Leaflet: information for the user
Motivan 20 mg film-coated tablets
paroxetine(ashydrochloride hemihydrate)
Read this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine, because it contains important information for you.
6. Contents of the pack and additional information
Motivan is used for the treatment of depression and/or anxiety disorders in adults.The anxiety disorders for which Motivan is indicated are: obsessive-compulsive disorder (repetitive, obsessive thoughts with uncontrolled behavior), anxiety disorder (panic crises, including those caused by agoraphobia, which is the fear of open spaces), social anxiety disorder (fear or avoidance of social contact situations), post-traumatic stress disorder (anxiety caused by a traumatic event), and generalized anxiety disorder (feeling normally a lot of anxiety and nervousness).
Motivan belongs to a group of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The exact mechanism of action of Motivan and other SSRIs is not precisely known, but they exert their action by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain. Properly treating depression or anxiety is important to help you feel better.
If you are in any of these situations, inform your doctor and do not take Motivan.
Warnings and precautions
Consult with your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Motivan
If you are in any of these situationsand have not yet consulted your doctor, ask your doctor about how to take Motivan.
Children and adolescents under 18 years of age
Motivan should not be used in the treatment of children and adolescents under 18 years of age.Furthermore, it should be noted that in patients under 18 years of age, there is a higher risk of adverse effects such as suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation, and hostility (predominantly aggression, confrontational behavior, and irritability) when taking Motivan. However, your doctor may prescribe Motivan to patients under 18 years of age when they decide it is the most appropriate for the patient. If your doctor has prescribed Motivan to you or your child under 18 years of age and you wish to discuss this decision, consult your doctor. You should inform your doctor if any of the symptoms mentioned above appear or worsen when you or your child under 18 years of age are taking Motivan. The long-term safety of Motivan in terms of growth, maturation, and cognitive and behavioral development in this age group has not yet been demonstrated.
In studies conducted with Motivan in patients under 18 years of age, the most common adverse effects, which affected less than 1 in 10 children or adolescents, were: an increase in thoughts and attempts of suicide, self-harm, hostile, aggressive, or unfriendly behaviors, loss of appetite, tremors, abnormal sweating, hyperactivity (excessive energy), agitation, unstable emotions (including crying and mood changes), and the appearance of fortuitous cardinals or bleeding (such as nasal bleeding). These effects were also observed in patients included in these studies who did not take Motivan, although less frequently.
When stopping treatment with Motivan, some of the patients under 18 years of age reported adverse effects of withdrawal. These effects were very similar to those observed in adults who stopped taking Motivan (see section3). In addition, patients under 18 years of age frequently (affecting less than 1 in 10) experienced stomach pain, nervousness, and unstable emotions (including crying, mood changes, self-harm, thoughts and attempts of suicide).
Thoughts of suicide and worsening of depression or anxiety
If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders, you may sometimes have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide. These may increase at the beginning of treatment with antidepressants, as all these medications take time to take effect, which is usually two weeks but can be longer.
This is more likely to happen
- If you have previously had thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
- If you are ayoung adult. There is information from clinical trials that shows an increased risk of suicidal behavior in adults under 25 years of age with psychiatric disorders who were being treated with some antidepressant.
If you have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide at any time,consult your doctor or go to the hospital immediately.
It may be helpful for you to explain to a family member or close friendthat you are depressed or have anxiety disorders, and ask them to read this leaflet. You can also ask them to tell you if they think your depression or anxiety is getting worse, or if they are concerned about changes in your behavior.
Important adverse effects observed with Motivan
Some patients who take Motivan develop a condition called akathisia, andfeel restless and unable to sit or stay still. Other patients develop the so-calledserotonin syndrome or malignant neuroleptic syndrome, and may have any or all of the following symptoms: feeling very agitated or irritable, confusion, restlessness, sensation of heat, sweating, tremors, chills, hallucinations (strange visions or sounds), muscle rigidity, sudden, rapid movements, or increased heart rate. The severity can increase and lead to loss of consciousness.Consult your doctorif you have any of these symptoms. For more information about this or other adverse effects of Motivan, see section4.
Other medications and Motivan
Some medications may modify the effect of Motivan or make it more likely for some adverse effects to occur. Motivan may also modify the effect of some medications. For example:
If you are taking or have taken recently any of these medications, inform your doctor and consult what to do.Your doctor may decide to change the dose or prescribe another medication.
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have taken recently, or may need to take any other medication,including those acquired without a prescription.
Taking Motivan with food, drinks, and alcohol
Do not consume alcohol while taking Motivan. Alcohol may worsen your symptoms or adverse effects.
Taking Motivan in the morning with food may reduce the likelihood of nausea.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or think you may become pregnant, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication.
