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Cholesterol & Paxil

Jun 28, 2011 | By Stephanie Chandler
Cholesterol & Paxil
Photo Credit Keith Brofsky/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Doctors prescribe Paxil, the brand name of the medication known as paroxetine, to treat depression, panic disorder, social anxiety and other mental disorders, generalized anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, Paxil increases the amount of serotonin -- a chemical in the brain that transmits nerve signals -- which alters your mood. The amount of cholesterol, a type of lipid or fat, in your body affects your risk for heart disease. Associations between panic disorder and heart disease exist, and taking Paxil may increase cholesterol levels, contributing further to this risk.

Cholesterol

Your liver produces the majority of cholesterol in your body. The liver also produces the specialized protein needed to transport cholesterol, since the waxy substance cannot mix with blood on its own. Low-density lipoprotein, LDL, carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells for use. High-density lipoprotein picks up cholesterol from the tissues to carry it back to the liver, which uses it to make bile acids. When your cholesterol level increases, the LDL cholesterol in the blood vessels increases and accumulates along the walls of the vessels, forming plaque. Plaque makes your blood vessels hard and inflexible, which interferes with the flow of blood and can lead to heart disease.

Panic Disorder and Cholesterol

Panic disorder, classified as an anxiety disorder, occurs when you experience unexpected and recurrent episodes of intense fear that can cause physical symptoms like heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness and abdominal distress. By increasing the level of serotonin in the brain, Paxil can help treat panic disorder. Research published in a 2008 issue of "The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry" focuses on the relationship between panic disorder and coronary artery disease. According to this research, panic disorder is associated with some forms of heart disease. In addition, panic disorder may be associated with risk factors for heart disease like high cholesterol. The scientists in this study found evidence that men and women with panic disorder often exhibit high LDL cholesterol levels.

Paxil and Cholesterol

Although some patients with panic disorder already suffer from high cholesterol levels, evidence exists to suggest that taking Paxil may increase LDL cholesterol even further. Research published in the December 2003 issue of "The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry" found that taking Paxil increased LDL cholesterol by 11.5 percent. A study published in the December 2005 "Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology" found that although patients with panic disorder did not exhibit increases in blood cholesterol levels when compared to healthy patients, after taking Paxil for three months they did show a significant increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. A third study published in the September 2009 "Journal of Psychopharmacology" found a 9 percent increase in LDL cholesterol in both healthy patients and patients with panic disorder.

Impact

The small percentage increases in cholesterol found in these studies may not be clinically significant for healthy patients. For patients with coronary artery disease or other risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes, however, the increase in LDL cholesterol induced by Paxil may cause detrimental effects. For this reason, these studies conclude that doctors should take caution when prescribing Paxil to these patients and carefully monitor their blood cholesterol levels.

References

Article reviewed by S.C. Ville Last updated on: Jun 28, 2011

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