Anti-depressants and sex

Contributor: Princess-Kayla ♥ Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of "sexual problem" I have.
I was completely unable to orgasm today. Even after using my Hitachi for much longer than usual.

I'm hoping that in a week or so, my body will get everything sorted out and fixed. Otherwise I'll be seriously upset.

Anyone else have problems like this?
04/21/2013
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Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
I did.

I starting taking the antidepressants to feel better, and all it did was make me feel broken and worse because I wasn't able to orgasm. It was effecting how I felt about myself, and it was frustrating my husband. I really had to decide if I needed the meds more than I needed things to go smoothly in our sex life.

I waited about four months and when it didn't get better, I made the decision to stop taking them. It's not always wise to make that choice, as your mental health is extremely important. There are other ways to cope with depression, but sometimes the only thing that seems to truly work are the antidepressants. It didn't get better for me, but it might for you. I would stick with it for a few months and if nothing changes, than you could always try a different type or another method of coping with your depression.

I wish the best for you! Depression is hard and it's beyond frustrating being unable to orgasm while you're trying to get the help you need. I'm here if you ever need to talk!
04/21/2013
Contributor: Princess-Kayla ♥ Princess-Kayla ♥
Quote:
Originally posted by PropertyOfPotter
I did.

I starting taking the antidepressants to feel better, and all it did was make me feel broken and worse because I wasn't able to orgasm. It was effecting how I felt about myself, and it was frustrating my husband. I really had to ... more
Wow, that's really awful. I think the worse part is that I'm actually feeling good in all other areas. Sex has always been a big deal for me though. I masturbate at least once a day. Sunday morning is always my time for me. Then today I was just like..."What the heck, body?" It was pretty terrible.

I really hope it does get better. Maybe my husband will be able to help. If not, my doctor is amazing, and I'm sure she can work with me to find something better. In the mean time, I'll just try to relax a little, and maybe that'll help.
04/21/2013
Contributor: Fluke Fluke
Yup, I had the same thing. I'm a guy and my sex drive went from everyday to maybe once a week and I had difficulty achieving orgasm as well. My girlfriend at the time got extremely mad at me because I didn't tell her I was taking anti-depressants so you definitely need to explain it to your partner. I also got insomnia and occasional diarrhea as well so if you only get one bad side effect that's pretty good.

They do have other medication that can help with the sexual side effects but those medications come with their own side effects so your doctor can explain the risks there.

The side effects don't go away until you stop taking the medication so you might want to get really good at handjobs and blowjobs until you do not need the medication anymore.

And lastly you don't want to just take pills and hope it magically fixes you, make sure you closely work with your therapist and stay focused on getting better instead of worrying about some temporary side effects. Everyday you got to wake up and tell yourself, I'm going to get a little bit better today. I will learn how to conquer depression and improve myself. Sure there are some sucky parts but it will only make you stronger. Good luck!
04/21/2013
Contributor: bratcat bratcat
An ex-partner of mine had this problem after starting zoloft, and while he could preform it would take a lot to get off (if he was able to). A lot of the time he did not care to have sex at all after frist starting the medication.
I have been on several different medications over the last ten years or so, so i cant really say how it has effected my sex life since i have been medicated through almost the entirety of it. I do find that it can take a lot of time to get off.
04/21/2013
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Definitely talk to your doctor about it if it persists. Not everyone experiences the same side effects to each drug so there may (hopefully) be a drug out there that has the desired effect without the undesirable side effects. Don't suffer in silence and don't simply stop taking medication. Good luck.
04/21/2013
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by bratcat
An ex-partner of mine had this problem after starting zoloft, and while he could preform it would take a lot to get off (if he was able to). A lot of the time he did not care to have sex at all after frist starting the medication.
I have been on ... more
Zoloft was the first one I tried, and after that I switched to Cymbalta and had the same issue.
04/21/2013
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
Wow, that's really awful. I think the worse part is that I'm actually feeling good in all other areas. Sex has always been a big deal for me though. I masturbate at least once a day. Sunday morning is always my time for me. Then today I was ... more
Exactly! Relax, give it time! I truly hope it works out for you!
04/21/2013
Contributor: Pete's Princess Pete's Princess
Wellbutrin does not generally affect your sex drive. It also has the added benefits of helping you lose weight. Losing weight always helps me with depression. It is also prescribed to help people stop smoking, another added benefit.