In some studies, an increased risk of malformations, particularly those affecting the heart, was observed in newborns whose mothers took Motivan during the first months of pregnancy. In the general population, approximately 1 in 100 newborns are born with a heart malformation. This proportion increased to 2 in 100 newborns in mothers who took Motivan. Your doctor, in consultation with you, may change your medication to another or gradually stop Motivan while you are pregnant. However, depending on your circumstances, your doctor may recommend continuing to take Motivan.
Make sure your doctor or midwife knows that you are taking Motivan.If you take Motivan in the final stages of pregnancy, there may be a higher risk of excessive vaginal bleeding after delivery, especially if you have a history of bleeding disorders. Your doctor or midwife should know that you are taking Motivan to advise you.Motivan may increase the risk of a serious condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) when taken during pregnancy, particularly in the final stages. The pressure in the blood vessels between the heart and lungs is very high in newborns with PPHN.
If you are taking Motivan in the last trimester of pregnancy,your newborn may also experience other symptoms that usually begin within the first 24 hours after birth. These symptoms include:
- difficulty breathing
- blue skin or appearance of being very hot or cold
- blue lips
- vomiting or difficulty feeding
- feeling very tired, difficulty sleeping, or frequent crying
- muscle stiffness or flaccidity
- tremors, localized tremors, or seizures
- exaggerated reflexes.
If your baby has any of these symptoms at birth, or if you are concerned about your baby's health,contact your doctor or midwife, who will advise you.
Motivan passes into breast milk in very small amounts.Consult your doctor if you are taking Motivan before starting to breastfeed. Your doctor, in consultation with you, may advise you to continue breastfeeding while taking Motivan.
Studies in animals have shown that paroxetine reduces sperm quality. Theoretically, this may affect fertility in humans, but this has not yet been observed in people.
Driving and operating machinery
Some of the adverse effects that Motivan may cause are dizziness, confusion, feeling drowsy, or blurred vision. If you experience any of these effects, do not drive vehicles or operate machinery.
Motivan contains sodium
This medication contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1 mmol) per tablet; that is, it is essentially "sodium-free".
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication indicated by your doctor or pharmacist.In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
Sometimes you may need to take more than one tablet or half a tablet. The following table will show you how many tablets to take:
Dose | Number of tablets to take |
10 mg | Half a tablet |
20 mg | One tablet |
30 mg | One and a half tablets |
40 mg | Two tablets |
50 mg | Two and a half tablets |
60 mg | Three tablets |
The usual doses for different indications are detailed in the following table:
Initial daily dose | Recommended daily dose | Maximum daily dose | |
Depression | 20 mg | 20 mg | 50 mg |
Obsessive-compulsive disorder | 20 mg | 40 mg | 60 mg |
Anxiety disorder | 10 mg | 40 mg | 60 mg |
Social phobia disorder | 20 mg | 20 mg | 50 mg |
Post-traumatic stress disorder | 20 mg | 20 mg | 50 mg |
Generalized anxiety disorder | 20 mg | 20 mg | 50 mg |
Your doctor will tell you what dose to take when you start treatment with Motivan.Most people start to feel better after a couple of weeks. If you don't start to feel better after this time, consult your doctor who will tell you what to do. Your doctor may decide to gradually increase the dose, in increments of 10 mg, up to the maximum daily dose.
Take the tablets in the morning, with food.
The tablets should be swallowed with water.
The tablets should not be chewed.
Your doctor will tell you the duration of treatment. This period may be extended for several months or even longer.
The maximum dose for people over 65 is 40 mg per day.
If you have severe liver or kidney failure, your doctor may advise you to take smaller doses of Motivan than usual.
If you take more Motivan than you should
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone: 91 562 04 20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested.
Do not take more tablets than your doctor has recommended.
A person who has taken an overdose of Motivan may have some of the symptoms listed in section 4 Possible side effects, or some of the following symptoms: fever, involuntary muscle contraction.
If you forget to take Motivan
Take your medication at the same time every day.
If you forget to take a dose and remember before bedtime, take it immediately. Take the next dose at the usual time.
If you remember during the night or the next day, omit the missed dose. You may experience some withdrawal symptoms, but they should disappear after taking the next dose at the usual time.
Do not take a double dose to compensate for the missed doses.
What to do if you don't feel better
Motivan will not improve your symptoms immediately, all antidepressants take time to act. Some people start to feel better after a couple of weeks, but others may need more time. Some people who take antidepressants feel worse before they start to notice improvement. If you don't start to feel better after a couple of weeks, tell your doctor, who will tell you what to do. Your doctor may have scheduled a follow-up appointment after 2 weeks of starting treatment.
