Administration of 20 mg of paroxetine reduced exercise time to exhaustion compared to placebo (median 94 vs 116 min; P<0.05), supporting a central serotoninergic component to fatigue.
RCT (n=7)
Does paroxetine reduce exercise time to exhaustion in healthy subjects?
Administration of the serotonin re-uptake inhibitor paroxetine reduces the capacity to perform prolonged exercise, suggesting a central component to fatigue mediated by serotoninergic neurons.
Absolute Event Rate: 94% vs 116%
p-value: p=< 0.05
Seven healthy subjects exercised to exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer at a power output corresponding to 70% of maximum oxygen uptake after administration of either a placebo or 20 mg of paroxetine, a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. Exercise time after paroxetine (median 94 min; range 84-127 min) was less (P < 0.05) than after placebo (median 116 min; range 86-133 min). The metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise were the same in both trials. This result supports the suggestion that there is a central component to fatigue which is mediated by the activity of serotoninergic neurones.
Wilson et al. (Sun,) conducted a rct in Healthy subjects (n=7). Paroxetine vs. Placebo was evaluated on Exercise time to exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer at 70% of maximum oxygen uptake (p=< 0.05). Administration of 20 mg of paroxetine reduced exercise time to exhaustion compared to placebo (median 94 vs 116 min; P<0.05), supporting a central serotoninergic component to fatigue.