Comparison of sertraline and citalopram for treatment of premature ejaculation

Abstract

Introduction: We evaluated the efficacy of citalopram and sertraline in the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE).

Materials and methods: Of 101 married men with PE, 80 were eligible and consented to participate in this randomized controlled trial. Erectile dysfunction and administration of drugs for the treatment of PE were the exclusion criteria. The patients were evaluated using index of premature ejaculation (IPE) questionnaire and were randomly assigned into groups 1 (sertraline) and 2 (citalopram). They received one of these drugs for 8 weeks and then were re-evaluated by the IPE. Pretreatment and posttreatment results were compared within and between the study groups.

Results: A total of 80 patients entered and completed the study. The mean age of the patients was 38.4 +/- 7.7 in group 1 and 37.5 +/- 6.9 in group 2 (P = .60). The mean pretreatment IPE scores were 21.4 +/- 1.8 and 20.9 +/- 1.3 in the patients of groups 1 and 2, respectively (P = .23). After 8 weeks, significant improvement was seen in both groups in terms of the IPE questionnaire results (39.8 +/- 1.4; P < .001 and 39.5 +/- 2.9; P < .001, respectively). However, the treatment response was not different between the 2 groups (P = .50). No serious adverse effects were detected in any of the patients and both drugs were tolerated well.

Conclusion: Citalopram and sertraline are safe and effective in patients with PE. Additionally, we failed to find any difference between the effects of these two drugs in the treatment of this condition.