[Antidepressives and traffic safety]

Area of Science:

• Psychopharmacology
• Human Performance Studies

Background:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like paroxetine are widely prescribed.
• Assessing the impact of medications on cognitive and motor functions is crucial for safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of paroxetine and doxepin on safety-relevant performance against a placebo.
• To evaluate the influence of these medications, with and without ethanol, on various cognitive and motor tasks.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 60 healthy volunteers (ages 37-60).
• Participants received paroxetine (20 mg/day), doxepin (100 mg/day), or placebo for 3 weeks.
• Ethanol (0.05% BAC) was administered on day 20.
• Performance was assessed using seven tests measuring visual orientation, concentration, reaction times, vigilance, and motor coordination.

Main Results:

• Paroxetine demonstrated performance comparable to placebo across all tested functions.
• Doxepin significantly impaired vigilance, motor coordination, concentration, and simple acoustic reaction time compared to placebo.
• Ethanol's combined effects with the medications were not explicitly detailed but administered during the testing phase.

Conclusions:

• Paroxetine (20 mg/day) does not appear to compromise safety-relevant performance in healthy adults.
• Doxepin (100 mg/day) significantly impairs key cognitive and motor functions relevant to safety.
• These findings highlight differential safety profiles of commonly prescribed medications.