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Rising Escitalopram Use in British Columbia: Is it Rational and Evidence-Informed?

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Title: Rising Escitalopram Use in British Columbia: Is it Rational and Evidence-Informed?
Authors: Ong, Dionzie (AUTHOR), Ladhar, Simroop (AUTHOR), Perry, Thomas (AUTHOR), Carney, Greg (AUTHOR), Thompson, Wade (AUTHOR), Salzwedel, Doug (AUTHOR), Tejani, Aaron M. (AUTHOR)
Source: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. May2026, Vol. 71 Issue 5, p406-408. 3p.
Subjects: Escitalopram, Citalopram, Mental depression, Antidepressants, Cost effectiveness, Drug efficacy, Medication safety, Drug prescribing
Geographic Terms: British Columbia, Canada
Abstract: Plain Language Summary Title: Citalopram vs. Escitalopram for major depression: No Real Difference in Efficacy or Safety, Just Higher Cost. Plain Language Summary: Background: Citalopram is an antidepressant. Escitalopram is a closely related drug—basically a slightly modified version of citalopram—that drug companies promote as being safer, more effective, and faster acting. In Canada, escitalopram costs about twice as much as citalopram. We wanted to know how these two drugs are actually used in British Columbia and whether escitalopram really works better or is any safer. What We Did: We looked at prescription records for the nine most common antidepressants in BC between 2005 and 2024. We also reviewed all the studies that directly compared citalopram with escitalopram. We focused on whether any differences were large enough to matter to patients, whether study results were reliable, and whether studies had problems such as bias or conflicts of interest. What We Found: By 2013, escitalopram had become the most prescribed antidepressant in BC, while citalopram use dropped. We found 16 studies that compared the two drugs. Many had problems such as missing data, selective reporting, or funding from the drug manufacturer. None of the studies showed meaningful differences in effectiveness. Claims that escitalopram works faster were weak and inconsistent. Side effects were essentially the same, including risks for heart rhythm changes (QT prolongation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Rising Escitalopram Use in British Columbia: Is it Rational and Evidence-Informed?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ong%2C+Dionzie%22">Ong, Dionzie</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ladhar%2C+Simroop%22">Ladhar, Simroop</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Perry%2C+Thomas%22">Perry, Thomas</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carney%2C+Greg%22">Carney, Greg</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Thompson%2C+Wade%22">Thompson, Wade</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Salzwedel%2C+Doug%22">Salzwedel, Doug</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tejani%2C+Aaron+M%2E%22">Tejani, Aaron M.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Canadian+Journal+of+Psychiatry%22">Canadian Journal of Psychiatry</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 71 Issue 5, p406-408. 3p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Escitalopram%22">Escitalopram</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Citalopram%22">Citalopram</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Antidepressants%22">Antidepressants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cost+effectiveness%22">Cost effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+efficacy%22">Drug efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medication+safety%22">Medication safety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+prescribing%22">Drug prescribing</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22British+Columbia%22">British Columbia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Plain Language Summary Title: Citalopram vs. Escitalopram for major depression: No Real Difference in Efficacy or Safety, Just Higher Cost. Plain Language Summary: Background: Citalopram is an antidepressant. Escitalopram is a closely related drug—basically a slightly modified version of citalopram—that drug companies promote as being safer, more effective, and faster acting. In Canada, escitalopram costs about twice as much as citalopram. We wanted to know how these two drugs are actually used in British Columbia and whether escitalopram really works better or is any safer. What We Did: We looked at prescription records for the nine most common antidepressants in BC between 2005 and 2024. We also reviewed all the studies that directly compared citalopram with escitalopram. We focused on whether any differences were large enough to matter to patients, whether study results were reliable, and whether studies had problems such as bias or conflicts of interest. What We Found: By 2013, escitalopram had become the most prescribed antidepressant in BC, while citalopram use dropped. We found 16 studies that compared the two drugs. Many had problems such as missing data, selective reporting, or funding from the drug manufacturer. None of the studies showed meaningful differences in effectiveness. Claims that escitalopram works faster were weak and inconsistent. Side effects were essentially the same, including risks for heart rhythm changes (QT prolongation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193084791
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/07067437251405975
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 3
        StartPage: 406
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Escitalopram
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Citalopram
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Antidepressants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cost effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Drug efficacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medication safety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Drug prescribing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: British Columbia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canada
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Rising Escitalopram Use in British Columbia: Is it Rational and Evidence-Informed?
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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