In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), abnormal pharyngeal collapsibility may be offset by increased mechanoreflex-mediated activity of dilator muscles while awake, but this reflex is inhibited during sleep and during application of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Direct activation of upper airway (UA) motor neurons in the hypoglossal nucleus by a selective serotonin reuptake inhib...

Posttraumatic stress disorder can develop after individual's exposure or witnessing of life threatening events. It is characterized by three clusters of symptoms. The course of PTSD is often chronic and impedes individual's functioning. Studies of PTSD treatment with paroxetine provide evidence for its efficacy in reducing symptoms and its favorable profile of side-effects. The objective of thi...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Psychotherapy and antidepressants are effective in patients with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the cost-effectiveness of either treatment in routine practice has not been established. METHODS Patients with severe IBS were randomly allocated to receive 8 sessions of individual psychotherapy, 20 mg daily of the specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepr...

BACKGROUND Paroxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor utilized in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Recent studies have identified paroxetine as a G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 (GRK2) inhibitor capable of reversing cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in experimental models of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We determine the clinical importance of paroxetine ...

1. We have addressed the question of whether there is a 'serotonin withdrawal syndrome' by analysis of spontaneous reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with four SSRIs. A comparison of the post-marketing safety profiles of the four SSRIs has also been made. 2. The UK database of ADRs was examined for reactions associated with fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sert...

OBJECTIVE To assess the potential economic impact of new and more expensive antidepressants on the overall cost of treatment using cost-effectiveness analysis. METHOD For this analysis, a computerized decision tree of clinical practice was developed to model the 12-month treatment of moderate to severe depression in Canada. To complete the model, data were obtained from physician panels, the ...

This study examined whether allelic status of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene was associated with response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine, in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sixty-three Caucasian war veterans with combat-related PTSD were treated with paroxetine for 8 weeks. Patients were assessed at baseline and at follow-up using the Genera...

Attempts at predicting drug-drug interactions perpetrated by paroxetine from in vitro data have utilized reversible enzyme inhibition models and have been unsuccessful to date, grossly underpredicting interaction magnitude. Recent data have provided evidence for mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2D6 by paroxetine. We have predicted the pharmacokinetic consequences of CYP2D6 inactivation by par...

OBJECTIVE In this study healthy volunteers received thiothixene with and without a 3-day pretreatment with paroxetine to determine if paroxetine decreased the clearance of thiothixene. METHOD Ten healthy medication-free volunteers (4 women and 6 men, mean age 38 +/- 12 years) were randomized to receive a single 20 mg oral dose of thiothixene on two separate occasions. On one occasion thiothix...

Serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) may induce antinociception however, the mechanism of this effect is not clear. SSRls increase 5-HT levels in neuronal synapses and facilitate serotonergic activity. In this study, therefore, the activity of para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA), which reduces 5-HT release, and 5- hydroxy tryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of 5-HT, were examined on the a...