Pharmacotherapy of persistent genital arousal disorder/genito-pelvic dysesthesia: an updated review and data from a registry.

Abstract

Introduction: Persistent genital arousal disorder/genitopelvic dysesthesia (PGAD/GPD) is a rare, yet debilitating disease, which has been included in ICD-11. Pharmacotherapy in PGAD/GPD is a mixed blessing - drugs may either alleviate symptoms or worsen/induce them. Therefore, we aim at offering both an overview of pharmacological approaches to treat this disorder, including treatment failures, and to highlight drugs that may induce or worsen symptoms. We include all available data published so far as well as data from an own registry.

Areas covered: The international registries have not recorded any completed or ongoing trials on pharmacotherapy of PGAD/GPD. We refer to case reports, case series, online surveys, and data from our own registry that includes 90 subjects with PGAD/GPD.

Expert opinion: There is weak evidence (level 4) that some drugs such as SSRIs, SNRIs, cannabinoids, and anticonvulsants (pregabalin and gapabentin) may alleviate symptoms in PGAD/GPD. However, serotonergic drugs may also induce or worsen PGAD/GPD during administration or termination, as observed in 28% of cases. In conclusion, the pharmacotherapy of PGAD/GPD is still in its infancy just like the etiopathological understanding of the disease. Clinicians should be aware of PGAD/GPD, conduct careful diagnostics, and discuss an individual treatment plan with the patient.