Today, there exist several disorders and diseases that take place in the human body. There are several types of illnesses that the human body has to deal with. These disorders can either be related to the physical health or the mental health of a human being. However, the medical field today has made a tremendous amount of progress. Today there are treatments and medications for almost every disorder, and a patient can heal by following the prescribed procedure.
Several medicines are prescribed to the patient depending on the type of the disease and the severity of the disease. If a person is dealing with mental health issues, there are several medicines that can be used to treat and cure those disorders. Two of those are 1. Paxil and 2. Zoloft.
Paxil vs Zoloft
The main difference between Paxil and Zoloft is the generic names of the respective medicines. The generic name of Paxil is Paroxetine. On the other hand, the generic name of Zoloft is Sertraline. There are other parameters used as well to differentiate between the two medicines.
Paxil is a medicine that is used as an antidepressant. Paxil is the brand name, and the generic name of the medicine is paroxetine. Seroxat and Loxamine are also the brand names by which this medicine is known as. The route of administration of this medicine is by mouth. It must be taken in the quantity that is prescribed by the doctors for the safety purposes of the patient.
Zoloft is a medicine that is used as an antidepressant that targets a specific class of serotonin reuptake inhibitor which is also a drug class. Zoloft is the brand name, and the generic name of the medicine is sertraline. Amy and Lustral are also the other brand names by which this medicine is known as. The route of administration of this medicine is by mouth.
Comparison Table Between Paxil and Zoloft
| Parameters of Comparison | Paxil | Zoloft |
| Generic Name | Paroxetine | Sertraline |
| Brand/ Trade Names | Paxil, Seroxat, Loxamine | Zoloft, Amy, Lustral |
| Manufacturing Company | GlaxoSmithKline | Pfizer |
| Released in | The early 90s | 1997 |
| Side-effects | Constipation, weakness, loss of appetite, sweating, yawning constantly, nausea, infections etc. | Dryness in the mouth, fatigue, drowsiness, sleeplessness, upset stomach etc. |
What is Paxil?
Paxil, also known as Loxamine and Seroxat, is a medicine that is used for the treatment of several mental health disorders. These disorders include depression, OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, both generalized and social anxiety disorders, panic attacks, PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder etc.
In the United States of America, the approval of Paxil was done in the year 1992 for medical purposes. The manufacturer of this medicine is GlaxoSmithKline. In the year 2018, Paxil was one of the top ten most prescribed medicines for the treatment of depression and other mental health disorders. Various studies have shown that this medicine if ingested in the right amount, can treat depression.
Paxil does have some common and severe side effects. These side effects include constipation, weakness, loss of appetite, sweating, yawning constantly, nausea, infections etc. Other than that, a patient may also experience sexual dysfunction and insomnia. Studies have also shown that people have also experienced side-effects like nervousness in their behaviour, diarrhoea etc.
A person must always consult with the doctor first and must avoid having medicines without consulting with the doctor. They must always make sure that they take medicine in the right quantity and must overdose or even skipping the dose. However, a person must make sure that they are taking the right medicine as well.
What is Zoloft?
Zoloft, also known as Amy and Lustral, is a medicine that is used for the treatment of several mental health disorders. These disorders include depression, OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, social anxiety, premenstrual dysphoric disorder etc. Zoloft, Amy and Lustral are the brand names, and the generic name is sertraline.
The medicine Zoloft was approved first in the year 1997. However, it is approved for children that have OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder and only for the treatment of this particular disorder, and it must not be consumed by children with other mental health illnesses. It was approved for medical purposes in the year 1991 in the United States of America. The manufacturing company of Zoloft is Pfizer.
Zoloft does have some common and severe side effects. These side effects include dryness in the mouth, fatigue, drowsiness, sleeplessness, upset stomach etc. Other than that, a person may also experience agitated behaviour, nausea, loss of appetite etc. Unlike the side-effect of Paxil, a person does not experience sexual dysfunction as a side-effect of Zoloft.
People must understand the importance of medication. People must understand that they can avoid further serious issues that a certain disorder has by following medications strictly in the initial stage itself. Sometimes due to lack of seriousness, people often keep their medication incomplete, and then the severity of the disorder even increases more than before.
Main Differences Between Paxil and Zoloft
- The generic name of Paxil is Paroxetine. On the other hand, the generic name of Zoloft is Sertraline.
- The brand names of Paxil include Seroxat and Loxamine. On the other hand, the brand names of Zoloft include Amy and Lustral.
- The release of Paxil was made much earlier than the release of Zoloft.
- Paxil was released in the early 90s. On the other hand, Zoloft was released in the year 1997.
- The manufacturing company of Paxil is GlaxoSmithKline. On the other hand, the manufacturing company of Zoloft is Pfizer.
- One of the side effects of Paxil includes sexual dysfunction, which is not one of the side effects of Zoloft.
- If a patient is taking Paxil, then he or she must not take any other medications. On the other hand, if a patient is undergoing electroconvulsive therapy, then he or she must not take Zoloft.
Conclusion
Both Zoloft and Paxil are effective in the treatment of many mental health illnesses in people of all age groups. These medicines have been proven to be effective in many people’s lives and have helped them overcome their issues.
However, a person must always give equal importance to their mental and physical health. Mental health is also one of the most important things in a person’s life, which needs attention and enough care. People must understand that a healthy body can still be sad, and a happy person can still have an unhealthy body.
References
- https://www.nature.com/articles/srep23789
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/chir.20113