Persistence of Sexual Dysfunction Side Effects after Discontinuation of Antidepressant Medications: Emerging Evidence
DOI: 10.2174/1874350100801010042
Audrey Bahrick · University of Iowa
Abstract
Post-market prevalence studies have found that Selective Serotonin
Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) and Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake
Inhibitor (SNRI) sexual side effects occur at dramatically higher rates
than initially reported in pre-market trials. Prescribing and practice
conventions rest on the untested assumption that individuals who develop
sex-ual dysfunction secondary to SSRI and SNRI antidepressant
medications return fully to their pre-medication sexual func-tioning
baseline shortly after discontinuing treatment. Most individuals
probably do return to their previous level of sexual functioning,
however recent case reports, consumer-provided Internet-based
information, incidental research findings, and empirical evidence of
persistent post SSRI sexual benefits in the premature ejaculation
literature suggest that for some in-dividuals, SSRI and SNRI-emergent
sexual side effects persist indefinitely after discontinuing the
medications. The litera-ture poorly captures the full spectrum of
SSRI/SNRI sexual side effects, and a lack of systematic follow-up in the
sexual side effects research precludes detection of post SSRI/SNRI
sexual dysfunction, leaving the formal knowledge base in-adequate and
even inaccurate, raising informed consent issues, and leaving clinicians
vulnerable to practicing in ways that may be hurtful to patients in
spite of their best efforts to inform themselves.
LINK: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228667893_Persistence_of_Sexual_Dysfunction_Side_Effects_after_Discontinuation_of_Antidepressant_Medications_Emerging_Evidence
http://psychrights.org/research/Digest/SSRIs/PersistentSSRISexSideEffects.pdf
