Table 3.
Oxytocin in plasma and paroxetine and clomipramine in serum in relation to incident changes of sexual function during the first 6 weeks of treatment∗
| Normal or increased sexual interest (n = 14) | Markedly decreased sexual interest (n = 6) | Mann-Whitney test |
Normal orgasm function (n = 5) | Markedly impaired orgasm (n = 15) | Mann-Whitney test |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U | Z | P value | U | Z | P value | |||||
| Oxytocin level (pg/mL) at baseline | 34.1 (28.2, 50.9) | 32.8 (23.1, 39.5) | 35.5 | 0.49 | .62 | 28.5 (28.2, 32.1) | 37.1 (23.1, 50.9) | 22.5 | 1.27 | .20 |
| Oxytocin level (pg/mL) at week 4 | 37.3 (28.6, 44.7) | 40.0 (31.4, 53.4) | 40.0 | −0.12 | .90 | 27.6 (26.5, 31.5) | 42.7 (36.7, 54.1) | 7.5 | 2.57 | .005 |
| Z score for SRI serum level at week 4† | 0.14 (−0.37, 0.57) | 0.07 (−0.95, 1.44) | 39.0 | 0.04 | .97 | −0.34 (−0.89, 0.57) | 0.20 (−0.39, 0.61) | 30.0 | 0.42 | .69 |
| Paroxetine serum level (nmol/L) at week 4 (n = 14) | 129 (94, 161) (n = 11) | 155 (54, 260) (n = 3) | 13.0 | −0.47 | .64 | 77 (50, 158) (n = 4) | 140 (104, 161) (n = 10) | 12.0 | 1.06 | .29 |
| Clomipramine serum concentration (nmol/L) at week 4 (n = 5)† | 232 (175, 288) (n = 2) | 190 (119, 376) (n = 3) | 3.0 | −0.29 | .77 | 288 (n = 1) | 183 (147, 283) (n = 4) | 0 | 0 | .00 |
SRI = serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
∗
Data are present as median (quartiles 1, 3). Sexual function was assessed with the Sexual Symptom Checklist. Only the 20 patients treated with an SRI and with available plasma oxytocin levels at week 4 are included (data for placebo-treated patients not presented).
†
Missing data on serum concentration from one patient treated with clomipramine.