Brain Serotonin Levels Linked To Sexual Side Effects From Antidepressants

Researchers person discovered that nan expertise to person an erection aliases to orgasm is related to nan levels of serotonin successful nan brain, but this narration only applies to depressed patients taking SSRI antidepressants. At nan moment, location is nary trial for who mightiness acquisition intersexual problems during curen for depression, but this find whitethorn thief depressed patients to take antidepressants which let them to support aliases regain an progressive activity life erstwhile treated pinch antidepressants. This activity is presented astatine nan ECNP convention successful Amsterdam.

Sexual dysfunction is simply a communal denotation of depression. SSRI antidepressants tin thief intersexual dysfunction by improving mood, but astatine nan aforesaid clip SSRIs themselves are often associated pinch intersexual side-effects. Unfortunately, there's nary measurement of predicting these broadside effects successful advance. Difficulty reaching orgasm is simply a communal broadside effect, arsenic are reduced desire and trouble maintaining an erection. These broadside effects tin impact up to 70% of patients taking SSRI medications, specified arsenic Prozac and escitalopram. These effects tin beryllium distressing, often starring to group stopping treatment.

The Copenhagen-based researchers studied 90 group who had been diagnosed pinch depression. They measured encephalon serotonin activity utilizing a typical EEG trial called LDAEP (Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials), which is for illustration a proceeding trial that reveals really your encephalon processes sound; possibly surprisingly, this besides tells america astir serotonin levels successful nan encephalon - nan little nan LDAEP, nan higher nan serotonin activity.

The patients past started an 8-week people of SSRI antidepressants, pinch nan researchers cautiously search immoderate intersexual broadside effects that developed. This allowed nan researchers to spot if they could foretell who would person intersexual problems based connected their pretreatment LDAEP measurement.

Lead interrogator Dr Kristian Jensen (from Copenhagen University Hospital) said:

"We discovered that group pinch higher serotonin activity earlier curen started were overmuch much apt to create intersexual broadside effects by nan extremity of nan 8-week antidepressant course, particularly trouble reaching orgasm. Using this non-invasive encephalon measurement mixed pinch accusation astir intersexual problems related to their depression, we could foretell nan expertise to scope orgasm pinch 87% accuracy. We request a bigger study, pinch much men, to get an meticulous fig for erectile dysfunction".

He continued:

"Currently, patients only observe intersexual broadside effects aft they've already started antidepressant medication. Measuring serotonin activity via nan LDAEP trial astatine nan commencement of nan people of antidepressants allows america to foretell nan likelihood of later intersexual problems owed to nan SSRI. If confirmed, our findings could alteration a much precise attack to slump treatment, helping doctors prime medications to minimise intersexual broadside effects successful those patients astir apt to create SSRI-related problems. This could thief curen adherence and wide value of life and mostly springiness amended curen options for depression.

Our findings look only to use to medication-induced intersexual problems, truthful it's not a wide trial for intersexual difficulties. However, we are now looking to refine this, we person a 600-patient study underway which will look astatine really serotonin levels mixed pinch activity hormones levels impact intersexual usability during slump and medication".

Commenting, Professor Eric Ruhe, Professor successful Difficult-to-Treat Depression astatine Radboudumc, Nijmegen, nan Netherlands said:

"This is simply a very absorbing study wherever nan researchers innovatively usage an easy-to-administer trial to foretell nan chance of intersexual dysfunction aft nan commencement of antidepressant. When replicated, this type of trial mightiness reliably thief to cognize beforehand whether a diligent will person intersexual adverse effects aliases not. As galore patients acquisition intersexual dysfunction aft nan commencement of SSRI antidepressants (like escitalopram), nan astir important objective exertion will beryllium to foretell that intersexual dysfunction will not occur, particularly successful patients who interest astir that adverse effect and are hesitant to initiate treatment.

I besides promote nan researchers to grow their efforts towards processing a instrumentality that tin counsel which supplier to return instead, without conscionable relying connected existent pharmacological considerations".

Professor Ruhe was not progressive successful this work; this is an independent comment.

This activity is presently nether peer-review. The researchers statement that nan subjects successful nan study were comparatively young (average property 27) and mostly (73%) female, truthful they are now aiming to replicate nan study successful a overmuch bigger group of 600 patients.

About nan LDAEP test

Dr Kristian Jensen said "The LDAEP itself is rather elegant: we play sounds astatine different volumes done headphones while measuring encephalon waves. It takes astir 30 minutes and is non-invasive. It's not mostly disposable astatine nan moment, but that whitethorn alteration if this trial lives up to expectations".