Tianeptine can be effective in men with depression and erectile dysfunction.
BACKGROUND
Erectile dysfunction (ED) and depression are highly prevalent medical disorders affecting men of diverse cultures throughout the world. Tianeptine is a new antidepressant drug with less adverse effects on sexual functions.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of tianeptine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression with ED.


METHODS
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Subjects were assigned either tianeptine or matching placebo, each for 8 weeks. All patients were followed up on monthly basis where they were asked to complete three assessment questionnaires, namely, Anxiety and Depression Scale, Brief Sexual Inventory, and Quality-of-life and erection questionnaire. All patients were asked a global assessment question. Treatment-responsive subjects were defined as study participants who had scores 1-16 on the Anxiety and depression Scale, showed normal erectile function on the Brief Sexual Inventory, and answered "yes" to the global assessment question.


RESULTS
Of the 237 consecutive men complaining of ED of >6 months and screened for this study, 110 patients met our inclusive criteria; 42 declined to participate. The remaining 68 patients were randomly assigned to treatment. Significant improvement (P < 0.05) was observed during the active drug phase in all three assessments questionnaires, in comparison with the placebo phase. Forty-eight patients (72.7%) of the subjects during the active drug phase were classified as responders, while 19 (27.9%) of the subjects during placebo phase were classified as responders.


CONCLUSIONS
Tianeptine could be considered an effective therapy for the treatment of depression and ED. Further large-scale multicentered studies are warranted.
El-Shafey
Hany
H
Department of Andrology, Sexology and STDs, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Atteya
Ahmad
A
Department of Andrology, Cairo University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.
Abu El-Magd
Samir
S
Department of Psychiatry, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hassanein
Ahmad
A
Department of Andrology, Sexology and STDs, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Fathy
Ahmad
A
Department of Andrology, Sexology and STDs, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Shamloul
Rany
R
Department of Andrology, Sexology and STDs, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Electronic address: rannone74@hotmail.com.
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013841:Thiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D013841:Thiazepines; C050504:tianeptine