The Bottom Line
Premature ejaculation is diagnosed exclusively by patient history, so a detailed sexual history should be obtained from all patients with ejaculatory complaints. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors have become the mainstay of medical treatment, but other possibilities, including topical anesthetics, sildenafil, and adrenergic blockers, have been studied.
DR. SKOLNIK is associate director of the family practice residency program at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital. He is also a coauthor of the “Redi-Reference Clinical Guidelines” handbook for handheld computers. DR. NOTTE is a second-year resident in family medicine at the hospital.