THERE are many drugs available in the US market for the treatment of depression. Two widely used drugs are: Lexapro (escitalopram) and Paxil (paroxetine). A number of studies have been conducted to compare the usefulness of these two drugs. Overall, it has been observed that Lexapro scores over Paxil in the matters of efficacy and tolerance in the treatment of both depression and generalized anxiety disorders (GADs). Lexapro and Paxil belong to the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) family of drugs that are used in the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety disorders. They help restore the serotonin balance in the brain (serotonin is the mood-influencing neurotransmitter in the central nervous system) and thus help the patient feel better. Let’s look at the differences and similarities between Lexapro and Paxil:

Efficacy: Lexapro with lesser dosage (10-20mg) has been found to be more effective than Paxil with higher dosage (20-60mg). Research has shown that more patients (26.6%) discontinued Paxil due to non-efficacy than Lexapro (6.65%). This means that Lexapro is effective in more patients than Paxil.

Withdrawal symptoms: More patients show withdrawal symptoms with Paxil (88.7%) than Lexapro (77%). A breakdown of the Paxil vs Lexapro side-effects is as follows:

  • Insomnia (25.8% with Paxil vs. 14.8% with Lexapro).
  • Anorgasmia (26.2% vs. 5.9%)
  • Constipation (14.5% vs. 1.6%)
  • Loss of libido (22.6% vs. 4.9%)
  • Ejaculation problems (30.0% vs. 14.8%)
  • Diarrhea (8.1% vs. 21.3%)
  • Upper respiratory tract infection (4.8% vs. 14.8%)

The most prevalent side-effect of both Lexapro and Paxil related to sexual dysfunction. Thus, while Lexapro and Paxil are both SSRI drugs used for the treatment of identical conditions, Lexapro has been found to be considerably superior in terms of dosage, treatment continuation record, and side-effects and withdrawal symptoms. Lexapro’s superiority is perhaps understandable given that it is the newest member of the SSRI group, hence is expected to be better than older members.

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