Paper offers insight on antidepressant-induced female sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction is a common side effect for women on antidepressants , but a new article by the Women's Health Clinic and Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Tierney Lorenz, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Charlotte, shows promise for targeting and treating antidepressant-induced female sexual dysfunction. The paper, published in this month's issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings , discusses treatment options and the research backing them for women who face sexual dysfunction while on antidepressants. Stephanie Faubion, M.D., director of the Office of Women's Health, of Mayo Clinic, and Jordan Rullo, Ph.D., L.P., report that the onset of sexual side effects develops within one to three weeks of beginning an antidepressant regimen. However, the benefits of the antidepressants themselves do not appear until approximately two to four weeks into treatment , which may cause women to lose interest in a medication that may seem t...