Sexual Dysfunction and Mood Stabilizers in Long-Term Stable Patients With Bipolar Disorder

The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Ana García-BlancoPilar Sierra

Abstract

In addition to factors intrinsic to bipolar disorder (BD), sexual functioning (SF) can be affected by extrinsic causes, such as psychotropic drugs. However, the effect of mood stabilizers on SF and quality of life (QoL) is an underexplored research area. To analyze SF in BD outpatients in euthymia for at least 6 months treated only with mood stabilizers and the association between SF and QoL. A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 114 BD outpatients treated with (i) lithium alone (L group); (ii) anticonvulsants alone (valproate or lamotrigine; A group); (iii) lithium plus anticonvulsants (L+A group); or (iv) lithium plus benzodiazepines (L+B group). The Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire Short Form (CSFQ-14) was used. Statistical analyses were performed to compare CSFQ-14 scores among the pharmacological groups. An adaptive lasso was used to identify potential confounding variables, and linear regression models were used to study the association of the CSFQ-14 with QoL. Self-reports on phases of the sexual response cycle (ie, desire, arousal, and orgasm) and QoL were assessed. The A group had better total SF scores than the L group and the L+B group. Relative to the A group, the L and L+B groups had worse...Continue Reading

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