Pharmaceutical companies will be forced to include warning labels on antidepressant packaging that the drug could cause long-lasting sexual dysfunction.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will recognize that sexual dysfunction in those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications could last months or even years after the patient has stopped taking the medication.
So far, the TGA has received 89 reports of sexual dysfunction with an SSRI or SNRI in its adverse events database, as well as four reports of sexual dysfunction that persisted after three men and one woman stopped the drug.
However, the agency believes post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) is underreported in Australia due to hundreds of cases in Europe.
Reports detail symptoms such as difficulty reaching orgasm, weakened orgasms, erectile dysfunction, and reduced penile sensation. The Australian reported.
Drug companies will be required to include long-term sexual dysfunction as a possible symptom for Australians taking antidepressant medications (file image)
‘The effects persisted for 12 months to three and a half years. “Persistent sexual dysfunction after stopping treatment is thought to be rare,” the TGA stated.
‘However, these symptoms are likely underreported and their prevalence is currently unknown.
“Healthcare professionals should be alert to this issue and consider whether current or previous use of antidepressants could be a factor in patients reporting sexual dysfunction…and report if they suspect an association.”
As a result, all SSRI and SNRI medications must carry the warning that the pills could cause sexual dysfunction that can last for months or even years.
The label should also report that some users have experienced long-lasting sexual dysfunction after stopping the medication.
Several drug manufacturers in Australia have begun to include the potential risk of sexual dysfunction on SSRI drug labels.
An estimated one in seven Australians takes antidepressants daily and more than 32 million prescriptions for these medications are currently issued each year.
An estimated one in seven Australians takes antidepressants daily and more than 32 million prescriptions for these drugs are now issued each year (file image)
It comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was the subject of a lawsuit over perceived inaction in requiring revised labels.
Tens of thousands of people who suffer from PSSD have lamented their long-lasting symptoms in online forums, and many fear that sexual dysfunction will last a lifetime.
Australian consultant neurologist Julia Thompson said the reasons why sexual dysfunction persists after SSRI use are still unknown.
“There is now a sign that there is a reason to be vigilant, but it is necessary to emphasize that the mechanisms are not understood,” he said.
«The exact reason why sexual dysfunction persists 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 not to say that drugs are the cause because people can have numbness from abuse or other things. The confounding factors are that those symptoms are also symptoms of depression and symptoms of chronic pain.
All SSRI and SNRI medications should carry the warning that antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction that can last for months or even years (file image)
A study conducted by the University of New South Wales in 2023 found that 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 United States.
The study found that prescription rates have doubled in the last 10 years, while the start of Covid lockdowns saw a further increase in prescriptions of 15 per cent.
The study found that Covid caused an increase in antidepressant use that “was greater among women than men, and greater among young women than other age groups.”
This suggested “a greater mental health burden in populations that were already on a trajectory of increased antidepressant use before the pandemic.”
Guidelines typically recommend taking antidepressants for up to 6 to 12 months after improvement, but this can be extended to up to two years for people at risk of relapse.
The average time Australians take antidepressants has been lengthening and is now four years on average.