[Effect of psychopharmacologic therapy on sexual functioning].

Undesirable effects of psychopharmacological treatment on sexual functioning in males and females are summarized in this paper. As the review suggests, all substances used in psychiatric pharmacotherapy might affect sexual functions to a marked extent, a fact which can be explained by different properties of the medication. Review of the literature reveals that the disturbances most frequently provoked by the different substances are diminished sexual interest and ejaculatory impairment. This conclusion can be drawn despite a lack of controlled studies giving indication as to the frequency and practical importance of the effects of psychopharmacological treatment on a patients sexuality. Contrary to expectations, sexual impairment in most of the reports is clearly attributable to a special substance and appears to be independent of the basic psychiatric disturbance. One of the most intriguing results of the review is that considerably fewer reports on the effects of the medication on female sexuality have been published than on male patients. Reports on female patients deal with impaired reproductive functioning, mainly menstrual cycle disturbances. The need for systematic investigation of the effects of psychopharmacological treatment on sexuality is discussed on the basis of the theoretical importance of these effects for the individual patient and in view of the fact that psychotropic medication is frequently prescribed to patients with sexual dysfunctions or deviations without knowledge of the actual effects of the substances on sexual behaviour.