An overview of paroxetine.

Paroxetine is a novel phenylpiperidine compound that acts as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It is a more selective and potent SSRI than fluoxetine, sertraline, or fluvoxamine. Its pharmacokinetics are well suited to clinical use. Its half-life is approximately 24 hours, and it has no active metabolites. As with other SSRIs, there are few clinically significant drug interactions with paroxetine. Clinical studies consistently show that paroxetine alleviates moderate or severe depression and associated anxiety. It begins to act at least as rapidly as the tricyclic antidepressants. Animal data and limited human experience suggest relative safety in overdose and no evidence of teratogenicity. As with other SSRIs, the most common side effect of paroxetine is nausea, which is usually well tolerated. The nausea rarely leads to drug discontinuation or even dosage reduction. Little weight loss or weight gain occurs with paroxetine at doses used to treat depression, and the drug has no effect on the seizure threshold. Unlike other SSRIs, paroxetine has a relatively low incidence of anxiety and agitation. There is no evidence that paroxetine increases suicidal ideation. This supplement will contribute several important new papers to the literature on paroxetine.