PsychoTropicalResearch, serotonin and serotonin syndrome research.
Antidepressants - Paroxetine
Antidepressants - Paroxetine Date
Created: 14/01/1998 Last Modified: 07/10/2002 Last Checked: 25/04/2003
Paroxetine is a significant inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase; nitric oxide is an effector molecule in signal transduction pathways mediating vascular changes (on which penile erection is dependent).
Paroxetine inhibits the production of nitric oxide to a clinically significant extent. This may be associated, along with its anti-muscarinic effects, with its apparently higher (than other SSRIs) incidence of sexual dysfunction.
Paroxetine has the greatest affinity of all the SSRIs for the muscarinic receptor, similar to that of desipramine, and this may make it unsuitable for use in older people where constipation and memory impairment, which are aggravated by blockade of muscarinic receptors, may be particularly important.
Paroxetine is a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 enzyme 2D6; see special section on cytochrome P450 enzymes for up to date details of the various drugs that may thus have problematic interactions with it.
The above are reasons for regarding paroxetine not a first line choice of the SSRIs.
All text ©Dr Ken Gillman MRC Psych - PsychoTropical Research®
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