Antidepressants Use Among Pregnant Women in Denmark From 2001 to 2023: A Population‐Level Drug Utilization Study

ABSTRACT We evaluated trends in antidepressant use among pregnant women in Denmark from 2001 to 2023, comparing them with a matched comparison group from the general population. Data from the Danish Health Data Authority were used to assess annual antidepressant prescription redemption rates per 100...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology Vol. 137; no. 4; pp. e70105 - n/a
Main Authors: Andersen, Anne‐Johanne, Enevoldsen, Kasper Nørlund, Enevoldsen, Anne Sophie, Gram, Erika B., Damkier, Per
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.10.2025
Subjects:
Adult
Amitriptyline
Antidepressants
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Citalopram
Denmark - epidemiology
Depression - drug therapy
Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data
Drug Utilization - statistics & numerical data
Drug Utilization - trends
drug‐utilization
Duloxetine
Female
Humans
Inhibitors
Noradrenaline
Norepinephrine
Pharmacovigilance
Population studies
population‐based
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - trends
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - drug therapy
Pregnancy Complications - psychology
prescription
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Serotonin
Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Serotonin uptake inhibitors
Sertraline
Womens health
Young Adult
Denmark
drug‐utilization
antidepressants
population‐based
prescription
pregnancy
ISSN:1742-7835, 1742-7843, 1742-7843
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:ABSTRACT We evaluated trends in antidepressant use among pregnant women in Denmark from 2001 to 2023, comparing them with a matched comparison group from the general population. Data from the Danish Health Data Authority were used to assess annual antidepressant prescription redemption rates per 1000 pregnancies, with a focus on total antidepressant use, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Antidepressant use among pregnant women increased fivefold in the study period. In the comparison group, use increased 2.3‐fold. After a decline following 2011, antidepressant use among pregnant women began to rise again in 2019, driven primarily by sertraline, which accounted for 76% of prescription redemptions in 2023. Other drugs such as escitalopram, duloxetine, mirtazapine and amitriptyline showed modest increases, while the use of most other antidepressants declined or stabilized. This upward trend likely reflects the influence of updated clinical guidelines and greater clinical acceptance of antidepressant use during pregnancy. Our findings emphasize how prescribing practices are sensitive to shifts in public discourse and guideline revisions, highlighting the importance of ongoing pharmacovigilance in managing maternal mental health. Plain Language Summary We evaluated antidepressant use in pregnancy in Denmark from 2001 to 2023. Antidepressant use in pregnancy increased fivefold, compared with a little more than twofold in the comparison group. After a decline around 2011, use rose again from 2019, mainly due to sertraline, which by 2023 was the most prescribed antidepressant. We observed minor increases for a few other antidepressants, but most remained stable or declined. These latter trends likely reflect updated treatment guidelines and growing acceptance of antidepressant use in pregnancy.
Bibliography:The authors received no specific funding for this work.
Funding
Kasper Nørlund Enevoldsen and Anne Sophie Enevoldsen contributed equally.
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ISSN:1742-7835
1742-7843
1742-7843
DOI:10.1111/bcpt.70105