Depression during pregnancy: views on antidepressant use and information sources of general practitioners and pharmacists

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

ISSN: 1472-6963