Tricyclic antidepressants were the primary pharmacologic treatment for depression in the United States from the 1960s to the late 1980s. Since then, other classes of antidepressants, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, have replaced its use as first-line agents due to their more favorable side-effect profile and proven equal efficacy. Tricyclic antidepressants are included in the Beers Criteria because of their potentially harmful side effects in the elderly (e.g. cognitive impairment, delirium, sedation, and orthostatic hypotension). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the changes in prescribing
of tricyclic antidepressants from 2013 to 2014 in Medicare beneficiaries.