Pharma companies will be forced to slap warning labels on antidepressants alerting patients to the fact the drugs can cause long-lasting sexual dysfunction.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will recognise that sexual dysfunction for those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRI) could last for months – or even years – after the patient has stopped taking the drug.
The TGA so far has 89 reports of sexual dysfunction during use of an SSRI or an SNRI (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) in its adverse events database.
It has also recorded four reports of sexual dysfunction persisting after the users – three men and one woman – stopped using the medication.
However, the agency believes post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) is underreported in Australia due to the large number of cases being recorded in Europe.
The reports detail symptoms such as difficulty reaching orgasm, weakened orgasms, erectile dysfunction and reduced penile sensation, reports The Australian.
Drug companies will be required to list long-lasting sexual dysfunction as a possible symptom for Australians taking antidepressant medications (stock image)
Lexapro is one of many SSRI antidepressants available for purchase across the country
‘The effects persisted for 12 months to three-and-a-half years. Persistent sexual dysfunction after treatment is stopped is thought to be rare,’ the TGA said.
‘However, these symptoms are likely to be underreported and their prevalence is not currently known.
‘Health professionals should be alert to this issue and consider if current or previous antidepressant use could be a factor in patients reporting sexual dysfunction… and report if they are suspicious of an association.’
As a result, all SSRI and SNRI medications must carry the warning that the pills could cause sexual dysfunction.
The label must also advise that some users have experienced long-lasting sexual dysfunction after they stopped taking the medication.
Several drug manufacturers in Australia have started to include the potential risk of sexual dysfunction on the labels of SSRI drugs.
It’s estimated one in seven Australians are taking antidepressants daily, with more than 32 million prescriptions for the drugs now issued each year.
It’s estimated one in seven Australians are taking antidepressants daily with more than 32million prescriptions for the drugs now issued each year (stock image)
It comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States was hit with a lawsuit over perceived inaction on mandating the revised labels.
Tens of thousands of PSSD sufferers have lamented their long-lasting symptoms on online forums – with many fearful the sexual dysfunction is lifelong.
Australian consultant neurologist Julia Thompson said the reason why sexual dysfunction lingers after the use of SSRIs is still unknown.
‘There’s a signal now that there’s a reason to watch out for it, but it needs to be emphasised that the mechanisms are not understood,’ she said.
‘The exact reason why sexual dysfunction would linger is not fully understood. We are now trying to understand the pathogenesis. This is a difficult space when it comes to sexual function.
‘I think it’s crucial to not state the drugs are the cause because people might have numbness from abuse or other things. The confounders are that those symptoms are also symptoms of depression and symptoms of chronic pain.’
All SSRI and SNRI medications must carry the warning that antidepressants could cause sexual dysfunction that may last months or even years (stock image)
A study by the University of New South Wales in 2023 found more than three million Australians take antidepressants each year.
Per capita, this puts Australia behind only Iceland – where Seasonal Affective Disorder is common due to 19-hour winter nights – and the US.
The study found prescription rates have doubled in the past 10 years while the start of the Covid lockdowns saw a surge in prescriptions of 15 per cent.
The study found that Covid prompted an increase in antidepressant use that ‘was greater among females than males, and greater among young females than other age groups’.
This suggested ‘an increased mental health burden in populations already on a trajectory of increased use of antidepressants prior to the pandemic’.
Guidelines typically recommend antidepressants be taken up to six to 12 months after improvement but this can extend to two years for people at risk of relapse.
The average amount of time Australians take antidepressants has now stretched out to four years.
