Uncovering the potential risk of serotonin toxicity in Australian veterans using pharmaceutical claims data.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

We examined potential risk of serotonin toxicity in Australian veterans by quantifying the concomitant use of serotonergic medicine combinations from claims data collected by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of 273 228 Australian veterans, war widows, widowers and dependents aged >or=55 years and holding full treatment entitlement for the period July 2000 to June 2004 or until death. The main outcome measure was potential concomitant use, estimated as the number of cohort members with an overlap in days of supply for serotonergic medicine combinations over the 4 year period for all medicine combinations and potentially life threatening combinations.

Results

From July 2000 to June 2004, 115 969 (42%) cohort m

SUBMITTER: Ringland C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2661984 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature