The tricyclic medications and the MAOIs appear to present about the same likelihood of sexual side effects as the SSRIs.
Different medications act on certain phases of the sexual response cycle more than others.
For example, the SSRIs seem more likely to cause problems related to orgasm or desire, less likely to cause problems with arousal. The older medications have a more overall effect on sexual functioning. The percentage of people who suffer sexual side effects after taking antidepressants is fairly similar in women and men. But women are more likely to attribute these problems to changes in their relationship or to something in their own behavior, whereas men are more likely to state that their medication is causing the problem. My husband is currently being treated for depression.