A Cross-sectional, Multicenter, Observational Study to Assess the Safety and Usage Pattern of Antidepressants in the Management of Indian Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

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Published

2025-12-19

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54169/ijocp.v5i02.09

Keywords:

Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety, Escitalopram, Vortioxetine, Sertraline, antidepressants

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Vol. 5 No. 02 (2025): Indian Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

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Copyright (c) 2025 Dharmesh Choksi, Vishal Chhabra, K S Pavitra, Ramani P N, Sharmistha Chakroborty, Yakshdeep Dave, Zahraan Qureshi, Girish Kulkarni

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Dharmesh Choksi Mamta Hospital & Research Center, Medicare centre, Near M J Library, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380006, India
  • Vishal Chhabra Chhabra Psychiatry Centre, 107-108, 1st Floor, RG-1 Complex, Prashant Vihar Sector 14, New Delhi, India
  • K S Pavitra Sridhar nursing home complex, Rajendranagar, Shimoga, Karnataka – 577204, India
  • Ramani P N Sita Laxmi Hospital, 21 Koweli Brown Road, R.S.Puram East, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641002, India
  • Sharmistha Chakroborty Samikshani 37 Soythend Park, Bhakuria, Dover Lane, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Yakshdeep Dave
  • Zahraan Qureshi
  • Girish Kulkarni Medical Affairs, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ahmedabad, India

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with rising prevalence. Antidepressants (ADs) remain the cornerstone of treatment for depression and anxiety. However, data on AD prescribing patterns in India are limited, which is essential for optimizing treatment strategies.
Objective/Aim: To evaluate the usage and safety patterns of commonly prescribed ADs (escitalopram, sertraline, and vortioxetine) in Indian patients with MDD.
Methods: This retrospective, observational study analyzed data of 3,321 Indian patients having MDD. Data were collected by 306 psychiatrists and clinicians using structured DCFs, and analyses were performed using SPSS (v29.0.1.0) and Microsoft Excel 2019. Ethics approval was obtained before study initiation.
Results: The mean (SD) age of the study population was 44.0 (12.9) years, with males comprising 64.8% of the cohort. Most patients (70.6%) reported no family history of MDD. Anxiety was the most common psychiatric comorbidity (59.0%), while diabetes (22.9%) was the most frequent non-psychiatric comorbidity. Among antidepressants, escitalopram was the most prescribed agent (50.6%), followed by vortioxetine (28.1%) and sertraline (21.0%). Clonazepam was the most frequently co-prescribed benzodiazepine (36.0%). Escitalopram was commonly initiated at 10 mg once daily (80.0%), predominantly as monotherapy (55.2%), with treatment duration of 2–6 months (39.7%). Nausea (24.5%) and dizziness (13.9%) were the most reported adverse events.
Conclusion: Escitalopram emerged as the preferred AD, with frequent clonazepam co-prescription for comorbid anxiety. These patterns reflect common clinical practice and highlight the need for individualized treatment strategies in MDD management.

How to Cite

Choksi, D., Chhabra, V., Pavitra, K. S., P N, R., Chakroborty, S., Dave, Y., … Kulkarni, G. (2025). A Cross-sectional, Multicenter, Observational Study to Assess the Safety and Usage Pattern of Antidepressants in the Management of Indian Patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 5(02), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.54169/ijocp.v5i02.09

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