More than 100 million people worldwide take SSRIs to treat depression, anxiety and related disorders. 

The NHS describes the drugs as “the first choice medication for depression” because they generally have fewer side effects than many other anti-depressants. 

But it adds that the side effects “can be troublesome at first, but they’ll generally improve with time”.

According to the health service, common side effects include feeling agitated, shaky or anxious, feeling or being sick, dizziness, blurred vision, low sex drive, difficult achieving orgasm during sex or masturbation, and in men, difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection.

The study was published in Nature. 

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