An Open-Label Trial of Quetiapine for Antipsychotic-Induced Sexual Dysfunction

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of switching outpatients with schizophrenia and antipsychotic-induced sexual dysfunction to open-label quetiapine treatment. Secondary objectives were to compare the antipsychotic and prolactin-related effects of quetiapine versus prestudy antipsychotic treatment. Eight patients with at least moderately severe antipsychotic-induced sexual dysfunction (N = 7 taking risperidone, 4–6 mg/d; N = 1 taking haloperidol, 10 mg/d) were evaluated prospectively after they switched to 6 weeks of quetiapine treatment. The assessments that we used included evaluations of sexual functioning (Arizona Sexual Experience Scale [ASEX]; McGahuey et al., 2000), psychopathology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]; Kay, Fiszbeinm, & Opler, 1997), adverse events, and plasma prolactin levels. Quetiapine was associated with clinically and statistically significant improvement in ASEX total scores (p = 0.008) and significantly decreased PANSS total scores (p = 0.03). Plasma prolactin levels tended to decrease after the transition to quetiapine (p = 0.09). Quetiapine appears to offer an option to reduce antipsychotic-induced sexual dysfunction for outpatients with schizophrenia.

Acknowledgments

This article is supported in part by Mental Health Connections, a partnership between Dallas County Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) and the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, which receives funding from the Texas State Legislature and the Dallas County Hospital District, and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.