Paroxetine in adolescent depressive disorder's treatment

Abstract

Comparative analisys of several open studies about pharmacologic treatment of depression in adolescents support the view that IMA Os and agents wich interact with the serotoninergic system rather than the noradrenergic system may prove more eflective in the treatment of depression in the adult population and have an improved tolerability profile compared with the tryciclic antidepressants. We now report the results of an open study with an SSRI, paroxetine, in the tretatment of adolescent depression. The efficacy of paroxetine was studied in a sample of 48 adolescents (36 female, 12 male; mean age 16.2 years) with an ICD-10 first or second diagnose of depressive disorder. In 23 of the adolescents there was a family history of depressive disorders and 20 of these patients had previously been treated with antidepressants. The dose of paroxetine was 20 mg/ day in all cases but seven of the patients who received 40 mg/day. Seventeen patients received concomitant therapy with benzodiazepines (15 cases) or antipsychotics (2 cases). At the week 8 assessment, 32 patients (18.2%) showed a satisfactory response to treatment and 9 patients (18. 9%) showed no response. No side eflects were reported in 29 of the adolescents {60.4%), and mild side eflects in 14 cases (29.1%). Of the remaninig five patients three experienced moderate efects (restlesness, drowsiness), one a severe eflect (orthostatic hypotension) and one hypomania during the second week of treatment. The most frecuently reported side effects such as asthenia and nausea occurred during the first two weeks of treatment. In conclusion, in this open study in adolescents, paroxetine was well tolerate and demostrate antidepressant efficacy in the majority of patients.