Antidepressants may lift your spirits, but in doing so they can make it more difficult for you to achieve an erection. It’s a cruel irony. Depression itself causes sexual dysfunction, but a common side effect of almost all classes of antidepressants is erectile dysfunction, according to JohnsHopkinsHealthAlerts.com.
Fortunately, the incidence of ED varies depending on the antidepressant you’re taking. In a study published in the “Journal of Clinical Psychology,” researchers found that 37 percent of those taking antidepressants experienced sexual dysfunction. The lowest rates of sexual side effects occurred among those taking Wellbutrin (22 percent) and Wellbutrin SR (25 percent).
Moderate rates — 30 to 40 percent — of sexual dysfunction were observed among those taking Celexa, Prozac, Effexor, Effexor SR, and Zoloft. Sexual side effects were highest — above 40 percent — among those taking Remeron and Paxil.
On the brighter side, a study published in JAMA showed that Viagra improved symptoms in more than half the men with antidepressant-induced ED.