PATIENTS REPORTING OF SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS TO ANTIDEPRESSANTS. A PILOT METHODOLOGICAL STUDY

The benefits and the disadvantages of patient reporting have been much debated in the last years. In spite of being considered 'anecdotal', patient reporting had overcome at last the prejudices among regulators and it is now allowed in many Western countries. Moreover, studies have demonstrated that patient reporting is a useful tool for collecting experiences and information about what is a 'tolerable' adverse effect, but also about the daily use of medicines. The current study aims to develop a systematic method that enables patients to report experienced adverse events that they think are due to their medication, using questionnaires returned in prepaid envelopes. Antidepressant agents were the drugs chosen for this pilot study. We also wanted to determine the feasibility of a community pharmacy-based system to inform the patients about the possibility to report adverse events. Patients in our study were willing to report adverse events. The patients proved to be capable of identifying and providing a clear description of their experiences that were due to antidepressant use. Antidepressant adverse effects represent a burden for the patients, being probably underestimated by the healthcare professionals.