Paroxetine, know this popular antidepressant

Paroxetine is one more prescription antidepressant medications.

When we go to the psychiatrist in search of a solution to our depressive or anxiety state, it should not be surprised that we are prescribed paroxetine. As we will see later, it is an inhibitor of selective serotonin reuptake (SSRS) whose objective is Improve our mood and reduce our anxiety levels. But how does this medicine work? What adverse effects can have? Throughout this article we will deepen this popular drug and we will see as many its lights as its shadows. Let's start!

Content

• What is and how paroxetine acts
• Adverse effects
• The dark side of paroxetine
• Paroxetine and therapy
  • Bibliography

What is and how paroxetine acts

Paroxetine is an antidepressant that acts on the central nervous system and is indicated for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anguish disorder, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder. Paroxetine belongs to a group of drugs called selective serotonin racaptation inhibitors (SSRs). The objective of this medication is to increase the levels of serotonin neurotransmitter.

And how do you do it? Neurons communicate between them by sending messages through neurotransmitters that go from one neuron to another for the synaptic space, which is known as synapse. When a neuron sends serotonin to the next, two phenomena occur: the first is the collection process and the second is the elimination process. In the first place, when serotonin is sent from one neuron to another, the receiving neuron captures these neurotrarasmicisores.

When the signal has been successfully transmitted from one neuron to the other, neurotransmitters that have remained in the synaptic space are eliminated in two ways: through enzymatic degradation and reuptake. And this is where paroxetine comes into play. Through this drug, serotonin reuptake is selectively inhibited. As described in their article Vega and Mendiola (2010), paroxetine acts "increasing the extracellular levels of serotonin and inhibiting its recapture by the presynaptic neuron, thus increasing the level of serotonin available to join with postsynaptic receipts ".

Adverse effects

The adverse effects of paroxetine can be several and are classified according to the percentage of incidence in the population. The first of them are the adverse effects that may appear in a form Very frequent (1 in 10 people):

• Nausea.
• Sexual dysfunction (lack of orgasm and men delay in ejaculation or erection problems).
• Difficulty of concentration.

Adverse effects that can be frequent (between 1 and 10 out of 100 people):

• Decreased appetite.
• Insomnia or drowsiness.
• Dizziness and/or tremor.
• Agitation.
• Blurry vision.
• Yawn.
• Dry mouth, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation.
• Sweating and/or weakness.
• Weight gain.

Adverse effects Uncomo (From 1 to 10 out of every 1000 people):

• Equimosis and/or mucous bleeding.
• Confusion.
• Hallucinations.
• Extrapiramidal effects.
• Sinus tachycardia.
• Increase or decrease in blood pressure.
• Rashes.
• Urinary retention or incontinence.
• Altered sugar levels.
• Pupil dilation.

Adverse effects that can rarely appear (Between 1 and 10 out of 10.000 people):

• Hyponatremia (decreased amount of sodium in blood).
• Seizures.
• Euphoria maniac reactions.
• Panic attacks.
• Loss of personality.
• Bradycardia.
• Increase in liver enzymes.
• Galactorrhea.
• Muscle pain and joints.
• Feeling of restlessness.
• Alterations of the menstrual period.

Finally, adverse effects that can look very rarely (less than 1 in 10,000 people):

• Serotonergic syndrome: confusion, agitation, chill, tachycardia ..
• Liver problems.
• Photosensitivity.
• Inadequate antidiuretic hormone secretion syndrome.
• Acute glaucoma.
• Peripheral edema.
• Sleeping mucosa bleeding.
• Thrombocytopenia (decrease in blood platelets).
• Appearance of ampoules and peeling of the skin.
• Priapism.

The dark side of paroxetine

Despite the benefits that pharmacological treatments can provide there is a dark side that goes beyond possible side effects. This is the end of the treatment. ITSR treatment cannot be abruptly interrupted, but must be gradual. If we stop taking them overnight, we can experience symptoms such as irritability, dizziness, nausea, sweat, even something similar to electric discharges at the brain level.

For all these reasons, if we are in treatment with this type of drugs, it will be key to follow the medical pattern once the treatment ends so that we do not feel the famous withdrawal syndrome. However, it is important to highlight that in this case It is a more physical than psychological abstinence syndrome. By stopping supplying the medication, the body can react by showing the listed symptoms, even so, its duration can be a few days.

Paroxetine and therapy

Without a doubt, the best combination for paroxetine is psychological therapy. Pharmacological help can be key in certain treatments for some people, but the medication alone does not "cure" the problems that can lead us to feel depressive. Thus, It is important to combine paroxetine treatment with psychological therapy. Thus, we will get better results in our recovery.

It is key to make special emphasis at this point because we can sin of trust only in medication. In a large majority of cases, Part of our anxiety and depression can be caused by lacking tools to face different adverse situations. For this reason, medication can help us at specific times but depending on the type of problem, the ideal will be to learn to better relate to ourselves and our environment.

Bibliography

• Vega, r.M. and Mendiola, and. (2010). Effectiveness and security of paroxetine-alprazolam in cases of generalization and depression anxiety disorders. Mexican Neuroscience Magazine, 11 (6), 457-462.