Week 1 Discussion 2: Prescribing Paroxetine
Please respond to the following:
You are treating a patient for anxiety disorder with paroxetine (Paxil), a medication whose mechanism of action is described as a serotonin reuptake transporter inhibitor. Is this an agonist or antagonist? If an agonist, is it full or partial? If an antagonist, is it competitive or noncompetitive? Explain your response in two sentences or less.
Paroxetine is a significant inhibitor of the CYP26 isoenzyme. What implication does this have for prescribing? What is the primary safety issue to which you must attend when prescribing paroxetine?
Which neural pathways do you anticipate as the treatment target when prescribing paroxetine for anxiety disorders?
