Why I don’t usually prescribe paroxetine (Paxil®)

Six SSRIs are available in the USA. Alphabetically, these are citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline. Of these, I don’t usually prescribe paroxetine because it has several problems associated with it. Among the SSRIs, paroxetine has a high incidence of clinically relevant drug interactions, discontinuation symptoms, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and anticholinergic effects. It is also the only SSRI that is…