Anti-depressants linked to male fertility problems

[grace]

Anti-depressants linked to male fertility problems

Updated Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:52am AEST

ABC News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09...m?section=world

 

 

Fertility experts say one in six Australian couples experience delays when they are trying to conceive. (Reuters: Alessandro Bianchi)

 

Researchers in the United States claim they have found evidence that certain anti-depressant drugs can harm sperm DNA.

 

But psychiatrists are urging caution, warning men not to suddenly drop their medication.

 

Many things have been blamed for causing male infertility. Now researchers at the Cornell Medical Centre in New York believe they have stumbled upon another.

 

The team put 35 men on the anti-depressant drug Paroxetine for five weeks. After a month, changes in the DNA of the men's sperm were discovered.

 

Dr Peter Schlegel was the lead researcher for the project.

 

"If you look at normal sperm counts and motility, the standard measures of fertility, you saw no changes, but if you looked at sperm DNA, the genetic material in more detail you actually found dramatic changes in almost half of the men, normal men, who are on this drug," he said.

 

Paroxetine is sold in Australia as Aropax. Millions of prescriptions for various anti-depressant drugs are written in Australia every year.

 

Dr Schlegel says the results came as a surprise.

 

"We suspected a small proportion of men would have some effects because we've seen it in a couple of patients," he said.

 

"We did not expect to see half of the men, normal men who took this drug, to have an effect."

 

Widespread infertility issues

 

Fertility experts say one in six Australian couples experience delays when they are trying to conceive.

 

Peter Illingworth is the medical director of IVF Australia, and says there are a range of causes.

 

"Some are clear abnormalities in a man's sperm, some are problems on the female side such as damage to her fallopian tubes or problems with ovulation," he said.

 

"But in a large number of couples at the moment we really have no idea what is causing them to have a delay in conceiving."

 

Dr Illingworth says the new research throws up a new cause for concern.

 

" [There's] never been any evidence of a link with anti-depressant drugs before but... there have been a whole range of associations of exposure of men to different chemicals, either in the environment or in the forms of medication and effects on their fertility and the health of their children."

 

But psychiatrists would be quick to point out that anti-depressant drugs have previously been blamed for causing other medical problems.

 

Professor Ian Hickie is a psychiatrist at the University of Sydney.

 

"There's a tendency, particularly with the anti-depressant drugs and many of the psychotropic drugs to be blamed for all sorts of problems on an ongoing basis, on the basis of very little evidence that in fact they're doing harm," he said.

 

"So people get concerned and links get raised with all potential sorts of issues.

 

"The actual good that's being done by the drugs in terms of reducing suicidality, treating depression is often understated relative to concerns about potential, rare or other long-term harm."

 

Professor Hickie says he is concerned these studies may cause men to abandon their anti-depressant medication.

 

"Whenever you hear these stories, it's really important to discuss with your doctor the relative benefits that you're getting out of treatment versus any potential to cause long-term harm," he said.

 

Adapted from a report by Michael Edwards for The World Today, September 25.

[brick]

Interesting read Grace thanks. I sent it to my son who has been on anti depressants since year twelve. That is what caused his depression. The pressure of trying to pass year twelve. Ironically he is now a fourth year uni student studying psychology. I have slowly started to turn his thinking around to cannabis as a useful tool in medicine.