Paroxetine in the treatment of depression: a comparison with imipramine and placebo.

Paroxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with significant antidepressant properties. This was a 6-week placebo- and imipramine-controlled study of 120 outpatients with major depression. Paroxetine was statistically significantly superior to placebo on almost all outcome measures. This was apparent as early as 1 week. Paroxetine was also significantly superior to imipramine on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score. Paroxetine was generally better tolerated than imipramine. These results strongly support paroxetine's effectiveness in the treatment of major depression and suggest that paroxetine will be a valuable addition to the options in treating depressive illness.