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Table 3 Frequency of different medication classes within second-step switch or add-on treatments

From: What happens next?: a claims database study of second-line pharmacotherapy in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who initiate selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment

Medication class

Second-step switch

Second-step add-on

(N = 771)

(N = 1,894)

n(%)

n(%)

Antidepressants

  

 SNRI

195 (25.3)

76 (4.0)

 Bupropion

186 (24.1)

292 (15.4)

 Tricyclic antidepressants

53 (6.9)

299 (15.8)

 Other antidepressantsa

27 (3.5)

35 (1.8)

 Total (antidepressants)

461 (59.8)

702 (37.1)

Anxiolytics

  

 Benzodiazepine

138 (17.9)

727 (38.4)

 Buspirone

10 (1.3)

34 (1.8)

 Total (anxiolytics)

148 (19.2)

761 (40.2)

Anticonvulsants

47 (6.1)

106 (5.6)

Lithium

4 (0.5)

6 (0.3)

Second-generation antipsychotics

  

 Quetiapine

15 (1.9)

43 (2.3)

 Aripiprazole

9 (1.2)

65 (3.4)

 Other second-generation antipsychoticsb

2 (0.3)

45 (2.4)

 Total (antipsychotics)

26 (3.4)

153 (8.1)

Stimulants

10 (1.3)

35 (1.8)

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor

3 (0.4)

10 (0.5)

 Two-drug combination

  

  Anxiolytic + antidepressant

33 (4.2)

42 (2.2)

  Second-generation AP + antidepressant

8 (1.0)

15 (0.8)

  Two antidepressants

9 (1.2)

9 (0.5)

  Second-generation AP + anxiolytic

0 (0)

15 (0.8)

  Other

16 (2.1)

35 (1.9)

  Total two-drug combinations

66 (8.6)

116 (6.12)

 Combination of three or more drugs

6 (0.8)

5 (0.3)

  1. AP antipsychotic. aOther antidepressants include nefazadone hydrochloride and mirtazapine; bother second-generation antipsychotics include olanzapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone.