Patients taking antidepressants are being warned that there are side effects that could leave them with sexual dysfunction even after they stop using them, according to the Daily Mail.
Antidepressants affect sex life Archive
The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been associated by researchers with long-term and even permanent sexual dysfunction.
One study found that side effects such as loss of libido and ability to orgasm, low sperm count, and erectile dysfunction can persist after taking them, and patients complained of ruining their relationships in following their use.
Men and women say the side effects of antidepressants have affected their sex lives, even after coming off the medication, a condition not officially recognized by UK health authorities.
The side effects of antidepressants affecting men and women have been known for decades, following the first trials in the 1980s, but the drugs have become widely used to treat depression, anxiety and other mental conditions.
A London student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was experiencing sexual problems after taking anti-depressants.
“I feel like someone went into my brain with a scalpel, cut out a few pieces, and left me with this weird, numb, asexual person“, he added.
Rebecca Graham, a 40-year-old British woman, said she had given up on the idea of having children. “I feel like I've been castrated”she added.
Despite this, medication is readily prescribed to Britons in an attempt to overcome these conditions, which affect between four and ten per cent of people in England in their lifetime, according to the Mental Health Foundation.
Dr. Ben Davis, an expert in sexual medicine, said that antidepressants are often prescribed quickly, perhaps too quickly. One in eight Britons take antidepressants to treat their anxiety and depression.
