Key Points Question What are the changes in prescribing rates in men and women of benzodiazepines, Z-hypnotics, and serotonergic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021) compared with prior years (2018 and 2019)? Findings This cohort study of US adults (15.1 million to 17.3 million depending on the year studied) found an increase in Z-hypnotic and serotonergic drug prescriptions in both men and women along with an increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions in women at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meaning These findings suggest a substantial association of COVID-19–associated social isolation, stay-at-home orders, and other COVID-related mitigation measures with mental health issues, especially among women. Importance The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures have disrupted access to psychiatric medications, particularly for women. Objective To assess the sex differences in trends in the prescribing of benzodiazepines, Z-hypnotics and serotonergic (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs]), which are commonly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data from Clinformatics Data Mart, one of the largest commercial health insurance databases in the US. Enrollees 18 years or older were required to have complete enrollment in a given month during our study period, January 1, 2018, to March 31, 2021, to be included for that month. Main Outcomes and Measures Prescription of a benzodiazepine, Z-hypnotic, or SSRI or SNRI. For each month, the percentage of patients with benzodiazepine, Z-hypnotic, or SSRI or SNRI prescriptions by sex was calculated. Results The records of 17 255 033 adults (mean [SD] age, 51.7 [19.5] years; 51.3% female) were examined in 2018, 17 340 731 adults (mean [SD] age, 52.5 [19.7] years; 51.6% female) in 2019, 16 916 910 adults (mean [SD] age, 53.7 [19.8] years; 51.9% female) in 2020, and 15 135 998 adults (mean [SD] age, 56.2 [19.8] years; 52.5% female) in 2021. Compared with men, women had a higher rate of prescriptions for all 3 drugs classes and had larger changes in prescription rates over time. Benzodiazepine prescribing decreased from January 2018 (women: 5.61%; 95% CI, 5.60%-5.63%; men: 3.03%; 95% CI, 3.02%-3.04%) to March 2021 (women: 4.91%; 95% CI, 4.90%-4.93%; men: 2.66%; 95% CI, 2.65%-2.67%), except for a slight increase in April 2020 among women. Z-hypnotic prescribing increased from January 2020 for women (1.39%; 95% CI, 1.38%-1.40%) and February 2020 for men (0.97%; 95% CI, 0.96%-0.98%) to October 2020 (women: 1.46%; 95% CI, 1.46%-1.47%; men: 1.00%; 95% CI, 0.99%-1.01%). Prescribing of SSRIs and SNRIs increased from January 2018 (women: 12.77%; 95% CI; 12.75%-12.80%; men: 5.56%; 95% CI, 5.44%-5.58%) to April 2020 for men (6.73%; 95% CI, 6.71%-6.75%) and October 2020 for women (15.18%; 95% CI, 15.16%-15.21%). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic onset was an increase in Z-hypnotic as well as SSRI and SNRI prescriptions in both men and women along with an increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions in women, findings that suggest a substantial mental health impact of COVID-19–associated mitigation measures. This cohort study examines trends in the prescribing of benzodiazepines, serotonergic drugs, and Z-hypnotics among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
【초록키워드】 Anxiety, Depression, mental health, COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, drugs, Sex, drug, medications, database, cohort study, Health, Measures, female, Patient, age, Insomnia, women, inhibitor, Sex difference, association, Benzodiazepine, Psychiatric, Serotonin, Older, Enrollment, 95% CI, slight increase, study period, measure, participant, prescription, finding, mental health issues, prescribing, selective, Complete, men, objective, setting, Result, examined, required, calculated, changes in, increase in, Importance, men and women, Point, Relevance, serotonin reuptake inhibitor, used data, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, drug, trend, Serotonergic,