Major depressive episode

Indication for Paroxetine

Population group: Suitable for both men and women, only adults (18 years old or older)
Therapeutic intent: Curative procedure

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments:

20-50 mg once daily

For: Adults (18-64)

Dosage regimens

Oral, between 20 and 50 milligrams, once daily to breakfast, over the duration of 6 months.

Detailed description

The recommended dose is 20 mg daily. In general, improvement in patients starts after one week but may only become evident from the second week of therapy.

As with all antidepressant medicinal products, dosage should be reviewed and adjusted if necessary within 3 to 4 weeks of initiation of therapy and thereafter as judged clinically appropriate. In some patients, with insufficient response to 20 mg, the dose may be increased gradually up to a maximum of 50 mg a day in 10 mg steps according to the patient’s response.

Patients with depression should be treated for a sufficient period of at least 6 months to ensure that they are free from symptoms.

Dosage considerations

It is recommended that paroxetine is administered once daily in the morning with food.

20-40 mg once daily

For: Elders (65+)

Dosage regimens

Oral, between 20 and 40 milligrams, once daily to breakfast, over the duration of 6 months.

Detailed description

Increased plasma concentrations of paroxetine occur in elderly subjects, but the range of concentrations overlaps with that observed in younger subjects. Dosing should commence at the adult starting dose. Increasing the dose might be useful in some patients, but the maximum dose should not exceed 40 mg daily.

The recommended dose is 20 mg daily. In general, improvement in patients starts after one week but may only become evident from the second week of therapy.

As with all antidepressant medicinal products, dosage should be reviewed and adjusted if necessary within 3 to 4 weeks of initiation of therapy and thereafter as judged clinically appropriate.

Patients with depression should be treated for a sufficient period of at least 6 months to ensure that they are free from symptoms.

Dosage considerations

It is recommended that paroxetine is administered once daily in the morning with food.

Active ingredient

Paroxetine is a potent and selective inhibitor of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) uptake and its antidepressant action and effectiveness in the treatment of OCD, Social Anxiety disorder/Social Phobia, General Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Panic Disorder is thought to be related to its specific inhibition of 5-HT uptake in brain neurones.

Read more about Paroxetine

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