As far as antidepressants go, it usually takes 2-3 weeks for your body to balance out so the effects may be temporary. Sometimes you have to try several different ones or a combination to get the right balance for you.

Good luck and don't give up. You will find the one that is right for you.
04/21/2013
Contributor: nickeyt nickeyt
I had a problem but i was lowes horney but could not cume
04/21/2013
Contributor: JDear JDear
I'm on Cymbalta and I don't have a problem. I did on Celexa though.
04/21/2013
Contributor: KinkyKatieJames KinkyKatieJames
A million times yes! One medication made it impossible for me to orgasm. I thought something was wrong with me. When I switched to a different medication, things went back to normal.
04/22/2013
Contributor: sunflower sunflower
I think I posted on a board with some of the same concerns yesterday but I can't find it.

Almost every SSRI I've been on has totally killed any capacity for ladyboners. I couldn't be mentally aroused or physically and I got really frustrated with that. I've been on antidepressants and other psychotropic medications since I was 12 and I've been on most of the major ones at some point in time. I read a statistic that over 60% of people on SSRIs report negative sexual side effects... I wish there were more antidepressants with less side effects. They also made me gain a lot of weight which wasn't fun either. I don't know if you specified what kind of antidepressants you're on, but most of them will have potential sexual side effects.

If it's only been 3 days, I'd give it a while to see if your body adjust and after a few weeks if you're still having issues, I think discussing your concerns about side effects with your doctor would be a good idea. I'm taking Wellbutrin right now and have a normal sex drive and combining that with Topamax for migraines I lost over 15 pounds. And I shed a lot of weight when I started taking it too. So hey. I've heard of doctors adding on Wellbutrin to patient's current dose to try to combat the sexual side effects too. Give it a fair try on your current meds first though and try not to freak out about it if you can. 3 days isn't a very long trial, just give it time and talk to your doctor if you're still having problems! I hope it all works out for you.
04/22/2013
Contributor: Gary Gary
I also know someone who went from having sex everyday, to being pretty much not interested at all anymore. My big question was, is a temporary thing while the body adjusts? Or is it a permanent change while you are on the medication?
04/22/2013
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
I've been on several antidepressants, both SSRIs and tricyclics.

Prozac made it difficult to orgasm, but I could still do it. On Zoloft (a related drug) I have had no problem. (My more recent orgasm issue was from perimenopause, as I was on the antidx for years with no problems before perimenopause.)

Sometimes one antidepressant will cause problems and an other will not. The Prozac also gave me terrible headaches, so we switched to a couple of tricyclics, and one of those (I can't remember the name of it) cause orgasm problems and the others didn't. We finally settled on Zoloft as it caused no side effects in me.

Everybody is different. Talk to your doctor and if the medication is helping, wait it out a little while. If you can't stand it, ask the doctor to change to an other antidepressant. Even antidepressants in the same class can work very differently.
04/22/2013
Contributor: TheirPet TheirPet
YES. Not on anti-depressants but on other medications that just RUINED my drive. Completely unable to reach orgasm. Sometimes it gets better after you acclimate to the drug but I just had to get the rx changed to something else.
04/22/2013
Contributor: Mr. John Mr. John
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of ... more
Sometimes this can be psychosomatic. I'm not saying it is, but some of us fall victim to anticipating the worst will happen. Relax, and give yourself some time.
04/22/2013
Contributor: Bill220 Bill220
I'm a guy and have similar symptoms. I take 3 (yes,3) antidepressants, Cymbalta, Celexa and Wellbutrin. To say it's affected my sex life would be an understatement but I have pretty decent desire (3-4 times per week) considering my age and the amount of AD's I'm on. I can't get an erection at all without a healthy dose of Cialis. I also have a really difficult time achieving an orgasm but I can get there 98% of the time. And once I have that orgasm, it's over for me even with the Cialis.