If you interrupt treatment with Motivan
Do not interrupt treatment until your doctor tells you to.
When interrupting treatment with Motivan, your doctor will tell you how to gradually reduce the dose over a period of several weeks or months, which will help reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms. One way to do this is to gradually reduce the dose of Motivan you are taking by 10 mg each week. Most people consider the possible symptoms that occur when treatment with Motivan is interrupted to be mild and disappear on their own in two weeks. For some people, these symptoms may be more severe or last longer.
If you experience withdrawal symptoms while interrupting treatment, your doctor may decide to interrupt treatment more slowly. If you experience severe withdrawal symptoms, please consult your doctor. Your doctor may advise you to start treatment again and then interrupt it more slowly.
Although you may experience some withdrawal symptoms, you will be able to interrupt treatment with Motivan.
Withdrawal symptoms when interrupting treatment
Studies have shown that 3 out of 10 patients experience one or more symptoms when they interrupt treatment with Motivan. Some of these effects occur more frequently than others.
Common side effects
May affect up to 1 in 10 people
Uncommon side effects
May affect up to 1 in 100 people
Consult your doctor if you are concerned about withdrawal symptoms from Motivan.
If you have any other questions about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them. It is more likely that side effects will occur during the first weeks of treatment with Motivan.
Inform your doctor if you experience any of the side effects listed below during treatment with Motivan.
You may need to see your doctor or go to the hospital immediately.
Uncommon side effects
May affectup to 1 in 100 people
Rare side effects
May affectup to 1 in 1,000 people
Very rare side effects
May affectup to 1 in 10,000 people
If you develop a skin rash with redness and blisters, swelling of the face, eyelids, lips, mouth, or tongue, itching, or difficulty breathing (respiratory distress) or swallowing, and feeling weak or having a dizziness that may cause a collapse or loss of consciousness, contact your doctor or go to the hospital immediately.
If you experience eye pain and blurred vision, see your doctor.
Frequency not known
The frequency cannot be estimatedfrom the available data
If you experience these side effects, contact your doctor.
Other possible side effects during treatment:
Very common side effects
May affectmore than 1 in 10 people
Common side effects
May affectup to 1 in 10 people
Uncommon side effects
May affectup to 1 in 100 people
Rare side effects
May affectup to 1 in 1,000 people
Very rare side effects
May affectup to 1 in 10,000 people
Frequency not known
The frequency cannot be estimatedfrom the available data
Some patients have experienced persistent ringing, buzzing, beeping, or other sounds in the ears (tinnitus) while taking Motivan.
It has been observed that people taking medications like Motivan have a higher risk of bone fractures.
Reporting of side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for the Pharmacovigilance of Medicines for Human Use:www.notificaRAM.es.By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medication.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date (CAD) that appears on the packaging. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Do not store at a temperature above 86°F (30°C). Store in the original packaging to protect from light.
If you are taking half a tablet, be careful to store it safely in the packaging.
Medicines should not be disposed of through drains or in the trash.Deposit the packaging and medicines you no longer need at theSIGREcollection point at the pharmacy. If in doubtask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medicines you no longer need. By doing so, you will help protect the environment.
The active principle is paroxetine (20 mg), as hemihydrate hydrochloride.
The other components are:
In the core of the tablet: calcium dihydrogen phosphate (E341), magnesium stearate (E470b) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (type A) from potato.
In the coating of the tablet: hypromellose (E464), titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 400 and polysorbate 80 (E433).
Appearance of the product and content of the container
Motivan 20 mg film-coated tablets are presented in the form of white, oval-shaped tablets, marked with "20" on one face and a breaking line on the other face. Each container of Motivan contains child-resistant blisters of 4, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 50, 56, 60, 98, 100, 250 or 500 tablets.
Only some sizes of the container may be commercially marketed.
Marketing authorization holder:
GlaxoSmithKline, S.A.
P.T.M. C/ Severo Ochoa, 2
28760 Tres Cantos (Madrid)
Tel: +34 900 202 700
Responsible for manufacturing:
Delpharm Poznan Spólka Akcyjna
ul.Grunwaldzka 189
60-322 Poznan
Poland
This medicine is authorized in the member states of the European Economic Area with the following names:
Netherlands | Paroxetine GSK |
Spain | Motivan |
You can request more information about your disease by contacting a patient organization. Consult your doctor.
Last review date of this leaflet:December 2023.
The detailed and updated information of this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/
The average price of Motivan 20 mg comprimidos recubiertos con pelicula in July, 2025 is around 3.04 EUR. Prices may vary depending on the region, pharmacy, and whether a prescription is required. Always check with a local pharmacy or online source for the most accurate information.
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.