Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialParoxetine in the treatment of severe non-dermatological pruritus: a randomized, controlled trial.
Severe pruritus may be an idiopathic phenomenon or associated with advanced systemic disease. It is one of the most distressing and difficult to treat symptoms. Uncontrolled studies have suggested that, in patients experiencing severe pruritus, paroxetine appeared to have a rapid anti-pruritic effect. ⋯ Nine of twenty-four patients (37.5%) fulfilled criteria of response. The onset of anti-pruritic action was observed usually after 2-3 days, irrespective of the order of treatment. The outcome of this study indicates that paroxetine is effective in the treatment of severe pruritus of non-dermatological origin.