---
title: "Psych News Alert: Study Suggests Paroxetine Does Not Pose Higher Risk of Dementia Than Other SSRIs"
description: Previous studies suggest anticholinergic medication use is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. However, ...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/seniors_129923204-Jun-24-2025-06-06-52-4253-PM.jpg
---

 8/6/15 12:00 AM

# Study Suggests Paroxetine Does Not Pose Higher Risk of Dementia Than Other SSRIs

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html)

| ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/seniors_129923204-Jun-24-2025-06-06-51-5523-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=seniors_129923204-Jun-24-2025-06-06-51-5523-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

Previous studies suggest anticholinergic medication use is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. However, a [study](http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ps.201500011) published in *Psychiatric Services in Advance* now reports that the highly anticholinergic SSRI paroxetine does not appear to increase the risk of dementia among elderly nursing home residents with depression compared with other SSRIs.

To evaluate the risk of dementia associated with use of paroxetine versus other SSRIs among elderly patients with depression, researchers from the University of Houston and the University of Iowa performed a retrospective cohort study using propensity score matching with 2007–2010 Minimum Data Set–Linked Medicare data.

Subjects included elderly nursing home patients with depression who were new users of SSRIs, and they were followed for a maximum of two years. The primary outcome measured was time to diagnosis of dementia after initiation of either paroxetine or other SSRIs (sertraline, citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and escitalopram).

Based on the statistical analysis of 3,796 patients (n=1,898 in each group), the researchers found the incidence of dementia was 7.5% for users of paroxetine and 8.6% for users of other SSRIs—a nonsignificant difference.

“Although paroxetine has stronger anticholinergic properties compared with other SSRIs, the current study suggests that pharmacological differences between paroxetine and other SSRIs do not translate into significant differences with respect to risk of dementia,” the study authors noted. “Given the frequent use of paroxetine, there is a need for future studies to better understand differences in short-term cognitive effects and long-term dementia risk associated with the use of paroxetine and other SSRIs among elderly persons with depression.”

(Image: Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.com)

[Medicare](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/medicare), [SSRIs](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ssris), [depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [depression in elderly](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression-in-elderly), [Psychiatric Services in Advance](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services-in-advance), [dementia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/dementia), [paroxetine](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/paroxetine), [anticholinergic](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anticholinergic)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/mother_baby_iStock-587909356-Jun-24-2025-09-27-39-9102-PM.jpg?height=200&name=mother_baby_iStock-587909356-Jun-24-2025-09-27-39-9102-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/06/new-drug-shows-promising-results-in.html)

[postpartum depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/postpartum-depression), [HAM-D](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ham-d), [Lancet](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/lancet), [Hamilton Depression Rating Scale](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hamilton-depression-rating-scale), [Sage Therapeutics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/sage-therapeutics), [GABA-A](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gaba-a), [brexanolone](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/brexanolone)

## [New Drug Shows Promising Results in Treatment of Postpartum Depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/06/new-drug-shows-promising-results-in.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/16/17 12:00 AM

In a small sample of women with severe postpartum depression, infusion of the compound brexanolone...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/06/new-drug-shows-promising-results-in.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/doc%20talks%20to%20worried%20patient_127847789-Jun-24-2025-06-30-56-6066-PM.jpg?height=200&name=doc%20talks%20to%20worried%20patient_127847789-Jun-24-2025-06-30-56-6066-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/07/rates-of-routine-depression-screening.html)

[depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [Affordable Care Act](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/affordable-care-act), [depression screening](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression-screening), [U.S. Preventive Services Task Force](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/u-s-preventive-services-task-force)

## [Rates of Routine Depression Screening on Rise but Still Low](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/07/rates-of-routine-depression-screening.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 7/9/18 12:00 AM

Rates of routine depression screening among U.S. adults have increased since 2009 but remain low...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/07/rates-of-routine-depression-screening.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/mom_baby_iStock-628527474-Jun-24-2025-04-28-24-5195-PM.jpg?height=200&name=mom_baby_iStock-628527474-Jun-24-2025-04-28-24-5195-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/08/regular-phone-check-ins-with-mental.html)

[postpartum depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/postpartum-depression), [depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [Journal of Clinical Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/journal-of-clinical-psychiatry), [Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/edinburgh-postnatal-depression-scale), [Katherine Wisner](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/katherine-wisner), [function](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/function), [sexual abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/sexual-abuse), [health care use](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/health-care-use)

## [Regular Phone Check-Ins With Mental Health Clinician May Reduce Symptoms of Postpartum Depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/08/regular-phone-check-ins-with-mental.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 8/14/17 12:00 AM

A telephone-based depression care management (DCM) program is effective at improving the symptoms...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/08/regular-phone-check-ins-with-mental.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T18:12:54.932Z",
  "datePublished" : "2015-08-06T04:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Study Suggests Paroxetine Does Not Pose Higher Risk of Dementia Than Other SSRIs",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/seniors_129923204-Jun-24-2025-06-06-52-4253-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/study-suggests-paroxetine-does-not-pose.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```