Use of antidepressants: expansion beyond depression and anxiety.

We investigated antidepressant prescriptions and reasons for use. According to our data, the top 10 molecules represent approximately 95% of total antidepressant prescriptions for both primary care physicians (PCPs) and psychiatrists. The primary difference between PCPs and psychiatrists was the increased use of buproprion and tricyclics/tetracyclics by psychiatrists. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer antidepressants such as venlafaxine (Effexor) and buproprion (Wellbutrin) are used to treat depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. The noted exception is duloxetine (Cymbalta), which looks like a blend between the newer agents and the tricyclics where there is use beyond the traditional central nervous system (CNS) disorders into pain and migraine.