Will depression reduce sexual function?

Patients with depression should have their own understanding, know how to seek help from others, and see a psychologist in time. Only by being disturbed can depression be prevented from developing further and causing big mistakes. People with depression are different from normal people in many aspects. Will their sexual function decline if they suffer from depression? This is certain, and it also depends on the severity of the patient's condition. Sometimes oral medications can also reduce their function.

1. Will depression reduce sexual function?

Depression can lead to a decrease in sexual desire. Currently, most antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction. Therefore, many patients stop taking antidepressant medication or do not comply due to sexual dysfunction during treatment. However, since the characteristics of depression require long-term use of antidepressants, helping patients correctly understand and face this side effect is very important in antidepressant treatment.

2. What to do if antidepressants cause sexual dysfunction

1. Reversibility of side effects: Regarding sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressants, the first thing to note is that this side effect is reversible, that is, once the antidepressants are discontinued, the sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressants will automatically improve. Therefore, it is unnecessary for patients to worry about whether this side effect will persist.

2. Time-related L Secondly, sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressants is characterized by time. Sexual dysfunction that occurs in the early stage of taking antidepressants will naturally improve in some patients as the medication time increases. Therefore, when sexual dysfunction occurs during antidepressant treatment, do not rush to change or stop the medication. It is necessary to give appropriate time for observation (about 1 to 3 months).

3. Reduce the dosage of drugs: At the same time, you can also closely observe the condition and carefully reduce the dosage of antidepressants to achieve the minimum effective dose while ensuring that the treatment is effective. Studies have found (Nemeth et al., 1993) that sexual dysfunction caused by serotonergic antidepressants can be alleviated by temporarily reducing the drug dosage without interrupting treatment.