Paroxetine Brand names: Paxil, Brisdelle

What is paroxetine used for?

From the label: indications and usage

Paroxetine tablets are indicated in adults for the treatment of:

Major depressive disorder (MDD)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Panic disorder (PD)

Social anxiety disorder (SAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Paroxetine tablets are a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) indicated in adults for the treatment of ( 1 ):

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Panic Disorder (PD)

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Conditions named in the indications of paroxetine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Menopause symptoms

From other paroxetine labels

Menopause symptoms: Paroxetine Capsules are indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause.

FDA pharmacologic class: Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

What does the patient leaflet for paroxetine say first?

The FDA-approved Medication Guide or Patient Information that comes with the medicine, in its own words.

From the patient leaflet: What is the most important information I should know about paroxetine tablets?

Paroxetine tablets can cause serious side effects, including: • Increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. Paroxetine tablets and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts and actions in some people 24 years of age and younger, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Paroxetine tablets are not for use in children. o Depression or other mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions. How can I watch for and try to prevent suicidal thoughts and actions? o Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts or feelings or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions. This is very important when an antidepressant medicine is started or when the dose is changed. o Call your healthcare provider right away to report new or sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts or feelings or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions. o Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you have concerns about symptoms. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you have any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: o attempts to commit suicide o acting aggressive or violent o new or worse depression o feeling agitated, restless, angry, or irritable o an increase in activity and talking more than what is normal for you o acting on dangerous impulses o thoughts about suicide or dying o new or worse anxiety or panic attacks o trouble sleeping o other unusual changes in behavior or mood

From the patient leaflet: How should I store paroxetine tablets?

Store paroxetine tablets between 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). Keep paroxetine tablets and all medicines out of the reach of children.

Is there a generic for paroxetine (Paxil)?

The FDA approved the first generic paroxetine on July 30, 2003. 29 generic applications are approved; 20 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.

FDA's NDC Directory lists paroxetine from 45 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 2 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.

The Orange Book lists no patent for Paxil CR tablets; a patent listed only for Brisdelle capsules runs to April 6, 2029. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.

What do pharmacies pay for paroxetine (Paxil)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0611 per Paroxetine HCl 20 mg tablet, down 16% from $0.0729 on October 8, 2025. Prices per unit in the table differ many-fold by strength, form and brand, so compare like with like. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.

Has paroxetine been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 16 recalls naming paroxetine since 2013: 0 Class I (the most serious), 15 Class II, 1 Class III; 5 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of paroxetine and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.

What does the paroxetine label say about other medicines?

The paroxetine label names 42 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 50 other medicines name paroxetine. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.

Every other medicine the paroxetine label names

Other labels that name paroxetine

• Almotriptan
• Aripiprazole
• Aripiprazole lauroxil
• Bupropion
• Carvedilol
• Clomipramine
• Clozapine
• Cobicistat
• Codeine
• Darifenacin
• Darunavir
• Deutetrabenazine
• Doxepin
• Iloperidone
• Ioflupane i 123
• Lofexidine
• Metoclopramide
• Oliceridine
• Propranolol
• Quinine
• Tamsulosin
• Tetrabenazine
• Trimipramine

Check paroxetine against other medicines

What do FAERS reports show for paroxetine?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 41,809 reports that list paroxetine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 5,358 are coded as a death and 16,709 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.

Reports received each year

• 2,642
• 2,520
• 3,351
• 3,874
• 3,229
• 2,955
• 2,944
• 2,787
• 2,897
• 2,684
• 1,422

• 2016
• 2017
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024
• 2025
• 2026

The most reported reactions

• Drug Ineffective (a use or a product term, not a reaction)2,679
• Fatigue2,429
• Nausea (named in the label)2,360
• Drug Interaction (a use or a product term, not a reaction)2,258
• Headache (named in the label)2,026
• Anxiety (a use or a product term, not a reaction)2,003
• Toxicity To Various Agents1,977
• Diarrhoea (named in the label)1,947

Side effects: the label's list and every FAERS reaction

What else is labeled for the same conditions as paroxetine?

30 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as paroxetine or labeled mainly for the same use (depression), the same class first. Depression lists all 37 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as paroxetine

How does paroxetine compare with medicines for the same use?

14 side-by-side pages set paroxetine beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.

• Alprazolam
• Amitriptyline
• Buspirone
• Citalopram
• Clonazepam
• Desvenlafaxine
• Duloxetine
• Escitalopram
• Fluoxetine
• Lorazepam
• Mirtazapine
• Sertraline
• Trazodone
• Venlafaxine

What next?

Alternatives to paroxetine

30 medicines for the same use

Other serotonin reuptake inhibitors

the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics

Paroxetine side effects

the label's list beside FAERS reports

Check an interaction

what two or more labels say about each other