Table 4.
Approach to female patients who use antidepressants.
General practitioners (N = 130) % |
Pharmacists (N = 144) % |
Significant difference | |||||||
Always | Most of the time | Some-times | Never | Always | Most of the time | Some-times | Never | between GPs and pharmacists? | |
Advise to a patient who uses antidepressants and states being pregnant | |||||||||
Refer to a psychiatrist | 6 | 15 | 50 | 29 | 7 | 9 | 39 | 45 | * |
Advise to terminate pregnancy | 0 | 0 | 9 | 91 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 96 | ns |
Step down and stop antidepressant | 13 | 52 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 24 | 52 | 19 | ** |
Continue antidepressants at mild symptoms | 1 | 8 | 52 | 40 | 1 | 13 | 47 | 40 | ns |
Continue antidepressants at severe symptoms | 14 | 36 | 36 | 13 | 19 | 35 | 26 | 20 | ns |
Change the used antidepressant for another | 0 | 2 | 64 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 75 | 17 | ** |
Lower the dose | 0 | 16 | 40 | 44 | 1 | 10 | 57 | 32 | ** |
Psychotherapy instead of antidepressants | 3 | 9 | 33 | 55 | 3 | 20 | 53 | 24 | ** |
Advise to a patient who uses antidepressants and is planning to become pregnant | |||||||||
Refer to a psychiatrist | 5 | 13 | 52 | 30 | 11 | 14 | 34 | 41 | ** |
Advise to postpone pregnancy | 2 | 13 | 63 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 67 | ** |
Step down and stop antidepressant | 10 | 52 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 49 | 15 | ** |
Continue antidepressants at mild symptoms | 1 | 9 | 45 | 45 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 37 | ns |
Continue antidepressants at severe symptoms | 11 | 39 | 33 | 17 | 13 | 38 | 30 | 19 | ns |
Change the used antidepressant for another | 0 | 4 | 62 | 34 | 2 | 8 | 71 | 20 | * |
Lower the dose | 0 | 10 | 47 | 44 | 1 | 8 | 52 | 38 | ns |
Psychotherapy instead of antidepressants | 6 | 6 | 44 | 44 | 5 | 25 | 55 | 15 | ** |
Presented are the answers to the question what would be your advice to a patient who uses antidepressants and states that she is pregnant or is planning to become pregnant? * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, ns = not significant