Premature Ejaculation: Guidelines

From: http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guidelines/main-reports/pme/pme_2004.pdf

Evaluation of the Patient With Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is a self-reported diagnosis. A sexual history in which the patient uses
language that explicitly communicates the circumstances of the condition is the fundamental
basis of assessment with time to ejaculation as the most important feature. The opinion of a
partner can provide a significant contribution to clinician understanding. A complete description
is essential in distinguishing PE from ED, i.e., the inability to attain or maintain an erection,
because these conditions frequently coexist. Moreover, some men are unaware that loss of
erection after ejaculation is normal; thus, they may erroneously complain of ED when the actual
problem is PE.
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Recommendation 1:
The diagnosis of PE is based on sexual history alone. A detailed sexual history should be
obtained from all patients with ejaculatory complaints.
[Based on Panel consensus.]
When obtaining the patient’s history, several important sexual and psychological characteristics
should be assessed: frequency and duration of PE, relationship to specific partners, occurrence
with all or some attempts, degree of stimulus resulting in PE, nature and frequency of sexual
activity (foreplay, masturbation, intercourse, use of visual clues, etc.), impact of PE on sexual
activity, types and quality of personal relationships and quality of life, aggravating or alleviating
factors, and relationship to drug use or abuse. Laboratory or physiological testing is not required
unless the history and a physical examination reveal indications beyond uncomplicated PE.
Recommendation 2:
In patients with concomitant PE and ED, the ED should be treated first.
[Based on Panel consensus.]
Another priority of assessment should be determining whether ED is a concurrent problem.
Many patients with ED develop secondary PE, perhaps due to either the need for intense
stimulation to attain and maintain an erection or due to the anxiety associated with difficulty in
attaining and maintaining an erection. Premature ejaculation may improve in patients when
concomitant ED is effectively treated.
IV. Treatment of Premature Ejaculation
Recommendation 3:
The risks and benefits of all treatment options should be discussed with the patient prior to
any intervention. Patient and partner satisfaction is the primary target outcome for the
treatment of PE.
[Based on Panel consensus.]
As outlined above, the treatments for PE range from psychological and behavioral therapies to
pharmacologic therapies. While pharmacologic therapies are the focus of this guideline, other
types of interventions may be considered. The patient plays a central role in determining the need
for treatment. The patient and possibly his partner can be reassured that PE is a common and
treatable disorder. Information on the risks and benefits of all therapeutic options should be
presented to the patient (and partner) so that an educated treatment choice may be made by the
patient in consultation with the physician. Premature ejaculation is not a life-threatening
condition; therefore, safety should be a primary consideration. Some treatments, such as
neurectomy and penile prosthesis implantation, have risks that far outweigh their benefits. In
addition, none of the medical therapies currently employed in the management of PE have been
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this specific indication. Thus,
doses and dosing regimens frequently deviate from that employed for FDA-approved indications,
and this difference should be considered in the risk-versus-benefit assessment of pharmacologic
therapy.
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Efficacy of Proposed Treatments
The preponderance of evidence together with Panel consensus strongly suggest that patients can
benefit from the use of several oral or topical medications. At the dosages used in the
management of PE, these treatments have been shown to have safety profiles that generally are
appropriate to support their use.
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Recommendation 4:
Premature ejaculation can be treated effectively with several serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SRIs) or with topical anesthetics. The optimal treatment choice should be based on both
physician judgment and patient preference.
[Based on Panel consensus and review of data.]
Oral Medication — Antidepressants
Several antidepressants known to cause anorgasmia and delayed ejaculation have been evaluated
in the management of PE. These antidepressants include SRIs, the majority of which are
selective (SSRIs) — fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline — and the tricyclic antidepressant
clomipramine (Table 1). The SRIs have been successfully utilized in the management of PE. As
a group, in clinical trials, the SRIs have provided significant benefit over placebo. Studies have
suggested that nefazodone, citalopram, and fluvoxamine are ineffective for the treatment of PE
and may be more suitable than other SSRIs for treatment of depression in men not wanting
ejaculatory impairment.
