Acupuncture can help with Sexual Side-Effects of Antidepressants

Research from Canada: sexual side-effects of antidepressant medication.Researchers in Toronto, Canada have found in a pilot study, that acupuncture has a potential role in helping with the unwanted sexual side-effects of antidepressant medication. These drugs, including the so-called SSRIs introduced in more recent years (citalopram, cipramil, fluoxetine, Prozac, Seroxat) are known to cause sexual dysfunction such as loss of libido and impotence in 50 to 90% of users.

A group of patients experiencing such symptoms were given a traditional Chinese medical assessment, and then treated with acupuncture over a twelve week period. Participants were asked to complete weekly questionnaires. Women reported a significant improvement in libido and lubrication, with small trends towards improvement in several other areas. Men reported significant improvements in all areas of sexual functioning, plus reductions in anxiety and depression.

(Efficacy of Acupuncture Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction Secondary to Antidepressants. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 19 November 2013.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.