Rosa damascena oil improves SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction in male patients suffering from major depressive disorders: results from a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial

Vahid Farnia; Mehdi Shirzadifar; Jalal Shakeri; Mansour Rezaei; Hafez Bajoghli; Edith Holsboer-Trachsler; Serge Brand

doi:10.2147/NDT.S78696

Rosa damascena oil improves SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction in male patients suffering from major depressive disorders: results from a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015 Mar 9:11:625-35. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S78696. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Vahid Farnia¹, Mehdi Shirzadifar², Jalal Shakeri¹, Mansour Rezaei³, Hafez Bajoghli⁴, Edith Holsboer-Trachsler⁵, Serge Brand⁶

Affiliations

¹ Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Psychiatry Department, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
² Student Research Center, Psychiatry Department, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
³ Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
⁴ Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
⁵ Psychiatric Clinics of the Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁶ Psychiatric Clinics of the Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland ; Sport Science Section, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Abstract

Background: A substantial disadvantage of psychopharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is the impact on sexual dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the oil of Rosa damascena can have a positive influence on SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction (SSRI-I SD) of male patients who are suffering from MDD and are being treated with SSRIs.

Method: In a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial, a total of 60 male patients treated with an SSRI and suffering from MDD (mean age =32 years) and SSRI-I SD were randomly assigned to take either verum (R. damascena oil) or a placebo. Patients completed self-ratings of depression and sexual function at baseline, at 4 weeks later, and at the end of the study, 8 weeks after it started.

Results: Over time, sexual dysfunction improved more in the verum group than in the control group. Improvements were observed in the verum group from week 4 to week 8. Self-rated symptoms of depression reduced over time in both groups, but did so more so in the verum group than in the control group.

Conclusion: This double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that the administration of R. damascena oil ameliorates sexual dysfunction in male patients suffering from both MDD and SSRI-I SD. Further, the symptoms of depression reduced as sexual dysfunction improved.

Keywords: Rosa damascena oil; SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction; major depressive disorder; selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors; sexual dysfunction.