Antidepressant-Induced Female Sexual Dysfunction.
Because 1 in 6 women in the United States takes antidepressants and a substantial proportion of patients report some disturbance of sexual function while taking these medications, it is a near certainty that the practicing clinician will need to know how to assess and manage antidepressant-related female sexual dysfunction. Adverse sexual effects can be complex because there are several potentially overlapping etiologies, including sexual dysfunction associated with the underlying mood disorder. As such, careful assessment of sexual function at the premedication visit followed by monitoring at subsequent visits is critical. Treatment of adverse sexual effects can be pharmacological (dose reduction, drug discontinuation or switching, augmentation, or using medications with lower adverse effect profiles), behavioral (exercising before sexual activity, scheduling sexual activity, vibratory stimulation, psychotherapy), complementary and integrative (acupuncture, nutraceuticals), or some combination of these modalities.
Kinsey Institute and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington; Dr Lorenz is now with the Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Electronic address: tlorenz@uncc.edu.
Tierney
T
Lorenz
Women's Health Clinic, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Jordan
J
Rullo
Women's Health Clinic, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Stephanie
S
Faubion
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors