Moreover, underlines one of the main authors, Yassie Pirani, researcher at the SFU, this reduction in reduced genital sensitivity persists well after stopping the drug: “this side effect went unnoticed for so long, largely due to causes stigma, shame and embarrassment. In some patients it goes away over time, but for many it persists. We have the example of a patient who developed this syndrome at the age of 33. He is now 66 years old and still suffers from it.”
Post-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) sexual dysfunction syndrome is an understudied and underreported syndrome of persistent sexual dysfunction caused by the use of SSRI and SNRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants. serotonin-norepinephrine). In this syndrome, sexual function does not return to normal after stopping treatment.
The study analyzes data from a survey of approximately 9,600 young adult participants, focusing on different factors that can shape experiences related to gender and sexuality during adolescence and young adulthood. Participants were asked about taking antidepressants and associated symptoms, including the symptom of genital numbness, known as genital hypothyroidism, also a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The analysis thus reveals that:
- 13 % of people who have used antidepressants report reduced genital sensitivity vs. 1% of users of other psychiatric medications;
- the frequency of genital hypothyroidism in people who have already used antidepressants is more than 10 times higher at the frequency observed in people who have used another psychiatric medication (such as antipsychotics or sedatives).
A sharp deterioration in sexuality and quality of life: an author testifies: “I have spoken to teenagers who suffer from this syndrome and it is devastating. This experience is truly distressing because it involves not only numbness of the genitals, but also impotence, which constitutes “serious harm”.” So, if for some people, this loss of sensitivity is slight, with a loss of sensation, estimated at 20%, for other people, it is a complete numbness.
More broadly, the study recalls the risk of possible impact of pharmacological interventions on the sexual experiences of young people and the urgency of a better understanding of these effects,” concludes Travis Salway, associate professor at SFU and lead author of the ‘study.
What mechanism? At this stage, researchers do not know how to explain these effects of loss of genital sensitivity and sexual dysfunction: “There is no medical explanation for this numbness of the genitals due to depression or anxiety.”
The authors’ message at this point is, more education and more warnings for patients as well asbetter training of prescribers on these possible effects of antidepressants.
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