0022-5347/91/1451-0060$02.00/0
THEJOURNAL O F UROLOGY
Vol. 145,60-64, January 1991 Printed in U.S.A.
Copyright G 1991 by AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF PROLONGED PENILE ERECTION ASSOCIATED W I T H TRAZODONE USE IRIGO SAENZ
DE TEJADA, J . CATESBY WARE, RAMON BLANCO, JOE TOM PITTARD, PERRY W. NADIG, KAZEM M. AZADZOI, ROBERT J . KRANE AND IRWIN GOLDSTEIN
From the Department of Urology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Sleep Disorders Center, Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, and Departments of Psychiatry and Urology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
ABSTRACT
Treatment with the antidepressant trazodone has been associated with the occurrence of prolonged penile erection and priapism. T o evaluate the effect of trazodone on erection we monitored the periodic physiological sleep-related erections in 6 healthy volunteers in a double-blind crossover study comparing the effect of trazodone, trimipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) and placebo. In addition, to determine the effects of trazodone on the neurovascular control of penile smooth muscle we performed in vitro studies on corpus cavernosum tissue obtained from patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation. Trazodone significantly increased the total interval of nocturnal erectile activity, while trimipramine had no effect. During the high dose treatment (nights 4 and 5) the average duration of erectile activity per night with placebo was 158 f 41 minutes (mean standard deviation) for night 4 and 177 f 21 minutes for night 5 . During trazodone treatment the erectile activity per night was significantly prolonged to 285 f 115 minutes during night 4 and 232 f 86 during night 5 (p
THEJOURNAL O F UROLOGY
Vol. 145,60-64, January 1991 Printed in U.S.A.
Copyright G 1991 by AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF PROLONGED PENILE ERECTION ASSOCIATED W I T H TRAZODONE USE IRIGO SAENZ
DE TEJADA, J . CATESBY WARE, RAMON BLANCO, JOE TOM PITTARD, PERRY W. NADIG, KAZEM M. AZADZOI, ROBERT J . KRANE AND IRWIN GOLDSTEIN
From the Department of Urology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Sleep Disorders Center, Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, and Departments of Psychiatry and Urology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
ABSTRACT
Treatment with the antidepressant trazodone has been associated with the occurrence of prolonged penile erection and priapism. T o evaluate the effect of trazodone on erection we monitored the periodic physiological sleep-related erections in 6 healthy volunteers in a double-blind crossover study comparing the effect of trazodone, trimipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) and placebo. In addition, to determine the effects of trazodone on the neurovascular control of penile smooth muscle we performed in vitro studies on corpus cavernosum tissue obtained from patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation. Trazodone significantly increased the total interval of nocturnal erectile activity, while trimipramine had no effect. During the high dose treatment (nights 4 and 5) the average duration of erectile activity per night with placebo was 158 f 41 minutes (mean standard deviation) for night 4 and 177 f 21 minutes for night 5 . During trazodone treatment the erectile activity per night was significantly prolonged to 285 f 115 minutes during night 4 and 232 f 86 during night 5 (p
