Anti-psychotic medications

Content written by Anita H Clayton, MD

Anti-psychotic medications are central nervous system agents utilized with the goal of inhibiting brain activity to prevent unwanted psychotic behavior. In the process of achieving this appropriate therapeutic goal, these inhibitory medications act to inhibit sexual activity including sexual libido, erection, orgasm and/or ejaculation. Often men who suffer from psychoses such as schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder are placed in a dilemma of needing pharmacologically controlling medication with potent inhibitors that pharmacologically reduce sexual function. The man may be put at risk for psychotic behavior if, in an effort to reduce the unwanted sexual dysfunction, he decreases the dose or discontinues critical central nervous system inhibitory medication that otherwise controls psychotic activity. Conversely, prescribing a central nervous system excitatory medication to improve sexual function may act to promote psychotic activity. Individualized sexual health care with frequent patient-physician communication is required to both maximize desired sexual function and minimize unwanted psychoses.