Anti-Depressants and Sex Drive - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Sultana · 01-14-2007, 07:12 AM

I was hoping TFPers wouls be willing to post about their experiences with how different and specific anti-depressants (and I realize that's a large pool of medications, I'm using this generalized terminology on purpose) affected your sex lives.

I'm in a state of big change here, hubby has gone from Wellbutrin (and two letters here that I can't remember), which helped his attitude a decent bit, to Lexapro, which has been nothing short of a miracle for him (and me!). There have been a few other med changes, but the end result is (at least initially), that HE CAN SLEEP! He's been suffering from insomnia (almost typed amnesia, lol!) for years, and it's taken quite a toll. I'm not certain if the change in his demeanor has been caused by him getting good sleep for the first time in years, or by the Lexapro, although realistically I know it must be a combo of the two.

I think it's still too early to evaluate if there are any sexual side effects, but it is a concern I have. Our counselor says it's a very low percentage of folks who experience that, but I've read So Much about people for whom it is a big problem.

So, how have anti-depressants affected your sex drive?

Aladdin Sane · 01-14-2007, 07:24 AM

Sultana, I take Zoloft, have for years. I've had problems sleeping as a side-effect. As for sex, it lessens my drive minimally. The real problem is that it sometimes makes it difficult for me to orgasm. I can go on and on like a porn star (if that were her thang, I'd be in good shape).
I've been thinking about making a change to another med, so maybe I'll ask my doc to put me on Lexapro. Do you know if it is an SSRI?

Sultana · 01-14-2007, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aladdin Sane

I've been thinking about making a change to another med, so maybe I'll ask my doc to put me on Lexapro. Do you know if it is an SSRI?

It is an SSRI.

I don't know very much at all about Lexapro, Here's the wiki and here is the official website.

Official website FAQ says, "In clinical trials, a low percentage of patients taking Lexapro have reported sexual side effects, primarily ejaculatory delay in men."

I do know it's an anti-depressant *and* anti-anxiety med. Wellbutrin is anti-depressant only.

Good luck!

Grasshopper Green · 01-14-2007, 08:09 AM

I took Lexapro for a year and while it was a godsend for my sanity, my sex drive took a major nosedive. I had quite a few other side effects as well, and my doctor told me she had never had a patient on Lexapro with so many side effects, she said it tends to be an SSRI that most people's bodies are more tolerant of (I'm sensitive to many medications, and I tried Zoloft first and was allergic to it). Like the previous poster, my ability to have an orgasm was affected and it was pretty difficult to have one.

The only way to really tell is to wait and see what happens. Most of my side effects showed up in a few days, but the sexual ones took awhile...then again, I wasn't in the mood for sex due to the reason I started taking them. I read up on SSRI's after taking them and it seems that this is a common side effect with many of them. I hope it doesn't affect your hubby too much!

Acetylene · 01-14-2007, 08:39 AM

I think that no antidepressant can possibly be worse for sex than the depression itself. Even if the drug does make it harder to get aroused or whatever, at least you will be able to laugh about it, instead of wanting to crawl under a rock and die.

snowy · 01-14-2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acetylene

I think that no antidepressant can possibly be worse for sex than the depression itself. Even if the drug does make it harder to get aroused or whatever, at least you will be able to laugh about it, instead of wanting to crawl under a rock and die.

Agreed.

Personally, I've been on Celexa (the precursor to Lexapro) off and on for years (just went back on it almost a month ago after about a year off due to health insurance issues) and I can say with all honesty my sex drive was terrible off of the drugs because of my depression and anxiety problems. I would literally stop my SO in the middle of sex occasionally because of anxiety, because I was so unable to focus on the moment.

The drugs haven't diminished my sex drive at all; if anything, they've let me remember the sex drive I used to have.

Gilda · 01-14-2007, 04:35 PM

Wellbutrin and Lexapro are different types of antidepressant.

There are three neurotransmitters that are believed to be primarily responsible for the regulation of things like moods, sleep, and a variety of other brain functions. Wellbutrin helps to rebalance two of these, dopamine and norepinephrine. The third is seratonin. Lexapro is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor, or an SSRI, which effectively increases the time your brain has to utilize the seratonin it produces, producing the effect of increased seratonin levels.

There are a variety of SSRIs. Lexapro is a refinement of Celexa, the refinements coming when the manufacturer's patent expired and generics became available. It does work slightly differently in that it's more selective than its predecessor was, and therefore is more effective at a smaller dose and has a much lower side-effect profile. Lexapro is the most selective SSRI currently on the market.

I took Zoloft for a couple of months last year and experienced some mild to moderate side effects, chiefly in the form of making me more easily agitated, had some anorgasmia (difficulty orgasming), which was troubling because I'm normally easily orgasmic, and making my chronic insomnia significantly worse to the point that I had to stop taking it. Even on a graduated cessation program, I experienced some withdrawl symptoms, having flu-like symptoms for about two weeks.

I've been on Lexapro now for a couple of weeks, and I'm already seeing a lessening of my depression and general anxiety, and even a little easing of my usually severe PMS. There have been no apparent side effects so far, and at two weeks it's working a bit more quickly than expected. My sex drive has remained about the same.

Shadow_fire · 01-14-2007, 08:48 PM

Shit I can't even remember what the meds I was put on were called...It was a anti-seizure medication that had mood stabilizers...It didn't change my sex drive at all but lately I haven't had any sex anyways so it doesn't mean much. Hasn't changed the amount of wanking I do anyways.

Aladdin Sane · 01-15-2007, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilda

Wellbutrin and Lexapro are different types of antidepressant.

There are three neurotransmitters that are believed to be primarily responsible for the regulation of things like moods, sleep, and a variety of other brain functions. Wellbutrin helps to rebalance two of these, dopamine and norepinephrine. The third is seratonin. Lexapro is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor, or an SSRI, which effectively increases the time your brain has to utilize the seratonin it produces, producing the effect of increased seratonin levels.

There are a variety of SSRIs. Lexapro is a refinement of Celexa, the refinements coming when the manufacturer's patent expired and generics became available. It does work slightly differently in that it's more selective than its predecessor was, and therefore is more effective at a smaller dose and has a much lower side-effect profile. Lexapro is the most selective SSRI currently on the market.

I took Zoloft for a couple of months last year and experienced some mild to moderate side effects, chiefly in the form of making me more easily agitated, had some anorgasmia (difficulty orgasming), which was troubling because I'm normally easily orgasmic, and making my chronic insomnia significantly worse to the point that I had to stop taking it. Even on a graduated cessation program, I experienced some withdrawl symptoms, having flu-like symptoms for about two weeks.

I've been on Lexapro now for a couple of weeks, and I'm already seeing a lessening of my depression and general anxiety, and even a little easing of my usually severe PMS. There have been no apparent side effects so far, and at two weeks it's working a bit more quickly than expected. My sex drive has remained about the same.

Gilda, thanks for this information. I hope you will continue to give us an update on how you are doing on Lexapro. I am seriously considering asking my doc to take me off of zoloft and put me on Lexapro. I've been on it for years, I have problems staying asleep, and it is sometimes difficult for me to orgasm. Maybe Lexapro is the answer.

JumpinJesus · 01-15-2007, 08:06 AM

I'm also on Zoloft, though I'm in the processing of weaning myself off it. I'm currently on a 25mg dose.

I experienced a definite decline in my libido, to the point that it was actually beginning to cause some problems. We went from having sex to 2-3 times a week to me not even caring if it had been 3 weeks. About 4 days after my dosage was decreased, I noticed my libido was coming back. I'm anxiously (irony) awaiting the cessation of this medication to get all my libido back.

absorbentishe · 01-15-2007, 09:45 AM

My wife was on Zoloft and Wellbutrin, not at the same time though. Each caused her drive to be in the dumpster. She went to the doctor who perscribed them, and he gave her a steriod rub to get her in the mood. Yes, it worked, sort of. She has gotten to the point where she no longer needs the meds, and the drive has come back with a furry!! She stopped taking them about two years ago.

01-14-2007, 07:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	Anti-Depressants and Sex Drive I was hoping TFPers wouls be willing to post about their experiences with how different and specific anti-depressants (and I realize that's a large pool of medications, I'm using this generalized terminology on purpose) affected your sex lives. I'm in a state of big change here, hubby has gone from Wellbutrin (and two letters here that I can't remember), which helped his attitude a decent bit, to Lexapro, which has been nothing short of a miracle for him (and me!). There have been a few other med changes, but the end result is (at least initially), that HE CAN SLEEP! He's been suffering from insomnia (almost typed amnesia, lol!) for years, and it's taken quite a toll. I'm not certain if the change in his demeanor has been caused by him getting good sleep for the first time in years, or by the Lexapro, although realistically I know it must be a combo of the two. I think it's still too early to evaluate if there are any sexual side effects, but it is a concern I have. Our counselor says it's a very low percentage of folks who experience that, but I've read So Much about people for whom it is a big problem. So, how have anti-depressants affected your sex drive? __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.

01-14-2007, 07:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
Aladdin Sane Degenerate Location: San Marvelous	Sultana, I take Zoloft, have for years. I've had problems sleeping as a side-effect. As for sex, it lessens my drive minimally. The real problem is that it sometimes makes it difficult for me to orgasm. I can go on and on like a porn star (if that were her thang, I'd be in good shape). I've been thinking about making a change to another med, so maybe I'll ask my doc to put me on Lexapro. Do you know if it is an SSRI? __________________ Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

01-14-2007, 08:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
Grasshopper Green ...is a comical chap Location: Where morons reign supreme	I took Lexapro for a year and while it was a godsend for my sanity, my sex drive took a major nosedive. I had quite a few other side effects as well, and my doctor told me she had never had a patient on Lexapro with so many side effects, she said it tends to be an SSRI that most people's bodies are more tolerant of (I'm sensitive to many medications, and I tried Zoloft first and was allergic to it). Like the previous poster, my ability to have an orgasm was affected and it was pretty difficult to have one. The only way to really tell is to wait and see what happens. Most of my side effects showed up in a few days, but the sexual ones took awhile...then again, I wasn't in the mood for sex due to the reason I started taking them. I read up on SSRI's after taking them and it seems that this is a common side effect with many of them. I hope it doesn't affect your hubby too much! __________________ "They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king" Formerly Medusa

01-14-2007, 08:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
Acetylene Addict Location: under a rock	I think that no antidepressant can possibly be worse for sex than the depression itself. Even if the drug does make it harder to get aroused or whatever, at least you will be able to laugh about it, instead of wanting to crawl under a rock and die. __________________ There's no justice. There's just us.

01-14-2007, 04:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	Wellbutrin and Lexapro are different types of antidepressant. There are three neurotransmitters that are believed to be primarily responsible for the regulation of things like moods, sleep, and a variety of other brain functions. Wellbutrin helps to rebalance two of these, dopamine and norepinephrine. The third is seratonin. Lexapro is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor, or an SSRI, which effectively increases the time your brain has to utilize the seratonin it produces, producing the effect of increased seratonin levels. There are a variety of SSRIs. Lexapro is a refinement of Celexa, the refinements coming when the manufacturer's patent expired and generics became available. It does work slightly differently in that it's more selective than its predecessor was, and therefore is more effective at a smaller dose and has a much lower side-effect profile. Lexapro is the most selective SSRI currently on the market. I took Zoloft for a couple of months last year and experienced some mild to moderate side effects, chiefly in the form of making me more easily agitated, had some anorgasmia (difficulty orgasming), which was troubling because I'm normally easily orgasmic, and making my chronic insomnia significantly worse to the point that I had to stop taking it. Even on a graduated cessation program, I experienced some withdrawl symptoms, having flu-like symptoms for about two weeks. I've been on Lexapro now for a couple of weeks, and I'm already seeing a lessening of my depression and general anxiety, and even a little easing of my usually severe PMS. There have been no apparent side effects so far, and at two weeks it's working a bit more quickly than expected. My sex drive has remained about the same. __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert

01-14-2007, 08:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
Shadow_fire Crazy Location: Elora	Shit I can't even remember what the meds I was put on were called...It was a anti-seizure medication that had mood stabilizers...It didn't change my sex drive at all but lately I haven't had any sex anyways so it doesn't mean much. Hasn't changed the amount of wanking I do anyways.

01-15-2007, 08:06 AM	#10 (permalink)
JumpinJesus Junkie Location: Chicago	I'm also on Zoloft, though I'm in the processing of weaning myself off it. I'm currently on a 25mg dose. I experienced a definite decline in my libido, to the point that it was actually beginning to cause some problems. We went from having sex to 2-3 times a week to me not even caring if it had been 3 weeks. About 4 days after my dosage was decreased, I noticed my libido was coming back. I'm anxiously (irony) awaiting the cessation of this medication to get all my libido back. __________________ "I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses

01-15-2007, 09:45 AM	#11 (permalink)
absorbentishe Boy am I horny today Location: T O L E D O, Toledo!!	My wife was on Zoloft and Wellbutrin, not at the same time though. Each caused her drive to be in the dumpster. She went to the doctor who perscribed them, and he gave her a steriod rub to get her in the mood. Yes, it worked, sort of. She has gotten to the point where she no longer needs the meds, and the drive has come back with a furry!! She stopped taking them about two years ago.