Bupropion Improves Sexual Function in Type 2 Diabetes

Mean sexual energy scale scores improve in some patients with hyperglycemia or depression

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with type 2 diabetes who are treated with bupropion (BU) for major depressive disorder (MDD) show significant improvement in sexual function, according to a study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.

Gregory S. Sayuk, M.D., M.P.H., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues analyzed the effect of BU treatment on sexual function in 90 patients with type 2 diabetes and MDD, over a period of 10 weeks.

The researchers found that 71.1 percent of patients had insufficient sexual function at baseline, and 56 percent of those who completed BU therapy experienced improved sexual function. During treatment, patients showed a significant improvement in the mean sexual energy scale scores (SES). Sexual dysfunction rates were higher in patients with persistent hyperglycemia, but there was a modest improvement in the mean SES of patients with persistent hyperglycemia or depression (25.9 and 18.2 percent, respectively).

"Our findings support the need for routine assessment of sexual function in patients with type 2 diabetes and MDD, and affirm the importance of mood and glycemic control in sexual function. Selection of antidepressants with lower sexual side effects, such as BU, should yield the greatest potential for sexual and mental well-being in patients with type 2 diabetes and depression," the authors write.

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