Increased libido during fluvoxamine treatment

Abstract

We treated an 80-year-old man with vascular dementia who developed increased libido induced by fluvoxamine. Sexual stimulation associated with fluvoxamine administration has been rarely reported and the present findings suggest that organic brain dysfunction could be a risk factor for the development of the condition.

‘Inappropriate’ sexual behaviours in dementia

“…Whilst benzodiazepines, dopamine agonists, fluvoxamine and mirtazapine have all been proposed as potential causes, 15,40,41 the only medication that has been clearly implicated in a few cases of hypersexuality in dementia is the cognitive enhancer, donepezil. Donepezil is a selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor with a half-life of 60 to 100 hours.…”

Depression in the elderly

“…The first choice of antidepressant is serotonin‐specific reuptake inhibitors or serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors. However, there are some papers reporting adverse side‐effects of these antidepressants in elderly depression 30 . At present, fluvoxamine, milnacipran, paroxetine, sertraline, mirtazapine and duloxetine are the only antidepressants to be used for elderly depression.…”