They’re drugs taken by one in seven Australians daily, but have harrowing side effects no one wants to talk about. Now the pharma watchdog is finally taking action – but for many it’s already too late

Pharmaceutical companies will be forced to put warning labels on antidepressants to warn patients that the drugs can cause long-term sexual dysfunction.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will recognize that sexual dysfunction in those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may persist for months or even years after the patient stops taking the drug.

The TGA has so far received 89 reports of sexual dysfunction with an SSRI or an SNRI in its side effect database, as well as four reports of sexual dysfunction that persisted after three men and one woman stopped taking the medication.

However, the agency believes that post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) is under-reported in Australia due to the large number of cases recorded in Europe.

The reports describe symptoms such as difficulty achieving orgasm, weakened orgasms, erectile dysfunction and decreased penis sensation, the report said The Australian.

Drug companies will have to list long-term sexual dysfunction as a possible symptom for Australians taking antidepressants (stock image)

Lexapro is one of several SSRI antidepressants available across the country

‘The effects lasted twelve months to three and a half years. Persistence of sexual dysfunction after treatment has stopped is considered rare,” the TGA said.

‘However, these symptoms are likely underreported and their prevalence is currently unknown.

‘Health professionals should be alert to this issue and consider whether current or previous use of antidepressants may be a factor in patients reporting sexual dysfunction… and report if they suspect a link.’

As a result, all SSRI and SNRI medications must carry a warning that the pills can cause sexual dysfunction that can last for months or even years.

The label should also state that some users have experienced long-term sexual dysfunction after stopping use of the drug.

Several drug manufacturers in Australia have begun to include the potential risk of sexual dysfunction on the labels of SSRI medications.

It is estimated that one in seven Australians take antidepressants every day, and more than 32 million prescriptions for these drugs are now written each year.

It is estimated that one in seven Australians take antidepressants every day, with more than 32 million prescriptions for the drugs now issued each year (stock image)

It comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States was hit with a lawsuit over alleged inaction in mandating the revised labels.

Tens of thousands of PSSD sufferers have complained about their long-lasting symptoms on online forums, with many fearing that the sexual dysfunction will last a lifetime.

Australian neurologist Julia Thompson said the reasons why sexual dysfunction lingers after using SSRIs are still unknown.

“There is now a signal that there is a reason to pay attention to it, but it must be emphasized that the mechanisms are not yet understood,” she said.

‘The exact reason why sexual dysfunction lingers is not fully understood. We are now trying to understand the pathogenesis. This is a difficult space when it comes to sexual functioning.

“I think it’s crucial not to say that the drugs are the cause, because people can get numbness from abuse or other things. The confounders are that those symptoms are also symptoms of depression and symptoms of chronic pain.’

All SSRI and SNRI medications should carry the warning that antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction that can last for months or even years (stock image)

A 2023 University of New South Wales study found that more than three million Australians take antidepressants every year.

On a per capita basis, this puts Australia behind only Iceland – where seasonal affective disorder is common due to the 19-hour winter nights – and the US.

The research shows that the number of prescriptions has doubled over the past ten years, while at the start of the Covid lockdowns there was an additional increase in the number of prescriptions of 15 percent.

The research found that Covid led to an increase in antidepressant use that was ‘greater among women than among men, and greater among young women than among other age groups’.

This indicated “an increased mental health burden in populations that were already on a trajectory of increasing antidepressant use before the pandemic.”

Guidelines typically recommend that antidepressants should be taken for 6 to 12 months after improvement, but this can be up to two years for people at risk of relapse.

The average time Australians take antidepressants has increased and now averages four years.