Paroxetine Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Major depression is recognized as a common, often chronic and recurrent illness associated with significant disability and comorbidity. The treatment of patients with major depressive disorder has advanced tremendously in the past decade due to the availability of effective and well-tolerated antidepressants. Paroxetine is a widely studied selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with evidence for efficacy and safety supported by a large body of published literature. Evidence for the efficacy and tolerability of a new controlled-release formulation of paroxetine has also been published. Findings from paroxetine clinical studies have considerably enhanced our knowledge and understanding of the treatment of major depressive disorder, particularly regarding duration of treatment, the need to treat to full remission and with full doses, and treatment of patients with concurrent symptoms of anxiety.