Pharmacological Treatment with the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are considered drugs of first choice for the treatment of panic disorder (PD) due to their clinical efficacy demonstrated by 11 randomized placebo-controlled trials and favorable side effects profile. SSRI’s mechanism of action in PD treatment still not completely understood, but the role of serotonin in the pathophysiology of this disorder has been studied for the last few years by neuroimaging, neurochemical and challenge studies. In this chapter, efficacy studies, common side effects and drug interactions of the SSRI are described as well as general recommendations for their clinical use in PD.