Use of antidepressants in off label therapy

Abstract

Currently, there has been an increase in the use of antidepressants for pharmacological correction of not only depression, but also for treatment of many other pathological conditions, which determines their use as off label use (use of drugs outside the instructions). The performed analysis of data from scientific publications on PubMed platform allowed establishing that the most commonly prescribed off label antidepressants are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Among the pathological conditions in which antidepressants are used as off label use drugs, the following prevail: neuropathic pain in patients who do not suffer from depression; fibromyalgia; migraine; insomnia; premature ejaculation; bulimia nervosa; hives; urinary incontinence; premenstrual discomfort and other pathological conditions. It has been established that in recent years the use of off label antidepressants for various diseases has increased. Analyzing the problem of using off label antidepressants, it should be noted that doctors are poorly aware of this problem and the data obtained on off label use of antidepressants needs systematization, study and rational utilization. For that, physicians must be aware of the latest data on the use of off label antidepressants published in journals with high innovation ratings.