title: Paroxetine for pruritus in advanced cancer.
abstract: Pruritus associated with malignancy may be one of the most bothersome symptoms in advanced cancer. Its control is still difficult to achieve and is a challenge to palliative medicine specialists. We describe five patients suffering from pruritus of different etiologies who responded rapidly to administration of paroxetine, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in a dose-dependent manner. Two patients experienced transient but severe nausea and vomiting. We suggest that paroxetine's antipruritic effect may be explained by rapid downregulation of the 5-HTs receptors, which may have an important role in the generation of pruritus and pain.
authors.affiliation: Hospice Rozenheuvel, Rozendaal, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zylicz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krajnik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011537:Pruritus / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors