Vortioxetine may be a useful alternative for depressed patients coping with treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction, American researchers suggest. 

While many medications are effective for treating depression, some - particularly serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - can have sexual side effects, such as diminished desire, arousal, and orgasm.

Some patients stop taking their medication because of such side effects.

The study involved 447 men and women between the ages of 18 and 55 who were taking an SSRI for a major depressive episode.

The participants stopped their medication and were randomly assigned to take either vortioxetine or escitalopram (another SSRI) for eight weeks. Depression symptoms and sexual function were assessed periodically. 

Overall, patients taking vortioxetine had better sexual outcomes than those taking escitalopram. Depression symptoms for all patients remained stable. 

The study was first published online in August in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Further details are available here. 

Have you noticed the social media share icons at the top of ISSM news articles and other posts?  (If not, you can see them in this example.)

Clicking on these icons makes it easy to share ISSM content with your friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can also use the envelope icon to share ISSM articles with your colleagues. 

Sharing content is an effective way to spread the word on the ISSM's activities, new research, conferences, and more. We hope you'll find these new tools helpful and encourage you to use them to help promote the ISSM!