30% of men under the age of 60 report experiencing premature ejaculation at least once over the last 12 months.

Premature ejaculation occurs when a man orgasms with very little sexual stimulation. Premature ejaculation is also known as – early ejaculation, rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax, and ejaculation praecox.

Under the age of 60, premature ejaculation is the most common sexual dysfunction in men. According to the University of Chicago’s “Sex in America” surveys, conducted in 1999 and 2008, researchers found approximately 30% of men reported experiencing premature ejaculation at least once within the last 12 months. Compare this to only 10% of the same men reporting erectile dysfunction during the last 12 months, and it becomes clear premature ejaculation is a much more common problem.

There are a variety of treatments available to help men with premature ejaculation, including exercises designed to help delay ejaculation, psychological counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy. For some, medications are a viable course of premature ejaculation treatment.

Medication Overview for the Treatment of Premature Ejaculation

There are two types of medications typically prescribed for the treatment of premature ejaculation — antidepressants and topical anesthetic cream. Although none of these are specifically approved by the FDA for premature ejaculation treatment, they are often used for this purpose. Oftentimes, the patient and doctor have to use trial and error to discover the medications and dosages that are most effective.

Prozac is one antidepressant whose side effect can be used to treat premature ejaculation.

Antidepressants for Premature Ejaculation

One side effect of some antidepressants is delayed orgasm. As such, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant for premature ejaculation, due to this side effect. However, there are other side effects that must be taken into consideration, before going this route. These include – nausea, drowsiness, dry mouth, and a decreased libido, which may negate the whole purpose of the treatment. Possible antidepressants for premature ejaculation treatment include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs):

Sertraline (Zoloft)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)

These may take up to 10 days, to show the desired delayed orgasm effect. If SSRIs do not help with your premature ejaculation, your doctor may prescribe clomipramine (Anafranil). This tricyclic antidepressant has also been beneficial for men with premature ejaculation issues.

These medications may not need to be taken every day, to help prevent premature ejaculation. Some doctors recommend simply taking a low dose several hours before planned sexual intercourse, to help delay orgasm.

Lidocaine and prilocaine anesthetic creams for premature ejaculation

Anesthetic creams with lidocaine and/or prilocaine can also be used to treat premature ejaculation.

Topic Anesthetic Creams for Treatment of Premature Ejaculation

The topical anesthetic creams used for treatment of premature ejaculation typically contains lidocaine and/or prilocaine, which dulls the penis’s sensation, delaying ejaculation. The creams are applied before sex, and then wiped off when your penis has lost the desired amount of sensation.

One challenge to the anesthetic creams comes with some reports from female partners. Although the cream is wiped off before sex, there have been reports of reduced sensitivity of the female’s genitalia. Also, in very rare cases, some people have experienced an allergic reaction to the lidocaine or prilocaine in the cream.