Bupropion Treatment of Serotonin Reuptake Antidepressant-Associated Sexual Dysfunction

Abstract:

Serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI)-induced sexual dysfunction is common, and a number of pharmacologic adjunctive strategies have been employed to treat this vexing problem. This open label study tested the efficacy of adjunctive bupropion across several measures of sexual function. Patients taking SRIs for various mood or anxiety disorders who reported prospective decline in sexual function after at least 2 months on SRIs were offered treatment with bupropion, 75 mg/day. Eight patients were treated, and sexual function was measured by use of a visual analog scale at 1 month of treatment. Four of eight patients experienced marked improvement in sexual dysfunction following adjunctive bupropion treatment. Bupropion may be a pharmacologic option for treating SRI-associated sexual dysfunction, though controlled clinical trials are needed.

Keywords: Bupropion; antidepressants; sexual dysfunction; serotonin; depression

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina and VA Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina 29401 2: Department of Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20307 3: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114