CONTACT: Karen Lancaster or Liza Morris, [email protected]
SPECTRUM Science Public Relations
202-955-6222
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY,
"LovePhones" RADIO HOST DR. JUDY LAUNCHES BLUES IN THE BEDROOM CAMPAIGN
30 to 75 Percent of Antidepressant Patients Silently Suffer Sexual Dysfunction, But There is Hope
NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 1999 ˆ Dr. Judy Kuriansky, psychologist and host of the popular nationally-syndicated radio show "LovePhones," has just unveiled the BLUES IN THE BEDROOM campaign, a year-long program designed to prompt frank discussion among patients and doctors about sexual problems and raise awareness about antidepressant therapies that do not cause sexual side effects.
"So many men and women taking medication to feel better find their sex life gets worse," said Dr. Judy. "They need to know new drugs don"št wreak havoc in the bedroom."
Clinical depression plagues at least 17 million Americans, and many take antidepressants. Unfortunately, an overwhelming 80 percent of new antidepressant prescriptions are written for drugs that can cause sexual dysfunction in anywhere from 30 to 75 percent of patients who take them. Sexual dysfunction is defined as an impairment during any stage of the sexual response cycle (desire, arousal, orgasm and resolution) that prevents the individual or couple from experiencing satisfaction from sexual activity.
The problem of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction has not been widely noted, because initial information on these medications reported lower sexual problems than what real people are experiencing. In addition, there is all-too-often uneasiness on the part of the patient, the doctor, or both in discussing sexual problems. Thus, the BLUES IN THE BEDROOM campaign is designed to get people talking about the problem and its solutions.
"Too many patients are too embarrassed to bring up the topic of sex when
speaking to their doctor and therefore suffer needlessly," said Dr. Judy. "With BLUES
IN THE BEDROOM, we are making both patients and doctors more comfortable
discussing this important aspect of their treatment for their depression."
Dr. Judy will take the BLUES IN THE BEDROOM messages to the public and to
physicians through education programs in the media and at professional conferences. For example, she will host lectures at major medical meetings throughout the year to help doctors become more at ease discussing sexual issues with their patients.
"Doctors can be just as uncomfortable as patients discussing sex," she said. "If a medication the doctor is prescribing causes sexual problems for the patient, alternatives must be explored."
Among the alternative therapies is REMERON® (mirtazapine) Tablets, an antidepressant with a novel pharmacological profile. Unlike the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, REMERON works to increase both norepinephrine and serotonin, the two message carriers to the brain that are thought to be reduced during episodes of depression. REMERON is receptor-specific, which means it works on specific receptors in the brain that need attention. The most common serotonergic side effects of agitation, sexual dysfunction, and nausea or vomiting are minimal.
An important feature of this innovative program is a new web site, www.bluesinthebedroom.com. The site will provide fact sheets on depression and sexual dysfunction, as well as a section where web users can ask Dr. Judy questions. They can revisit the site to read her responses.
"With so many people turning to the Internet for advice and information, I"šm very excited to use this medium to help people with these very important aspects of their life ˆ their mood and romance," said Dr. Judy.
"BLUES IN THE BEDROOM is a great way to start people talking about a real problem," said Norman Sussman, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine. "Dr. Judy is a great messenger about the importance of open doctor-patient dialogue and the user-friendliness of antidepressants such as REMERON."
Dr. Judy is a clinical psychologist, popular TV and radio personality, author and lecturer. Besides hosting the syndicated "LovePhones" radio program, she is the author of several best-selling books, including Generation Sex, The Complete Idiot"šs Guide to Dating, and The Complete Idiot"šs Guide to A Healthy Relationship. She is a respected professional psychologist and expert on relationships and sexuality, and is an adjunct professor of psychology at New York University, where she also earned her Ph.D. She spent ten years at Columbia Medical Center and London"šs Maudsley hospital, is a certified sex therapist, and also maintains a private practice.
REMERON is marketed by Organon Inc. of West Orange, NJ, which is the US affiliate of N.V. Organon, a renowned international ethical pharmaceutical company. Organon maintains an unprecedented commitment to healthcare, conducting research in the areas of psychiatry, contraception, fertility, anesthesiology, thrombosis and immunology. Organon is one of the business units of Akzo Nobel N.V. Akzo Nobel, headquartered in the Netherlands, is a market-driven and technology-based company, serving customers throughout the world with healthcare products, coatings, chemicals, and fibers. The company employs 70,000 people and has activities in more than 60 countries.
###
RSS