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Paroxetine and fluvoxamine show efficacy in chronic pruritus treatment

The antipruritic efficacy and treatment safety of paroxetine and fluvoxamine, two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), were evaluated in a proof-of-concept study carried out at the University of Munster, Germany. Patients with severe chronic pruritus (n = 72) were treated with increasing doses of either paroxetine (10, 20, 40 and 60 mg) or fluvoxamine (25, 50, 100 and 150 mg). A considerable reduction in pruritus was observed in 59% of patients receiving paroxetine and in 51.5% of the fluvoxamine-treated subjects. Average maximal antipruritic effect values were estimated at 67.6 and 64.9% in the paroxetine and fluvoxamine groups, respectively. The use of SSRI therapy did not result in the development of psychiatric ...