Monday, 7 November 2016

Serotonin and Sexual Dysfunction



Sexual dysfunction is a common side effect of psychotropic drugs and has received much attention because of its negative effects on quality of life and adherence to antidepressant agents. In patients with depression, sexual dysfunction can be attributed to the underlying disorder or to antidepressant drugs. Sexual dysfunction also can occur withfirst generation antipsychotic drugs and second-generation antipsychotic drugs (e.g., thioridazine and risperidone, respectively). In patients with schizophrenia, sexual dysfunction can be attributed to the underlying illness as well as to antipsychotic induced hyperprolactinemia due to dopamine blockade in tuberoinfundibular pathway .

Serotonin and Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual behavior in humans is influenced by dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. In general, DA enhances, whereas 5-HT inhibits, sexual motivation and performance and thus may contribute toinitiation and satiety, respectively. Dopamine has enabling effects on sexual motivation, copulatory competence, and genital reflexes.

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