepressants, has soared in the midst of supply chain problems caused by a pandemic.

The combination of both caused drug shortages at the time, and even though it was not much a problem at this point, the new study noted that generic antidepressant costs increased – and sertraline, also known as Zoloft, mostly affected by increasing recipe costs.

Although experts expect an increase in antidepressant demand triggered by pandemics, increasing costs quoted as special attention, as well as teenagers’ risk and young adults when taking these drugs.

Analysis of data on 100,000 people found that people under the age of 25 years took these drugs have doubled the risk of suicide compared to older patients. In the end, researchers summoned additional research to optimize the use of antidepressants in connection with increasing costs and risk of young people and young adults may face this pill.