From the Guidelines
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) include fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, and vilazodone.
Examples of SSRIs
- Fluoxetine 1
- Sertraline 1
- Paroxetine 1
- Citalopram 1
- Escitalopram 1
- Fluvoxamine 1
- Vilazodone 1 These medications are a group of chemically and pharmacologically different compounds that inhibit the presynaptic reuptake of serotonin in the brain, thereby increasing availability of serotonin at the synaptic cleft 1. Although mechanisms of action vary somewhat across SSRIs, the primary mechanism is deemed to be sufficiently similar across individual medications to warrant extension of the findings to the medication class 1.
From the Research
Examples of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Fluoxetine 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Sertraline 2, 3, 4, 5
- Paroxetine 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Fluvoxamine 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Citalopram 2, 3, 4, 5
- Escitalopram 3, 5
Key Characteristics of SSRIs
- Chemically unrelated to tricyclic, heterocyclic, and other first-generation antidepressants 2
- Similar antidepressant efficacy and side effect profile 4
- Differ in pharmacokinetic properties, such as half-lives and metabolism 4
- Used to treat various disorders, including major depression, dysthymia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder 2, 3, 5, 6