[Prescription of paroxetine in Colombian adolescents]

To determine the frequency of paroxetine use in adolescent patients under 20 years of age enrolled in the Colombian Health System.

Cross-sectional study, based on a population database of people enrolled in the Colombian Health System between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015. The sample included patients under 20 years of age who had received any presentation of paroxetine. For data analysis, frequencies and proportions were established.

777 subjects were prescribed with paroxetine during the five years of evaluation, with an average age of 53.8 ± 16.2 years. Only 36 patients under 20 received it, especially men (n=24, 64.8%) with a mean age of 17.7 ± 1.8 years. Most of them were being treated in the city of Bogotá (58.3%), followed by Medellín (16.7%) and Cartagena (8.3%).

A low proportion of adolescents are receiving paroxetine in Colombia, which reduces the risk that this drug may pose on them.