The Clinical Efficacy of Paroxetine in Patients with Post-Stroke Anxiety

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Paroxetine in patients with post-stroke anxiety(PSA).Methods:Ninety-four patients with PSA were randomly divided into two groups,treatment group(n=49) and control group(n=45).The routine management?was given to patients with stroke in two groups.Paroxetine hydrochloride(20 mg/d for 8 weeks) was added to the treatment in patients of treatment group.Lorazepam(0.5 mg,3 times/d for 8 weeks) was added to the therapy in patients of control group.The NIHSS and HAMA scales were estimated before and after treatment in patients of two groups.The scales of GI and EI of CGI were detected after 8-week treatment.Results:The scores of NIHSS and HAMA were 27.4±7.1 and 26.5±6.8 before treatment in patients of two groups.After 8-week treatment,the scores were 10.3±4.2 and 19.6±5.8.The scores were significantly higher before treatment in treatment group(14.1±6.4) and control group(13.3±5.5) than those after treatment in two groups(4.4±2.0 and 8.5±3.1,P 0.01).But the scores of NIHSS and HAMA were significantly lower after 8-week treatment in treatment group than those of control group(P 0.01).The score of GI was lower in treatment group than that in control group(1.78±0.64 vs 2.12±0.91,P 0.05),but the score of EI was higher in treatment group than that of control group(3.43±1.26 vs 2.11±1.08,P 0.01).Conclusion:Paroxetine is likely to help patients with post-stroke anxiety.