A Study of Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Patients Receiving Psychotropic Drugs

Abstract

Background: Sexual dysfunction is the most common side effect associated with psychotropic drugs. It is a threat to patient’s quality of life and a major reason for non –compliance. Psychotropic agents can impair the sexual response in different ways due to their neurobiological mode of action. Prevalence rates of sexual side effects are extraordinarily difficult to estimate due to a variety of factors, such as the effect of the disorder being treated, co morbid disorders and baseline sexual dysfunction. Objectives: To study the association between sexual dysfunction and psychotropic drugs in patients using various psychotropic drugs like antidepressants, anti-psychotics, anti-cravings and anxiolytics. Methods: A cross sectional study was done among 200 patients. A self-designed semi structured questionnaire consisting of socio demographic details, relevant psychiatric history and Psychotropic – Related Sexual dysfunction questionnaire (PR Sex DQ – SALSEX) was used. The obtained data was entered in MS excel and analysed using SPSS software Results: Among 200 patients ,62.5% of males and 38.5% of females felt that their psychiatric medications were causing sexual side effects. Out of them 41.7% of men and 30.03 % of women. Conclusion: The most relevant groups for impairment are antidepressants and antipsychotics due to the serotonin agonistic and anti – dopaminergic properties as well as the prolactin increasing characteristics. The treatment of psychiatric disorders should follow a comprehensive treatment plan that anticipates a likely sexual dysfunction at the initiation of treatment.