Abstract
Introduction:
Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs:
this article presents a critical review of the current literature. Although many studies
have been published on sexual side effects of psychopharmacological treatment, only
a minority relate to mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs. Most of these studies
are not methodologically robust, few are RCTs and most did not use a validated rating
scale to evaluate sexual functioning. In addition, many of the studies on sexual dysfunction
associated with mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs are limited by other methodological
flaws. While there is evidence to suggest that mood stabilizers, with some exceptions,
negatively affect sexual functioning, there is still insufficient evidence to draw
any clear conclusions about the effects of anxiolytic drugs on sexual function. There
is some weak evidence to indicate that switching from enzyme-inducing to non-enzyme-inducing
anticonvulsant drugs, could be clinically useful. Some researchers recommend that
sexual dysfunction in patients taking antiepileptic drugs should in general be treated
according to standard guidelines for the management of sexual dysfunction, since reliable
data on special populations is not available. However, specific approaches may be
useful, but cannot yet be recommended until further validating research has been conducted.
We did not find evidence supporting the use of any specific treatment strategy for
sexual dysfunction associated with anxiolytic treatment.
Methods:
This study was conducted in 2013 using the paper and electronic resources of the library
of the Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS) in Trento, Italy (http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793).
The library has access to a wide range of databases including DYNAMED, MEDLINE Full
Text, CINAHL Plus Full Text, The Cochrane Library, Micromedex healthcare series, BMJ
Clinical Evidence. The full list of available journals can be viewed at http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793,
or at the APSS web site (http://www.apss.tn.it). In completing this review, a literature
search was conducted using the key words “anxiolytic drugs”, “mood stabilizers”, “benzodiazepines”,
“psychotrophic drugs”, “sexual dysfunction”, “sexual side effects”, “treatment-emergent
sexual dysfunction”. All resulting listed articles were reviewed.
Discussion:
This review includes studies that investigated the relationship between mood stabilizer
and anxiolytic drug treatment and sexual dysfunction. The purpose was to identify
possible intervention strategies for sexual dysfunction related to these drugs.
Key words
anxiolytic drugs - mood stabilizers - benzodiazepines - psychotropic drugs - sexual
dysfunction - sexual side effects - treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction
