Drug improves sexual function for patients with depression, study finds
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Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and an inadequate response to standard antidepressants who received add-on treatment with the drug lumateperone had significantly improved sexual function, according to a new study led by a University of Virginia School of Medicine researcher.
In a study of 480 patients, significant improvements in sexual function were seen in patients randomized to receive a daily 42 mg dose of lumateperone added to their antidepressant therapy, compared with patients whose additional treatment was a placebo. Improvements were seen across multiple patient groups, including those with baseline sexual dysfunction, women, younger and older adults, and across various aspects of sexual functioning (desire, arousal, orgasm and pleasure).
Approximately 68% of patients with major depressive disorder have sexual dysfunction, and the sexual side effects of antidepressant medications are a leading reason patients stop treatment.
Lead researcher Anita H. Clayton, MD, a psychiatrist at UVA Health, hailed the findings as an important step forward in managing sexual dysfunction in patients with depression.
Clayton and her team published their findings in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Link between depression and sexual function
Major depressive disorder affects approximately 21 million American adults, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. As the researchers note in a paper outlining their study results, sexual dysfunction increases the risk for major depressive disorder, while major depressive disorder and its treatments are also common causes of sexual dysfunction.
The researchers wanted to see if lumateperone—an atypical antipsychotic medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia and bipolar depression and as an add-on treatment to antidepressant therapy for major depressive disorder—could improve sexual function in patients with MDD already receiving treatment with standard antidepressant medications but with less than a 50% reduction in depressive symptoms.
The researchers found that participants who received add-on lumateperone saw significant improvements in depressive symptoms, as measured by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and sexual function, as measured by the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ-14), by the end of the 43-day treatment period. At the beginning of the trial, 82.5% had sexual dysfunction; by the end, more than a quarter reported regular sexual function.
Women appeared to benefit more than men, but the researchers say more research is needed to verify that. Both sexes reported improvements in sexual pleasure and arousal.
In addition, study participants who did not have sexual dysfunction and received lumateperone did not report any worsening of their sexual function during the trial.
"While MDD is associated with sexual dysfunction in 68% of patients, common antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) also contribute to sexual dysfunction in approximately 70% of patients. So if an individual taking an SSRI doesn't see a significant reduction in MDD symptoms, they have a higher combined risk of sexual dysfunction," Clayton said.
"In this study, depressive symptoms and sexual functioning improved in patients randomized to receive lumateperone as an add-on treatment when compared with a placebo. This was particularly true in women, although both sexes had improvements in pleasure, sexual desire and interest.
"This medication, recently approved by the FDA as an add-on treatment when antidepressants alone have had a limited benefit in patients with MDD, improves depressive symptoms and is not associated with medication-induced sexual dysfunction. For this reason, this treatment option may be preferable for some individuals with an inadequate MDD response who wish to avoid sexual dysfunction as a medication side effect."
Publication details
Anita H. Clayton et al, Evaluation of Sexual Function With Adjunctive Lumateperone in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder, The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2026). DOI: 10.4088/jcp.26m16387
Journal information: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Key medical concepts
Major Depressive DisorderSexual FunctionDepression, Emotional
Clinical categories
PsychiatryPsychology & Mental healthClinical pharmacologyReproductive health Provided by University of Virginia Who's behind this story?
Swati Mestri
Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →
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