We decided to discontinue risperidone and we started him on aripiprazole, which is known to have fewer sexual side-effects. The patient was complaining of decreased libido and erectile dysfunction and he requested a different antipsychotic medication. He was a social drinker and never used elicit substances throughout his life. He did not receive any other medication for mental or physical health issues. His persecutory delusions were generally well controlled with risperidone 4mg daily. He had regular outpatient follow-up appointments for almost six years. PresentationĪ 32-year-old heterosexual male patient was under the care of our specialist psychosis team with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia with emotionally unstable personality disorder traits. Here the authors present a case of hypersexuality and new-onset homosexual behaviour, following aripiprazole use in a male patient, which resulted in discontinuation of aripiprazole and subsequent elimination of the side-effects. 2 There are sporadic case reports associating aripiprazole partial dopaminergic agonistic effect with compulsive actions, including pathological gambling, excessive shopping and hypersexuality. 1Īripiprazole is a dopamine D2 receptor partial agonist that is infrequently associated with sexual side-effects and is frequently used to ease the side-effects that can arise from high prolactin levels. Antipsychotic medication leads to dopamine levels decreasing and prolactin levels increasing, which reduces libido. Sexual dysfunction constitutes a significant reason for non-adherence to antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia and other mental health disorders.