A patient who has been taking fluoxetine (Prozac)60 mg daily for the past 6 months tells the nurse at the medication follow-up clinic that he is considering stopping the Prozac.He states his mood is fine,and now that he is living normally,his wife is concerned that he has no sex drive.Which response would be best?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The SSRI medications vary in how much they affect sexual function;some have a less negative impact than others and could reduce this problem for the patient and his spouse.Non-SSRI antidepressants might also allow continued treatment of the patient's depression without sexual side effects.Advising the patient to learn to accept the side effects overlooks potential solutions that could reduce the problem and increases the likelihood that the patient will simply become nonadherent to his medication.Changing the medication time will not help the sexual side effects.Although depression often reduces sex drive,in this case the depression has lifted,so the medication is more likely the cause of the sexual problem.

A Patient Who Has Been Taking Fluoxetine (Prozac)60 Mg Daily