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Date: October 1, 2024
Attention: Behavioral Health Providers
Call to Action
Texas Children Health Plan (TCHP) encourages providers to continue to take measures to ensure your patients, our members, receive excellent care. TCHP is committed to optimizing the quality of care provided to our members with behavioral health condition(s). TCHP would like to share information on antidepressant medication management recommendations for adults with major depression.
Why it Matters
Major depression can lead to serious impairment in daily functioning, including change in sleep patterns, appetite, concentration, energy and self-esteem, and can lead to suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in the United States each year. Clinical guidelines for depression emphasize the importance of effective clinical management in increasing patients’ medication compliance, monitoring treatment effectiveness and identifying and managing side effects. Effective medication treatment of major depression can improve a person’s daily functioning and well-being and can reduce the risk of suicide. With proper management of depression, the overall economic burden on society can be alleviated, as well.1
Consider the following when prescribing antidepressant medications for patients with major depression:
Effective Acute Phase Treatment - The percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 84 days (12 weeks).
Effective Continuation Phase Treatment - The percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (6 months).
Antidepressant Medications
Description | Prescription |
Miscellaneous antidepressants | Bupropion, Vilazodone, Vortioxetine |
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors | Isocarboxazid, Phenelzine, Selegiline, Tranylcypromine |
Phenylpiperazine antidepressants | Nefazodone, Trazodone |
Psychotherapeutic combinations | Amitriptyline-chlordiazepoxide, Amitriptyline-perphenazine, Fluoxetine-olanzapine |
SNRI antidepressants | Desvenlafaxine, Duloxetine, Levomilnacipran, Venlafaxine |
SSRI antidepressants | Citalopram, Escitalopram, fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine, Sertraline |
Tetracyclic antidepressants | Maprotiline, Mirtazapine |
Tricyclic antidepressants | Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Clomipramine, Desipramine, Doxepin (>6 mg), Imipramine, Nortriptyline, Protriptyline, Trimipramine |
Next step for Providers: Providers are encouraged to share this communication with their staff.
Resources:
References:
1 “Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM).” NCQA, 1 Jan. 2024, www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/antidepressant-medicationmanagement/
If you have any questions, please email Provider Relations at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.
For access to all provider alerts,log into:
www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/providers/provider-news/provider-alerts.