Persistent Sexual Side Effects After Discontinuation of SRIs: Protocol for a Scoping Review of Symptoms and Birth-Assigned Sex Comparisons (2025)
Persistent Sexual Side Effects After Discontinuation of SRIs: Protocol for a Scoping Review of Symptoms and Birth-Assigned Sex Comparisons December 2025 Gertsman, Shira & Ashley, Marilyn & Akenson, Gillian & Pukall, Caroline. (2025). Persistent Sexual Side Effects After Discontinuation of SRIs: Protocol for a Scoping Review of Symptoms and Birth-Assigned Sex Comparisons. 10.31234/osf.io/6w2u9_v1 Abstract Treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction occurs in up to 70% of individuals treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common class of antidepressants used to treat a wide spectrum of mental illnesses. In most cases, sexual effects resolve shortly after medication discontinuation; however, in some cases, treatment-emergent sexual symptoms persist chronically after treatment cessation. This phenomenon, termed “post-SSRI sexual dysfunction” (PSSD), can occur after treatment with any serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI). The pathophysiology of PSSD, and its dis...