Many people taking antidepressants experience a drop in their libido.
- 19% of people who had never had sexual problems said they had encountered a problem in this area following the use of antidepressants.
- The survey was conducted among 900 people aged 18 to 64 suffering from major depressive disorder.
- The article was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
A study of patients using antidepressants found that 19% of people who had never had sexual problems reported having experienced a sexual problem. The article was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
67% of participants used only one antidepressant
The survey was conducted among 900 people aged 18 to 64 suffering from major depressive disorder. Based on their use of antidepressants over the past year, participants were classified into three categories: those who continue their treatment (62%), those who change medications (33%), and those who drop out ( 5%).
Participants also reported the type of antidepressants they use, how often they use them, and their sexual functioning before and during treatment. They also rated their depressive symptoms, sexual functioning and satisfaction with their treatment.
Results: people in the cohort who used antidepressants in the last 12 months often tried several different molecules. 67% of the cohort used only one antidepressant, 26% used two different types of medication, and 5% used three. SSRIs were also the most commonly used type of antidepressant (with 47% of users) and people who continued their treatment used SSRIs more often than those who changed molecules.
Antidepressants and sexuality: “side effects of medications play an important role”
Finally, 56% of participants reported not having had sexual problems before their depression diagnosis. Of these, 19% reported having sexual problems after starting treatment. This percentage is similar among people who continue treatment and those who switch. All of these individuals attributed their sexual problems to at least one of the antidepressants they were taking.
“Based on the patients surveyed, we found that health professional recommendations, treatment effectiveness and medication side effects play an important role in continuing, changing or stopping antidepressants,” conclude the authors of the research.
The article, titled “Antidepressant Use and Treatment-Emerging Sexual Dysfuction Among Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: Results From an Internet-Based Survey Study”, was written by Judith J. Stephenson, Maelys Touya, Lambros Chrones, Shivani A. Pandya, Chia-Chen Teng and Anita H. Clayton.
