Researchers: Cataracts a Potential Paxil Side Effect

Montreal, QCA study suggests that the list of Paxil side effects, which already includes an increased risk of birth defects, should be updated to include cataracts. Meanwhile, a different study suggests that Paxil and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may not be as effective at treating depression as once thought.


The first study was conducted by researchers in British Columbia and Quebec and examined the link between the use of SSRIs and cataracts. Researchers analyzed the data on approximately 19,000 people age 65 and older with cataracts and compared those records to approximately 190,000 people age 65 and older who did not have cataracts.

What researchers found was that people who took SSRI antidepressants were at a 15 percent increased risk of cataracts. Furthermore, that risk was higher depending on the antidepressant used. For example, using Paxil increased the risk of cataracts by 23 percent. Effexor increased the risk of cataracts by 33 percent and Luvox by 39 percent.

One possible explanation is that SSRIs increase serotonin levels around cells that require serotonin, including cells in the eye's lens, according to an article in the Reporter on 8/26/10. That excess serotonin around the eyes could cause problems like cataracts.

Recently, a review of safety trials of SSRIs sent to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that SSRIs may be only marginally better than a placebo at treating depression. Placebos—usually sugar pills—are given to some patients in a trial to determine whether the medication is actually working or if it only appears to be working because the patient expects it to have an effect.

When researchers analyzed a trial called STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression), they found that only 2.7 percent of participants experienced a sustained benefit from taking an SSRI—meaning that most participants either relapsed or dropped out by the end of the study.

The study, published in the August issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, does not say there is no benefit to taking SSRIs. In fact, there may still be some benefit to the medications. But it indicates that patients and their doctors should consider other courses of action rather than simply taking the SSRIs.