We found no clear evidence that paroxetine was more or less effective compared with other antidepressants at increasing response to treatment at acute ( six to 12 weeks ) , early ( one to four weeks ) , or longer term follow-up ( four to six months ) .
Paroxetine was associated with a lower rate of adverse events than amitriptyline , imipramine and older ADs as a class , but was less well tolerated than agomelatine and hypericum .
Some possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between paroxetine and other ADs exist , but no definitive conclusions can be drawn from these findings .
In terms of early response to treatment ( one to four weeks ) there was moderate quality of evidence that mirtazapine was better than paroxetine and that paroxetine was better than reboxetine .
However there was no clear evidence that paroxetine was better or worse compared with other antidepressants at increasing response to treatment at any time point .
BACKGROUND Paroxetine is the most potent inhibitor of the reuptake of serotonin of all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) and has been studied in many r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .
However , these comparative studies provided contrasting findings and systematic review s of RCTs have always considered the SSRIs as a group , and evidence applicable to this group of drugs might not be applicable to paroxetine alone .
The present systematic review assessed the efficacy and tolerability profile of paroxetine in comparison with tricyclics ( TCAs ) , SSRIs and newer or non-conventional agents .
OBJECTIVES 1 .
To determine the efficacy of paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents in alleviating the acute symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder.2  .
To review acceptability of treatment with paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents.3 .
To investigate the adverse effects of paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents .
Reboxetine versus paroxetine versus placebo: effects on cognitive functioning in depressed patients
Impaired cognitive functioning is often associated with major depressive disorder ( MDD ) . Moreover , a number of agents used to treat MDD are known to have negative effects on cognitive functioning . We report an assessment of the effects of the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor reboxetine , the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine , and placebo on a variety of measures of cognitive functioning in patients with MDD.Cognitive  functioning in 74 adult patients ( aged 18–65 years ) with a confirmed diagnosis of MDD ( DSM-IV ) was assessed as part of two identical , r and omized , double-blind , placebo- and active-treatment-controlled , fixed/flexible dose comparisons of 8 weeks of treatment with reboxetine ( 8–10 mg/day ) , paroxetine ( 20–40 mg/day ) and placebo .  Cognitive function was assessed at baseline , day 14 and day 56 using a selection of tasks from the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment system , including Simple Reaction Time , Digit Vigilance , Choice Reaction Time , Numeric Working Memory , Word Recognition and Critical Flicker Frequency . The results in the 74 patients  ( reboxetine n = 25 , paroxetine n = 23 , placebo n = 26 ) showed that reboxetine significantly improved the ability to sustain attention at day 56 compared with baseline ( P = 0.023 ) . In addition , patients who received reboxetine experienced significant improvements in their speed of cognitive functioning when tested at day 56 compared to baseline ( P = 0.024 ) . No significant changes or trends in this direction were seen among patients who received either placebo or paroxetine . The results of the present study provide objective data to support the possibility that reboxetine favourably affects cognitive processes in depressed patients
We found no clear evidence that paroxetine was more or less effective compared with other antidepressants at increasing response to treatment at acute ( six to 12 weeks ) , early ( one to four weeks ) , or longer term follow-up ( four to six months ) .
Paroxetine was associated with a lower rate of adverse events than amitriptyline , imipramine and older ADs as a class , but was less well tolerated than agomelatine and hypericum .
Some possibly clinical ly meaningful differences between paroxetine and other ADs exist , but no definitive conclusions can be drawn from these findings .
In terms of early response to treatment ( one to four weeks ) there was moderate quality of evidence that mirtazapine was better than paroxetine and that paroxetine was better than reboxetine .
However there was no clear evidence that paroxetine was better or worse compared with other antidepressants at increasing response to treatment at any time point .
BACKGROUND Paroxetine is the most potent inhibitor of the reuptake of serotonin of all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) and has been studied in many r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .
However , these comparative studies provided contrasting findings and systematic review s of RCTs have always considered the SSRIs as a group , and evidence applicable to this group of drugs might not be applicable to paroxetine alone .
The present systematic review assessed the efficacy and tolerability profile of paroxetine in comparison with tricyclics ( TCAs ) , SSRIs and newer or non-conventional agents .
OBJECTIVES 1 .
To determine the efficacy of paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents in alleviating the acute symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder.2  .
To review acceptability of treatment with paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents.3 .
To investigate the adverse effects of paroxetine in comparison with other anti-depressive agents .