Table 1. Medical therapy options for the treatment of premature ejaculation*
Oral Therapies Trade Names† Recommended Dose ‡§
Nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Clomipramine
Anafranil® 25 to 50 mg/day
or
25 mg 4 to 24 h pre-intercourse
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Fluoxetine Prozac®, Sarafem® 5 to 20 mg/day
Paroxetine
Paxil® 10, 20, 40 mg/day
or
20 mg 3 to 4 h pre-intercourse
Sertraline
Zoloft® 25 to 200 mg/day
or
50 mg 4 to 8 h pre-intercourse
Topical Therapies
Lidocaine/prilocaine cream EMLA® Cream Lidocaine 2.5%/prilocaine 2.5%
20 to 30 minutes pre-intercourse
*This list does not reflect order of choice or efficacy.
†Trade names listed may not be all-inclusive.
‡ Peak plasma concentrations occur 2 to 8 hours (h) postdose and half-lives range from 1 to 3
days.
§Titrate doses from low to high based on response.
Dosing
Various doses and dosing regimens of the SRIs have been evaluated in efficacy and safety
studies of PE. Some studies have employed continuous daily dosing while others use a
situational dosing regimen whereby the medication is only taken prior to sexual activity.
Different situational dosing regimens also have been assessed, varying timing of the dose prior to
sexual activity to the time of peak plasma concentrations of the prescribed agent. The limited
data on situational dosing suggest that this regimen may be of use to some men because of the
theoretical advantage that less of the drug will be used. In general, though, these SRIs have been
designed for continuous usage, and their benefits in the treatment of depression are better
established after a period of consistent drug administration. Conversely, continuous
administration may foster a problem with patient compliance.
Whether continuous or situational dosing is more effective in the management of PE is unclear.
The optimal interval for situational dosing before intercourse has not been established and the
onset of action of these SRIs for this indication is unknown. However, all Panel members utilize
a situational dosing regimen in their practices, and some initiate therapy with daily dosing
(loading period). The choice of regimen often is based upon the frequency of sexual activity by
the patient.
Duration of Therapy
Therapy for PE most likely will be needed on a continuing basis. There is no clear consensus as
to whether SRIs will effect an eventual cure of PE, allowing for discontinuation of the
medication, or whether SRIs will be required for life. The Panel members’ experience is that PE
usually returns upon discontinuing therapy.
Dosing of Specific Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Doses of fluoxetine ranging from 5 to 20 mg/day (see Table 1) are reported to be more effective
in delaying ejaculation and enhancing patient/partner satisfaction than placebo. A regimen in
which the dose is increased after 1 week (to 40 mg/day or to 60 mg/day) also has been used with
success 11, 12. In addition, there is evidence that a clinically beneficial effect may be observed at
daily doses as low as 5 mg13.
Both daily administration of paroxetine at 10, 20 and 40 mg/day and episodic administration at
20 mg 3 to 4 hours prior to intercourse (see Table 1) have been shown to increase ejaculatory
latency14, 15, 16. Due to the limited number of patients evaluated in these trials, the benefit of
increasing the dose to 40 mg/day has not been established. The majority of evidence shows
effectiveness with 20 mg daily dosing, thus supporting a general suggestion that this dose of
paroxetine provides the greatest benefit in remediating PE.
Sertraline, either given in daily doses of 25, 50, 100 or 200 mg or situationally in doses of 50 mg
at 5 p.m. (4 to 8 hours before intercourse) (see Table 1), has been shown to increase ejaculatory
latency17. Higher doses may increase efficacy, but logic suggests that higher doses may be
associated with increased frequency of ED and decreased libido. Studies to date, though, have
been too small to substantiate this conclusion about dose-related side effects.
Clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant with SRI effects, has improved ejaculatory latency and
other measures of PE when prescribed at doses of 25 and 50 mg/day or 25 mg 4 to 24 hours prior
to intercourse (see Table 1). Adverse event rates and the beneficial effects of clomipramine
appear to be dose-related18.
