MIANSERIN, A 5-HT2A 2C AND ALPHA(2) ANTAGONIST, IN THE TREATMENT OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION INDUCED BY SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS/

Sexual dysfunction is commonly encountered in patients treated with an tidepressants. The exact mechanism responsible for the sexual impairme nt is as yet unclear, although activation of the serotonergic system h as been implicated, In the present study, we examined the effect of th e 5-HT2a/2c and alpha(2) antagonist mianserin in the treatment of pati ents with sexual dysfunction induced by serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), Mianserin 15 mg was coadministered to 15 male subjects with ne w-onset sexual dysfunction who were under treatment with SRIs. Four ma jor domains of sexual activity-desire, erection, orgasm, and satisfact ion-were assessed once weekly for 4 weeks. At the end of the study, 9 of the 15 subjects reported a marked improvement in their sexual funct ioning, 2 reported partial improvement, and only 4 subjects showed no improvement at all. The beneficial effects were prominent in the areas of orgasm and satisfaction and were usually noted within the first an d second week of mianserin treatment. The addition of mianserin to the treatment regimen was not associated with either improvement or worse ning of the basic psychiatric clinical status. It appears that the coa dministration of low-dose mianserin may be an additional option in the treatment of sexual dysfunction induced by SRIs.