[Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI)].

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) are safe antidepressants and now widely used for the treatment of depression. Although there are five SSRIs(citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline) available in the world, only two(fluvoxamine and paroxetine) are approved in Japan. SSRIs are also used for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic disorders, eating disorders and so on. Major side effects of SSRIs are gastrointestinal symptoms(especially nausea), neurological symptoms (particularly headache and tremor) and psychiatric symptoms(especially anxiety). While therapeutic effects of SSRIs seem to be related to desensitization of somatodendritic serotonin 1A autoreceptors in the raphe nuclei, other neurotransmitters and intracellular mechanisms may be also involved.