Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T16:00:43.540Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Sexual Side-Effects of Antidepressant Medication: A Double-Blind Comparison of Two Antidepressants in a Non-Psychiatric Population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Andrew Kowalski ,
Robb O. Stanley ,
Lorraine Dennerstein ,
Graham D. Burrows  and
Kay P. Maguire
Andrew Kowalski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
Robb O. Stanley*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
Lorraine Dennerstein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
Graham D. Burrows
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Austin Hospital
Kay P. Maguire
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
*
∗Reprint requests: University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Clinical reports have suggested that antidepressant medication may contribute to the sexual dysfunction experienced by some depressed patients. A double-blind trial in a non-psychiatric male population compared amitriptyline (tricyclic), mianserin (tetracyclic) and placebo for their effects on nocturnal sexual arousal. In a three-way crossover design active drug or placebo were taken for two weeks preceding measurement of the frequency, amplitude and duration of nocturnal penile tumescence and synchronous sleep indices. Both active compounds significantly decreased the amplitude and the total duration of nocturnal erections. The effects on sleep indices were as previously reported. Few differences were found between the tricyclic and tetracyclic drugs. Some implications of these findings are considered.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 147 , Issue 4 , October 1985 , pp. 413 - 418
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnes, T. R., Bamber, R. W. & Watson, J. P. (1979) Psychotropic drugs and sexual behaviour. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 21, 594–600.Google ScholarPubMed
Barnett, V. & Lewis, T. (1978) Outliers in Statistical Data. Chichester: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Beaumont, G. (1973) Sexual side effects of clomipramine (Anafranil). Journal of International Medical Research, 1, 469–472.Google Scholar
Bell, C. (1972) Autonomic nervous control of reproduction: circulatory and other factors. Pharmacological Review, 24(4), 657–736.Google Scholar
Brogden, R. N., Heel, R. C., Speight, T. M. & Avery, G. S. (1978) Mianserin: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in depressive illness. Drugs, 16(3), 273–301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burrows, G. D., Norman, T. R. & Davies, B. (1980) Psychiatric disorders: Advances in treatment. Current Therapeutics, 21, 257–265.Google Scholar
Charney, D. S., Menkes, D. B. & Heninger, G. R. (1981) Receptor sensitivity and the mechanism of action of antidepressant treatment. Implications for the etiology and therapy of depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 1160–1180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charney, D. S., Heninger, G. R. & Sternberg, D. E. (1983) Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor sensitivity and the mechanism of action of antidepressant therapy. The effect of long-term amitriptyline treatment. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 265–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Leo, D. & Magni, G. (1983) Sexual side effects of antidepressant drugs. Psychosomatics, 24, 1076–1081.Google Scholar
Evans, L. & Molnar, B. (1982) Psychopharmacology: The state of the art. Current Therapeutics, 23(7), 101–111.Google Scholar
Fisher, C., Schiavi, R. C., Edwards, A., Davis, D. M., Reitman, M. & Fine, J. (1979) Evaluation of nocturnal penile tumescence in the differential diagnosis of sexual impotence. A quantitative study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, 431–437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillin, J. C. & Sitaram, N. (1984) Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep: cholinergic mechanisms. Psychological Medicine, 14, 501–506.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gram, L. F. (1983) Antidepressants: receptors, pharmacokinetics and clinical effects. In Drugs in Psychiatry. Volume 1: Antidepressants Burrows, G. D., Norman, T. & Davies, B., eds.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Hartman, E. & Cravens, J. (1973) The effects of long term administration of psychotropic drugs on human sleep: III. The effects of amitriptyline. Psychopharmacologia, 33(2), 185–202.Google Scholar
Heiman, J. R. (1978) Uses of psychophysiology in the assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunction. Chapter 8 in LoPiccolo, J. & LoPiccolo, L. (eds.), Handbook of Sex Therapy. New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Hord, D. (1975) Common mode rejection techniques in conjugate eye movement recording during sleep. Psychophysiology, 12(3), 354–355.Google Scholar
Karacan, I., Hursch, C. J. & Williams, R. L. (1972a) Some characteristics of nocturnal penile tumescence in elderly males. Journal of Gerontology, 27, 39–45.Google Scholar
Karacan, I., Hursch, C. J. & Williams, R. L. (1972b) Some characteristics of nocturnal penile tumescence in early middle-aged males. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 13, 539–548.Google Scholar
Karacan, I., Hursch, C. J. & Williams, R. L. & Littell, R. C. (1972c) Some characteristics of nocturnal penile tumescence during puberty. Pediatric Research, 6, 529–537.Google Scholar
Karacan, I., Hursch, C. J. Scott, F. B., Salis, P. J., Attia, S. L., Ware, J. C., Altinel, A. & Williams, R. L. (1977) Nocturnal erections, differential diagnosis of impotence, and diabetes. Biological Psychiatry, 12(3), 373–380.Google Scholar
Keppel, G. (1973) Design and Analysis: A Researcher's Handbook. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.Google Scholar
Khan, M. A. M. (1975) Side effects of amitriptyline. British Medical Journal, 3, 708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolb, L. C. & Brodie, H. K. (1982) Modern Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Corporation.Google Scholar
Mitchell, J. E. & Popkin, M. K. (1983) Antidepressant drug therapy and sexual dysfunction in men: A review. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 3(2), 76–79.Google Scholar
Nicholson, A. N. & Stone, B. M. (1982) Sleep and antidepressants: Studies with mianserin hydrochloride and nomifensine. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 13(4), 603P.Google Scholar
Petrie, W. M. (1980) Sexual effects of antidepressants and psychomotor stimulant drugs. Modern Problems of Pharmacopsychiatry, 15, 77–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shagass, C. (1972) Electrical activity of the brain. In Handbook of Psychophysiology (eds Greenfield, N. S., Sternbach, D. R. A.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Google Scholar
Simpson, G. M., Blair, J. H. & Muso, D. (1965) Effects of antidepressants on genitourinary function. Dissertations on the Nervous System, 26, 787–789.Google Scholar
Snyder, S. & Karacan, I. (1981) Effects of chronic alcoholism on nocturnal penile tumescence. Psychosomatic Medicine, 43(5), 423–429.Google Scholar
Story, N. L. (1974) Sexual dysfunction resulting from drug side effects. Journal of Sexual Research, 10, 132–149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tormey, W. P., Buckley, M. P., O'Kelly, D. A., Conboy, J., Pinder, R. M. & Darragh, A. (1980) Sleep endocrine profile of the antidepressant mianserin. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 6(7), 456–460.Google Scholar
Trimmer, E. (1981) Sex problems in practice. British Medical Journal, 283, 953–955.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, R. L., Karacan, I. & Hursch, C. J. (1974) Electroencephalography (EEG) of Human Sleep: Clinical Applications. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.