The Pharmacological Guide to Paroxetine is a comprehensive reference manual. Its authors include seasoned practicing mental health professionals and doctoral psychology program faculty with over a century of combined clinical experience. The book provides a history of paroxetine’s development, licensing, and application to a growing variety of diagnoses, including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, perimenopausal hot flashes, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Paroxetine’s unlabeled uses are also discussed, including impulse control disorders, eating disorders, vasomotor symptoms of menopause, obsessive-compulsive disorder in children, mild dementia-associated agitation in nonpsychotic individuals, treatment of premature ejaculation and diabetic neuropathy. The pharmacology of paroxetine is explored in detail, with attention to its chemical and physical properties, absorption, metabolism, mechanism of action, interactions with enzymes, genes, proteins, and other medications, anticholinergic effects, potential adverse effects, and counter-indications for use. Paroxetine’s nonlinear pharmacokinetics are explained and discussed with application to specific populations and potential drug interactions. Special attention is given to considerations in the use of paroxetine with pediatric populations and older adults. There is detailed exploration of the use of human biological specimens to determine concentrations of paroxetine in bioanalytical applications, including forensic settings. Paroxetine’s potential for novel future applications is discussed, including improving cardiac function following myocardial infarction, and the treatment of allodynia, colorectal cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.
