A review of the psychomotor effects of paroxetine

Abstract

Studies on the behavioural effects of paroxetine on healthy young volunteers, elderly volunteers, and patients suffering from major depressive illness failed to show any evidence of detrimental effects on a battery of objective and subjective measures even when alcohol was taken. In contrast, the chosen verum, amitriptyline or lorazepam, produced significant impairment. The study on depressed patients showed improvement in cognitive functions among the paroxetine group from the start, whereas these functions were, initially, significantly impaired in the dothiepin group. Moreover, the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire indicated that dothiepin produced, with respect to paroxetine, a significantly poorer quality of sleep.