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Resolution of sexual dysfunction during acute treatment of major depression with milnacipran
Author(s) -
Baldwin David,
Moreno Ricardo A.,
Briley Mike
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.955
Subject(s) - milnacipran , depression (economics) , hamd , sexual function , sexual dysfunction , psychology , antidepressant , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , rating scale , developmental psychology , anxiety , economics , macroeconomics
Objective The sexual function and enjoyment questionnaire (SFEQ) was developed to assess and detect changes in sexual function in men and women. The aim of the present study was to use the SFEQ to evaluate the effects of the serotonin‐noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, milnacipran, in the treatment of depression in two culturally different populations. Methods The SFEQ was employed in two studies investigating milnacipran in the treatment of major depression: a 12‐week open study in Brazil and a 6‐week randomised controlled study in Europe. Results At endpoint, 61.3% (Brazil) and 78.4% (Europe) of patients had ≥50% reduction of baseline Hamilton Depression Rating (HAMD) score. All SFEQ items showed improvements in sexual function in both studies at endpoint, 60% (Brazil) and 56% (Europe) of patients stating that their sexual desire was as great as or greater than it had been before their depressive episode. Conclusions Milnacipran appears to improve sexual function in parallel with improvement in other symptoms of depression. The SFEQ is a sensitive instrument for measuring changes in sexual function and appears to be unaffected by cultural differences as shown by similar findings in Brazil and Europe. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.