Paroxetine: a review of clinical experience.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine has been extensively studied and is now an established therapy for the treatment of depressive disorders. Paroxetine has demonstrated efficacy in major depression in both young and elderly patients, with an improved tolerability profile over conventional antidepressants. Paroxetine is effective across a continuum of anxiety and depressive disorders, including severe depression, depression with anxiety, comorbid depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first agent of its class licensed for use in panic disorder, paroxetine has been shown to be effective in reducing the number of panic attacks and preventing relapse. A worldwide clinical database has established that paroxetine has a benign adverse event profile. Paroxetine therefore offers an effective and well tolerated treatment for a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders.