sexual side effects of anti depressant meds

Author	Post
zophos Senior Member 1703 Posts 7/08	Posted - May 30 2009 : 11:59PM I am currently taking an anti depressant medication, lexapro. Darn, I hate the sexual side effects. Anyone else w/ the same problems? No sure if there is an answer...just venting. Sometimes, I lay off of the meds for a couple of days, beofre the weekend, to have better sex. Any thoughts anyone? [Link]
jayo All-Star Member 2117 Posts 7/04	Posted - May 31 2009 : 12:24AM Lorraine's current avatar might help. [Link]
jayo All-Star Member 2117 Posts 7/04	Posted - May 31 2009 : 12:40AM Sorry about the flip answer. I haven't heard a good answer for it. I've known a couple people with a similar problem on similar types of meds. They can get going but never arrive. In one case the wife loved it since he lasted longer, but he didn't like it a bit. He dealt with it by going off the meds. This is why I've always been very leery of screwing around with brain chemistry. You change one thing, nine other things gets changed as well. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 1 2009 : 4:23AM Ask a pharmacist or a doctor. [Link]
Pagoda Senior Member Thread Killer 1747 Posts 10/05	Posted - Jun 1 2009 : 5:41AM A lot of the topical stimulation formulas work very well for women that experience the same side effect. Arousal but no pay-off. The same products work for men, increasing sensitivity and intensity. So buy a clitoral stimulation gel, ignore that it's marketed for women, rub it all over your junk and see what happens. Best of luck to you. I know first-hand how frustrating this is. [Link]

LubeNLuv Senior Member 1854 Posts 3/06	Posted - Jun 1 2009 : 10:15AM There are different kinds of AD meds. The most common are called SSRI's and Lexapro fits into this category. SSRI's have a well-known side effect of not allowing you to achieve orgasm or ejaculation. This has nothing to do with the nerve receptors in your dick and most topical applications won't do anything (won't hurt either). What the SSRI's are doing is forcing your brain to take on an "even keel" with your emotions and sensations. No big downers (hence the AD part) but, of course, no big uppers either. There are other AD drugs available that are proven to have fewer sexual side effects. Wellbutrin is one, but there are others. I suggest you be honest with your doctor and explain your situation. He/she may be willing to prescribe a non-SSRI medication on a trial basis to see if it treats your depression without the sexual side effects. I speak from some experience here....took AD's once upon a time, initially SSRI's. You may not know this, but most doctors prescribe SSRI's to men who suffer from premature ejaculation precisely because they WILL delay orgasm/ejaculation indefinitely. I couldn't deal with that side effect so switched to Wellbutrin. No sexual side effects but it does have others. Eventually, I just changed my outlook on life, my diet and exercise program and found I didn't need AD's at all. Ultimately, -IF- your doctor agrees, that is your best choice. Happiness doesn't come in a pill. Clinical depression is well known to be associated with lifestyle issues as much as medical ones. Regardless...talk to your doc. Be honest. More info here. [Link]
Clam Digger Deactivated User Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good. 2268 Posts 1/05	Posted - Jun 2 2009 : 7:03PM I've used Wellbutrin, and have not endured any real sexual problems. I'm certainly no expert here, but it is my understanding that the AD"s are prescribed in address certain symptoms of depression. I've struggle with controlling my anger, especially under stress. You may have different issues, so you need to address them with your doctor. [Link]
Chambly Noire New Member Sex-positive females unite! 4 Posts 6/09	Posted - Jun 7 2009 : 3:30PM As a woman on a high dose of AD (Effexor XR), I experienced many sexual side effects. For example, I would get psychologically aroused but not physically lubricated at all or be completely unable to reach orgasm. After I told him about my problem, my doctor added Wellbutrin to my regimen. He said it not only doesn't have sexual side effects, but it also treats "sexual dysfunction as a result of AD." I am now more or less back to normal sexually. I think you should definitely talk to your doctor instead of going cold turkey on your AD (it could eventually trigger withdrawal symptoms, which are horrible!). Maybe he can change or augment your prescription. [Link]
axlsfury Senior Member 1110 Posts 7/04	Posted - Jun 10 2009 : 10:06PM You may want to switch to something else. That worked for me. Or add in Wellbutrin, that is a common cocktail to help alleviate SD. [Link]
Loraine Senior Member 1559 Posts 3/04	Posted - Jun 14 2009 : 12:49AM Helen Fisher on drugs and love and sex. [Link]
zophos Senior Member 1703 Posts 7/08	Posted - Jun 14 2009 : 10:27AM I appreciate everyone's feedback! [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Sep 9 2009 : 2:26PM LubeNLuv wrote: There are different kinds of AD meds. The most common are called SSRI's and Lexapro fits into this category. SSRI's have a well-known side effect of not allowing you to achieve orgasm or ejaculation. This has nothing to do with the nerve receptors in your dick and most topical applications won't do anything (won't hurt either). What the SSRI's are doing is forcing your brain to take on an "even keel" with your emotions and sensations. No big downers (hence the AD part) but, of course, no big uppers either. There are other AD drugs available that are proven to have fewer sexual side effects. Wellbutrin is one, but there are others. I suggest you be honest with your doctor and explain your situation. He/she may be willing to prescribe a non-SSRI medication on a trial basis to see if it treats your depression without the sexual side effects. I speak from some experience here....took AD's once upon a time, initially SSRI's. You may not know this, but most doctors prescribe SSRI's to men who suffer from premature ejaculation precisely because they WILL delay orgasm/ejaculation indefinitely. I couldn't deal with that side effect so switched to Wellbutrin. No sexual side effects but it does have others. Eventually, I just changed my outlook on life, my diet and exercise program and found I didn't need AD's at all. Ultimately, -IF- your doctor agrees, that is your best choice. Happiness doesn't come in a pill. Clinical depression is well known to be associated with lifestyle issues as much as medical ones. Regardless...talk to your doc. Be honest. More info here. Click to expand I agree with LubeNLuv advice 100%; however, I had the opposite experience with SSRIs. I was on SSRIs for a while and know my sexual function both on and off SSRIs. I didn't realize until I both decreased my dose and tapered off of SSRI completely of the huge impact the SSRI had on my erections and sexual endurance. Off of SSRIs I was hyper-excitable and super-sensitive (evident of LubeNLuv's off-label comment), almost to the point of premature ejaculation (PE). On the drug (second highest dose), I was able to last a long time and erections were about 95% that of off drug. On my highest dose, I had problems getting erect. So, I confirmed the SSRI was responsible because there was a dose-response relationship (means the higher the dose drug, the more effects) between the SSRI and my sexual performance. I have experience in pharmacology, so I played around with my dose to find an optimal dose (caveat: I don't recommend this), which lies on the prescribing clinician and a common tactic for those who use SSRIs for prevention of PE. Talk to your doc about your problems, so s/he can try different strategies like 1). adjusting your dose of current SSRI to minimize problems 2). try an alternative (like LubeNLuv suggested). Don't be embarrassed with talking to your doc about sexual health including medications and side effects you are experiencing. Make sure you give your clinician feedback about the status of your mental health while doing these things. Just make sure you don't overlook the big picture (your mood) and remember sex is moot if you are depressed (unless that's contributing to your depression). Just becareful with playing around with these powerful psychotropics on your own, as they have both known and unknown effects even for specialists. [Link]
mharris127 Senior Member 1844 Posts 8/09	Posted - Oct 1 2009 : 8:36AM One comment -- if you are dealing with a bi-polar (or schizoaffective) depression (because it could turn into mania at any time, especially for rapid cycling bi-polar disorder) be especially careful changing medications and their dosages. For the unipolar depression patient the biggest risk is going back into depression but for bi-polar patients the biggest risk is either suicide from severe depression or extremely erratic behavior from a switch into mania -- possibly causing arrest by police due to uncontrollable illegal actions (such as assault, indecent exposure, murder), loss of family relationships due to actions while manic, etc. If you are bi-polar, the stakes are really way too high to change medications on your own. Note: if you have either bipolar or schizoaffective disorder, you will likely know it -- if it hasn't come up in the doc's or shrink's office, you probably don't have it. [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Oct 1 2009 : 12:48PM Edited by - BYOB_Kenobi on 10/2/2009 2:07:49 AM [Link]
thechef23 Member 47 Posts 7/09	Posted - Oct 15 2009 : 6:52AM I take an SSRI and I've been having the problem above of not climaxing during regular sex. The thing I don't understand is that I am able to ejaculate when masturbating when I use a lubricant and start from a flaccid state. Any suggestions? [Link]

Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02	Posted - Oct 15 2009 : 6:00PM The thing about masturbation is that you don't have to think about anything but busting a nut, plus you've got the perfect feedback loop. You may be thinking too much during intercourse, or not being selfish enough. I'm not suggesting that you ignore your partner, but if you're investing all of your attention in her then you might find it harder to reach orgasm. [Link]
thechef23 Member 47 Posts 7/09	Posted - Oct 16 2009 : 6:47AM Hardware wrote: The thing about masturbation is that you don't have to think about anything but busting a nut, plus you've got the perfect feedback loop. You may be thinking too much during intercourse, or not being selfish enough. I'm not suggesting that you ignore your partner, but if you're investing all of your attention in her then you might find it harder to reach orgasm. Click to expand That can't all be it since she's given me hand jobs as well. [Link]
Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02	Posted - Oct 16 2009 : 4:08PM ^ The issue I have with seeing the meds as the cause of your problem is that I would expect the same result from a hand-job. That is to say, the body goes through the same physical process either way. On the other hand, if I'm getting a hand job, or a blow job, I'm not thinking about whether or not my partner finds what I am doing to her pleasurable, or that I need to last until she's cum, since it's all about what she's doing to me. So, the different response leads me to think it has to do with your mental state, not your plumbing. However, if you weren't having problems before starting the drug, and you are confident that your mental state hasn't changed then I'm wrong. [Link]
LubeNLuv Senior Member 1854 Posts 3/06	Posted - Oct 19 2009 : 10:34AM See that line that reads "TMI?" Yeah, it's behind me now after this post. As I mentioned, I talked openly with my doc about the SSRI he had prescribed for me. I explained in pretty good detail what I was feeling during sex. Generally, it was a feeling of detachment from my own cock. I could achieve and sustain an erection. I could feel "turned on" by the sex acts I was performing with my wife. But I could NOT orgasm without some seriously lengthy pounding in one of her orifices. She even would use Fleshlights on me because she would get totally worn out and the use of them would often do the trick. SSRI's impact everyone differently. I am a strong advocate of understanding how meds impact the body and this is why I am also a strong advocate of looking for natural supplements as opposed to meds IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. In my case, a change of lifestyle and eating habits took care of my depression without having to stay on SSRI's. This is not possible for everyone. Understanding how SSRI's work (they replace/regulate your seratonin, necessary ingredient for helping the brain process pleasure signals and maintaining a balanced mood) is helpful in determining if you can pursue other approaches to dealing with clinical depression without drugs that have side effects. But basically, you get too little Seratonin and you'll get this detached feeling from your cock. Too much seratonin and you can get headaches, tremors, nausea and a host of other issues. Finding that "just right" balance is something your doctor can help you do but MOST dosages for SSRI's are pre-set and not variable....they vary your dosage purely by changing your consumption intervals (2 vs 3 pills in the morning, for example). This is why it is often hard to adjust them and for awhile, particularly during the early stages of treatment, it is very difficult to get the balance just right without constant medical intervention. Now as for why you can masturbate and achieve orgasms easier, it more than likely has to do with two things. First, you are likely applying more pressure to your own cock during jack off sessions than event he wife can do via a handjob. And second, you are likely applying more pressure to your own feedback-approved pleasure zone than your wife can do as she can't feel what you are feeling. For example, if you hit just the perfect rhythm and perfect spot (say...underside of your shaft, just behind the glans), your own body's feedback loop tells you "Ooooh, more there please" and off you go until you orgasm. Very few people can tell their partner that kind of feedback with any degree of accuracy. Ever ask someone to scratch your back? Takes a few minutes for them to find the "perfect spot" doesn't it? They can but only with your help. With masturbation, you don't need that kind of distraction...you know what feels good and you get your mental picture (porn, wife, sex act, whatever you think about) in perfect synch with your physical stimulation. There is no searching for the right spot. There is no performance anxiety (OMG am I gonna take 2 hours to cum again?). There is just you. You are, whether you realize it or not, at a higher state of relaxation than yes even lying there on your back while the wife gives you head or a handjob. And in my experience, at least, this stress of performance anxiety (the opposite kind from premature ejaculation) gets worse over time. You really only have 3 choices. One, get off SSRI's and AD's altogether. Only you and your doctor can decide if that is the right approach for you. Two, change SSRI dosage amounts and/or meds altogether. Wellbutrin, for example, works differently than SSRI's and has little sexual side effects. It has other side effects but not the "OMG I'm wearing a strapon" type of side effect common with SSRI's. Or three, get used to 2 hour delayed orgasms. Utlimately, I chose option 1. Option 2 was a short-term choice for me, and the switch to Wellbutrin did remove the sexual side effect, but preferred dealing with the root cause of my depression and not the symptoms. No way was I going to tolerate option 3. Edited by - lubenluv on 10/19/2009 11:04:09 AM [Link]
Ivory Sex Object by Proxy "We all want our time in Hell." 647 Posts 8/04	Posted - Oct 19 2009 : 8:51PM From everything I've read and heard, the libido-killing/dampening effects of Lexapro are supposed to wear off after being on it for four months or so. Did you stick with being on Lexapro, and if so, did you experience this, zophos? [Link]
mharris127 Senior Member 1844 Posts 8/09	Posted - Oct 22 2009 : 7:50PM Ivory wrote: From everything I've read and heard, the libido-killing/dampening effects of Lexapro are supposed to wear off after being on it for four months or so. Did you stick with being on Lexapro, and if so, did you experience this, zophos? Click to expand I'm not Zophos, but I found that my erections were affected by other meds I have to take more than by Lexapro. I do find that it takes me longer to ejeculate, though that could be age as well. As far as your libido itself (actually wanting sex), that may be more due to the depression than the drug and may go away as your condition recovers -- or that could be due to age, too. I would talk to whoever prescribes the Lexapro to you at your next follow-up appointment. [Link]
thechef23 Member 47 Posts 7/09	Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 2:14AM Hardware wrote: ^ The issue I have with seeing the meds as the cause of your problem is that I would expect the same result from a hand-job. That is to say, the body goes through the same physical process either way. On the other hand, if I'm getting a hand job, or a blow job, I'm not thinking about whether or not my partner finds what I am doing to her pleasurable, or that I need to last until she's cum, since it's all about what she's doing to me. So, the different response leads me to think it has to do with your mental state, not your plumbing. However, if you weren't having problems before starting the drug, and you are confident that your mental state hasn't changed then I'm wrong. Click to expand I am currently off the SSRI and now I am hypersensitive - masturbating takes a few seconds. I don't like this either, I am planning to talk with my doctor about being on the medication, but a lower dose than I was. [Link]
Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14595 Posts 3/02	Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 12:21PM Good luck; I hope you and your doctor can work it out. [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 7:03PM thechef23 wrote: I am currently off the SSRI and now I am hypersensitive - masturbating takes a few seconds. I don't like this either, I am planning to talk with my doctor about being on the medication, but a lower dose than I was. Click to expand Same thing happened to me. Just talk to your doc about it. But this speaks volumes of how SSRIs can be problematic, but in some cases (if doc approves of off-label use) it's beneficial. [Link]
thechef23 Member 47 Posts 7/09	Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 7:05PM BYOB_Kenobi wrote: thechef23 wrote: I am currently off the SSRI and now I am hypersensitive - masturbating takes a few seconds. I don't like this either, I am planning to talk with my doctor about being on the medication, but a lower dose than I was. Click to expand Same thing happened to me. Just talk to your doc about it. But this speaks volumes of how SSRIs can be problematic, but in some cases (if doc approves of off-label use) it's beneficial. Click to expand He said to wait 2-4 weeks and see if it wears off, then maybe go back. [Link]

BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 7:14PM ^Just please don't sacrifice any psychological therapeutic benefits for any sexual benefits. It's not worth it. [Link]
thechef23 Member 47 Posts 7/09	Posted - Nov 15 2009 : 12:29AM BYOB_Kenobi wrote: ^Just please don't sacrifice any psychological therapeutic benefits for any sexual benefits. It's not worth it. Click to expand Are you suggesting I should or shouldn't go back on an SSRI? [Link]
BYOB_Kenobi Senior Member “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Kierkegaard 2684 Posts 8/09	Posted - Nov 15 2009 : 11:26AM thechef23 wrote: BYOB_Kenobi wrote: ^Just please don't sacrifice any psychological therapeutic benefits for any sexual benefits. It's not worth it. Click to expand Are you suggesting I should or shouldn't go back on an SSRI? Click to expand I'm not suggesting any action as I have no idea who you are or your situation. I only hope you are keeping the psychological aspect (original reason for the SSRI) in mind. But you should be communicating and deciding things with your doctor as s/he knows your history the best. Take care. [Link]
LubeNLuv Senior Member 1854 Posts 3/06	Posted - Nov 16 2009 : 1:26PM thechef23 wrote: BYOB_Kenobi wrote: ^Just please don't sacrifice any psychological therapeutic benefits for any sexual benefits. It's not worth it. Click to expand Are you suggesting I should or shouldn't go back on an SSRI? Click to expand TALK.TO.YOUR.DOC. We can't tell you what is best for you. If you and your doc decide to go OFF the SSRI's, there are ways to minimize the withdrawls and to step up your monitoring (self and doctors visits) to ensure you can cope without the meds. There are tens of thousands of patients who manage to go off SSRI's altogether and pursue other ways of dealing with their depression, 100% drug free. This may be an option for you. Explore it. WITH YOUR DOCTOR. [Link]