Treatment of premature ejaculation

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common problem, the treatment of which has received an increasing interest in recent years. Traditional management continues to be psychotherapy, with techniques such as the 'squeeze' and 'stop-start' most commonly employed. The application of local anaesthetics to the glans to delay ejaculation, first described over 60 years ago, continues to be used both in medical practice and as an 'over-the-counter' remedy. Over the years, a variety of psychopharmacological agents, especially antidepressants, have been described as treatments for PE. At the present time, the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, licensed for other indications, emerge as the most effective agents to delay ejaculation, but none are licensed for the treatment of PE. There appears to be a high relapse rate irrespective of the mode of therapy used.