I try to look at in a positive light. My mood is much, much better than it was and it's nice to be able to go for hours if I want to.
04/22/2013
Contributor: Mr. John Mr. John
Quote:
Originally posted by Bill220
I'm a guy and have similar symptoms. I take 3 (yes,3) antidepressants, Cymbalta, Celexa and Wellbutrin. To say it's affected my sex life would be an understatement but I have pretty decent desire (3-4 times per week) considering my age and ... more
Sounds like a pretty healthy perspective to me.
04/23/2013
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by Gary
I also know someone who went from having sex everyday, to being pretty much not interested at all anymore. My big question was, is a temporary thing while the body adjusts? Or is it a permanent change while you are on the medication?
It was like that the entire time I was on the medications, not just when I first started on them.
04/24/2013
Contributor: Hazeleyes2012 Hazeleyes2012
I never have taken anti depressants but I hear that's not so uncommon a problem.
04/24/2013
Contributor: amorfati amorfati
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of ... more
Yep, Celexa did that to me, and Zoloft makes it take a lot longer. I quit all of them.
04/24/2013
Contributor: Robespierrethecat Robespierrethecat
My boyfriend has the same problem! Whenever he's consistently taking his antidepressant, he just cannot get off very well/much. It's a bit frustrating, but we're trying to get over being upset about it. He really needs his antidepressant to function, so it looks like less cumming may just be a thing.
04/25/2013
Contributor: LoveBug721 LoveBug721
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of ... more
I'm on them and I've lost interest, but am still trying.
04/25/2013
Contributor: Gary Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by PropertyOfPotter
It was like that the entire time I was on the medications, not just when I first started on them.
After participating in this discussion, I asked a friend about it and she told me that - While it has dramatically decreased her drive to have sex, when she does, it is now more enjoyable because she is more able to focus. I thought that was kind of interesting. It seems with all the bad side effects being discussed here, that might be a little reassuring for some.
04/25/2013
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by Gary
After participating in this discussion, I asked a friend about it and she told me that - While it has dramatically decreased her drive to have sex, when she does, it is now more enjoyable because she is more able to focus. I thought that was kind of ... more
And I hope it works that way for most people, but taking 45 minutes of pure focus only to have to give up, yeah I had to do something about it.

I truly believe it's important for everyone to reflect on what they need. If the need for the medication is that important, that needs to be what's focused on. For me, I was able to find other ways of dealing with my depression and since my marriage was suffering from it, I had to do what I had to do. That's not the right choice for everyone and I strongly suggest speaking with your doctor about it before stopping the meds. They will be able to help you find a solution that works best for you!
04/25/2013
Contributor: Airen Wolf Airen Wolf
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of ... more
If you are having trouble reaching orgasm the problem won't go away...talk to your provider but be prepared for them to blow you off as the medical community seems to think walking around with a dumb smile on your face is all that's required for a good life. If your provider is sensititive to the issue he or she will try you on a different med to see if the side effect is diminished. Celexa seems to work the best for me though it has lowered my drive just slightly. I'm bi-polar though so it was a bit of a relief to have the high lowered a bit and avoid the complete lows. It's a balancing act, really.
04/25/2013
Contributor: CS2012 CS2012
Quote:
Originally posted by Princess-Kayla ♥
I just started taking anti-depressants a couple days ago. The label said I may have some "Sexual problems". I just figured, "Hey, my libido is through the roof. I'm sure I'll be fine." Today I figured out what kind of ... more
No I never have. I've been on anti-depressants for at least 15 years.
04/28/2013
Contributor: Pete's Princess Pete's Princess
I think the theme here is that some meds work for some people with little side effects and others have major side effects. Each person is different. So you may go through a bit of trial and error at first so be patient and hang in there.

Work with a medical provider who knows about antidepressants, often general practitioners are not as up on all the medications. When I was going through the early stages of the divorce process and my ex was doing some very horrible things, my depression made me unable to work or function. I worked with a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She was amazing at assisting my GP get me on the right meds at the right dose.

I have had depression since college and have been off and on different medications since. I also had the issue of after taking a medication for a while, it seemed to stop working for the depression and I had to switch.
04/28/2013
Contributor: Sangsara Sangsara
I've found that my male partner seems to have a lot more trouble than I do - in fact for years he was either totally uninterested or simply unable to reach orgasm. I have found that some meds do and others do not - so if one is giving you a side effect that you simply can't accept than try another.
04/29/2013