Adverse Effects
Although the adverse effects of the SRIs have been well described in the management of clinical
depression, the following facts should be considered when weighing the risks of prescribing
these agents for the patient with PE:
• First, men being treated for PE often are different from those being treated for
depression, and the adverse effects of these medications have not been well assessed
in settings other than depression. However, from evidence gathered to date, it
appears that the adverse event profiles of the SRIs reported in the treatment of PE are
similar to those reported in patients being treated for depression. The type and rate of
occurrence of side effects appear to be acceptable to most patients and typically
include nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, and reduced libido (see Appendices 1 and 2).
Isolated cases of more serious complications, such as mania19 and withdrawal
symptoms, and potential drug interactions also have been associated with the use of
SRIs. Pharmacodynamic drug interactions resulting in a “serotonergic syndrome”
characterized in mild cases by headache, nausea, sweating, and dizziness and in
severe cases by hyperthermia, rigidity, delirium, and coma have been reported rarely
with concomitant use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, lithium, sumatriptan and
tryptophan. Pharmacokinetic interactions resulting in alterations in drug blood levels
have been reported with the concomitant administration of agents that, like the SRIs,
also are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme system or are bound to
plasma proteins. Clinically significant pharmacokinetic interactions may rarely occur
with the use of anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, cimetidine, tricyclic
antidepressants, antipsychotic agents, tolbutamide, antiarrhythmics, and warfarin
especially in the elderly patient.
• Second, doses that are effective in the treatment of PE usually are lower than those
recommended in the treatment of depression, suggesting that the frequency and
severity of adverse events also could be less.
• Third, because two drug administration regimens, continuous daily dosing and
situational dosing, are employed in the treatment of PE, adverse event profiles may
differ among patients depending on the regimen prescribed.
The experience with SRIs, as reflected in the evidence tables, and the familiarity of Panel
members to date with these medications in this clinical setting suggest that the level of adverse
effects is acceptable for the benefit derived in the patient with PE.
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Topical Anesthetic Agents
Topical anesthetic agents may be applied to the penis prior to intercourse to delay ejaculation.
After topical application, these agents have been used either with or without a condom. The
condom may be removed prior to sexual intercourse and the penis washed clean of any residual
active compound. Lidocaine/prilocaine cream (2.5 g) applied for 20 to 30 minutes prior to
intercourse (see Table 1) has been shown to increase latency time. No significant side effects
have been noted. Prolonged application of topical anesthetic (30 to 45 minutes) has been
reported to result in loss of erection due to numbness of the penis in a significant percentage of
men20. The reduction of penile sensation may limit the acceptability of this method of treatment.
Diffusion of residual topical anesthetic on the penis into the vaginal wall also may result in
numbness in the partner21. Topical anesthetics are contraindicated in patients who are either
allergic themselves or have partners who are allergic to any component of the product.
Other Pharmacologic Therapies
Other pharmacologic therapies have been described in the treatment of PE in patients without
ED. Intracorporal injection of a vasoactive agent, such as alprostadil, and the administration of
sildenafil citrate, therapies effective in the management of ED, have been found to increase
latency in patients with PE in a few small studies22, 23. A recent study of 80 men without
concomitant ED found that the administration of a combination of sildenafil citrate and
paroxetine on a situational basis enhanced the efficacy of paroxetine alone, although there was
an increase in the frequency of the side effects of headache and flushing24. Underlying these
interventions is the hypothesis that pharmacologic maintenance of a rigid erection reduces the
patient’s need to rush to orgasm.
Because ejaculation involves the sympathetic nervous system, adrenergic blockade has been
proposed as a treatment for delaying or inhibiting ejaculation. One clinical trial did show modest
efficacy with alfuzosin and terazosin25. Phenoxybenzamine and propranolol also have been
studied, but the Panel did not believe the evidence was sufficient to support a recommendation
for their use26, 27, 28.