Saw this in the pssdforum. A new medical textbook has been published this year, which has two dedicated chapters to PFS and PSSD. Could be great for more clinical awareness, I think.
This textbook aims to provide the reader with knowledge and skills on rare sexual medicine conditions. The aim is to increase awareness in healthcare providers so they improve their ability to support their patients suffering from debilitating symptoms - characterized by sexual dysfunction, somatic symptoms, and psychological disorders that persist for an extended period.
The available knowledge from the medical literature and clinical experience is summarized, outlining possible pathophysiological mechanisms, and clinical management, including biological-psychological-social contributing factors according to expert opinion, are described.
Written by experts in the field, this publication will be a unique scientific collection of multidisciplinary practical and clear information for urologists, gynaecologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, neurologists, dermatologists, primary health care professionals and psychologists. The didactical approach will be useful for professionals, residents, and students.
These are the abstracts of the respective chapters. Haven’t read the chapters myself, but I assume and hope it concludes with a call for research and clinical recognition.
Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor (5ARI) medication commonly used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and male androgenic alopecia (AGA). Medical management of both conditions with finasteride or dutasteride, another 5ARI, has been generally successful and well tolerated; however, the influx of reported adverse effects has warranted further exploration of this emerging clinical problem. This dilemma in question, coined post-finasteride syndrome (PFS), is characterized as a compilation of sexual, psychological, and physical adverse effects that emerge with finasteride or dutasteride usage and persist even after medication withdrawal. The limited research on PFS is conflicting and inconclusive, further emphasizing the need for direct investigation and elucidation of any associations. This chapter represents an overview of symptoms, epidemiology, presentation, and management of post-finasteride syndrome, a disorder not traditionally widely recognized by the medical community. Still, it has more recently gained recognition in mainstream society.
Antidepressant treatment with SSRIs and SNRIs can have negative influences on all stages of the sexual response cycle. In some individuals, the impairments in sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction continue long after the medication is stopped, for which the term “Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction” (PSSD) is used to describe this disorder. PSSD is unrelated to any pre-existing or reactive mental health issue, medical condition, or substance abuse. PSSD is difficult to diagnose and should be done by analysing the patient’s drug history, the onset of symptoms, and sexual function before starting such a medication. Key symptoms are genital anaesthesia, erectile dysfunction, and pleasureless orgasm. As the pathophysiology of the disorder is unknown, there are no curative treatments available. However, some management approaches are suggested to cope with the impact of the symptoms on sexuality and the quality of life of those bothered by PSSD. Medical recognition of PSSD is critical for obtaining the resources needed to investigate the true prevalence of the disorder, its pathophysiological mechanism(s), and potential treatments.