Is Paroxetine Causing Me Nightmares?

Paroxetine is a commonly used drug in psychiatric settings for disorders such as major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, this drug comes with its own series of adverse effects, including dry mouth, drowsiness, constipation, sexual side effects, etc. In our case study, we wish to highlight a case of depression who developed a rarely documented side effect of serial nightmares after prescribing paroxetine. On cross-tapering it with sertraline, her nightmares gradually resolved with no deterioration of depressive symptoms. By reporting this case, we wish to emphasize on this potential side effects of paroxetine which should be kept in mind while choosing this agent. Such reporting is important as this rare side effect could be confused with other clinical pictures, thereby affecting management. It also helps us enhance our knowledge of how selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can lead to the development of nightmares.