11th April 2024

Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is defined as: (1) a brief ejaculatory latency (within 60 seconds of penetration), (2) inability to delay or control ejaculation, and (3) psychological distress. It can be split into lifelong or acquired forms, with acquired forms being strongly associated with psychogenic factors.

SSRIs are the main drug treatment. Dapoxetine, a short-acting SSRI, is licensed for ‘as required’ use in premature ejaculation. Other SSRIs (e.g., citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline) are widely used as off-label treatments and are prescribed as regular medications which take 2 – 4 weeks to have effect. Topical anaesthetic preparations are also widely available.

References

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK). Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS). Last revised May 2023. Available at https://cks.nice.org.uk/.
• British National Formulary (BNF). Treatment Summaries: Premature Ejaculation. Available at https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summaries/premature-ejaculation/. 
• Althof, Stanley E et al. “International Society for Sexual Medicine’s guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of premature ejaculation.” The Journal of sexual medicine vol. 7,9 (2010): 2947-69. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01975.x.