Paxil Sexual Dysfunction

Paxil, a widely-used antidepressant, has been linked in recent studies to an increased risk of sexual dysfunction. Although pre-market testing showed that there was an increased risk of Paxil sexual dysfunction, some experts note that the risk is actually higher than the pre-market testing found. Meanwhile, one study has also found that a possible Paxil side effect is an increased risk of infertility.

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Paxil Sexual Dysfunciton

According to Paxil's prescribing information, evidence suggests that SSRIs are linked to sexual dysfunction. However, the label information also notes that estimates of the incidence of sexual dysfunction are likely to be low, at least partially because patients and physicians are reluctant to discuss sexual dysfunction. The label cites placebo-controlled clinical trials that showed that problems with decreased libido were reported in between six and 15 percent of patients in the trial who were given Paxil, whereas between zero and five percent of the patients given a placebo reported the same condition.

However, according to an article in the ASAP TABLET, a newsletter for the American Society for the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy, (September, 2006), recent research has shown that the rate of sexual dysfunction linked to SSRIs is much higher than the percentages reported from pre-market studies. The article, authored by Dr. Audrey S. Bahrick, notes, "Depending on definitions of sexual dysfunction and methodology, post-market prevalence studies have found rates between 36% and 98%."

Furthermore, it is not yet known for certain whether or not patients return to their normal sexual functioning after they stop taking Paxil, according to Bahrick, who notes that consumer-reported information indicates that patients have struggled with sexual dysfunction months and even years after stopping their SSRIs. One group cited by Bahrick has coined the phrase Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) to name their condition.

Complications involved in sexual dysfunction include impotence/erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual desire and other changes in sexual performance and sexual satisfaction.

In addition to sexual dysfunction, Paxil has been linked by one study to a risk of infertility. A study published in New Scientist (September, 2008), found that in 35 healthy men treated with paroxetine (known as Paxil or Seroxat), the percentage of sperm cells with fragmented DNA rose to over 30 percent after just four weeks of treatment, up from just under 14 percent prior to treatment with Paxil.

Paxil is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was first approved for treatment of depression in 1992.