Sex drive, anti-depressants and can you fix it?

[sassy69]

We often see guys asking about how to get their girls' libido up, or you hear about Androgel / Testim topical testosterone treatment for post menopausal women -- so these are the approaches when natural test levels are low for women, affecting their sex drive.

But what do you do for someone who is on anti-depressants like Prozac and have no sex drive? I don't know that the above treatment is appropriate, but I've come across a bunch of guys lately who have gf/wives on some anti-d and zero sex drive. Which, in turn, is making life miserable for the guys as well. The sense I get is that if they find an anti-D that works but completley destroys their sex drive, they would rather just forget about sex completely and be happy that they found a way to manage their depression. This still leaves the guy out in the cold (and no I don't think its selfish of the guy to want to love his woman even if she has no interest) and I find it just tragic that some women have just completely given up on sex as a healthy part of their lives.

So what do you do? I've heard that the doctors have been willing to explore other anti-d's so they can get a sex drive back and still deal w/ the depression, but some women just don't want to make the effort and have to go thru potentially months of trying different treatments / different doses to get what already works, though it costs them their libido.

Is there a standard protocol to address this? I guess I don't know much about the relationship between the anti-d's and sex drive - is it that it is shutting down that part of the brain - so its a brain chemistry thing vs literally a low test thing?

I feel so bad for these women that they've just settled on life w/o sex, and just as bad for the guys because its a no-win situation for them as they either go w/o, or go cheat.

[Angela123]

I just got on Lexapro back in April. First time ever on an anti-d. It has helped me tremendously and I am very thankful for it, but yes, I do feel my sex drive has taken a nosedrive and it is more difficult to orgasm. I certainly do not masturbate as often either. I havent lost all sex drive but I definitly can notice a change. It does suck. Lexapro does not put on weight, which is why my Dr. prescribed it, bc she knew I would be concerned about weight gain. But shit, I don't want my sex drive all messed up. Any info would be appreciated!

[KBigz81]

I've been on and off wellbutrin for the past 8 years and I get the same side everytime. NO SEX DRIVE! I've been on the harsher anti-d's before and they actually caused me to be more deppressed and 1 I was suicidal. So I'll take the no sex drive side any day compared to the others!
Only option my Gyno gave me was HRT, but since we're trying for children in the very near future, the drug he wanted to give can cause major birth defects.

[sassy69]

Thx so much for sharing Ondrea & K. I had this discussion w/ a friend at the gym who has been living w/ a lady for 7 yrs now and he's about ready to walk because she has no desire for sex and hasn't for what sounds like years. She's on Prozac, they have both talked to doctors about other options, doctors have offered other options, but she just says that Prozac works and she is worried about upsetting the balance that she has found. He feels miserable about it but men need sex in their relationships just like women need the emotional hugs, 'iloveyou's' , etc. So what does he do w/ that? Both the balance in moods and sex life, IMO are so fundamental to basic happiness but what happens when one person has to work so hard to get one, at the cost of the other, and the other person is just shit out of luck?

[tammyp]

i have been on paxil, lexpro and currently wellbutrin. sex drives comes and goes. but thier might be alot of other reasons than just anti ds.

[Jodie]

I've used Lexapro and Celexa both with no problems.


Been off everything since being back in Texas and I must say....I think my issues where environment driven but of coarse that's a whole other story and we ain't going there.

[heavyiron]

Anti D's suck and unless I am ready to blow my brains out I will never take them again. Life can be tough but I think our society relies on these drugs a little too much. If you can wean off and are not suicidal then I would stay off. Difficult times build character so even though its not fun going through difficulty it does make us stronger.

[Dr Pangloss]

Anti D's suck and unless I am ready to blow my brains out I will never take them again. Life can be tough but I think our society relies on these drugs a little too much. If you can wean off and are not suicidal then I would stay off. Difficult times build character so even though its not fun going through difficulty it does make us stronger.


i second this. Anti-d's result in signficant weight gain for most people over time and kill the libido. i will never take them again.

i will also tell everyone here, they enhance the effect of alcohol, and can cause you to increase consumption.

bottom line, dont do them unless you absolutely have to.

[Tatyana]

St. John's wort at 1500 mg/day is just as effective as quite a few anti-depressants, there have been several clinical trials in Germany. No sides either.

Dose: good quality St. John's Wort, minimum 1500 mg/day

I really think that diet has a lot to do with depression, it has been shown that dropping your cholesterol levels by even several points can precipitate depression, and this can happen with some BBing diets.

It is really important to get all the essential fatty acids in your diet.

As far as pharma anti-depressants go, while this is not really licensed for depression (at least in the UK), Zyban/bupropion is fantastic.

The sex drive issue is quite difficult to resolve. I have done some research into this, and oddly enough, in double blind studies, there was no evidence that testosterone increased middle aged women's sex drive.

I thihk the best advice is to fake it till you make it. We are quite primitively wired so just the act of faking smiles is going to trigger happy brain hormones.

In the same line, if you just start having sex and focus on the sensations in your body rather than all the rubbish going on in your head "I don't feel like it, etc", then you will notice you are having a sexually excited physiological response.

[BigJD69]

St. John's wort at 1500 mg/day is just as effective as quite a few anti-depressants, there have been several clinical trials in Germany. No sides either.

Dose: good quality St. John's Wort, minimum 1500 mg/day

I really think that diet has a lot to do with depression, it has been shown that dropping your cholesterol levels by even several points can precipitate depression, and this can happen with some BBing diets.

It is really important to get all the essential fatty acids in your diet.

As far as pharma anti-depressants go, while this is not really licensed for depression (at least in the UK), Zyban/bupropion is fantastic.

The sex drive issue is quite difficult to resolve. I have done some research into this, and oddly enough, in double blind studies, there was no evidence that testosterone increased middle aged women's sex drive.

I thihk the best advice is to fake it till you make it. We are quite primitively wired so just the act of faking smiles is going to trigger happy brain hormones.

In the same line, if you just start having sex and focus on the sensations in your body rather than all the rubbish going on in your head "I don't feel like it, etc", then you will notice you are having a sexually excited physiological response.
Depression can also be from Hormonal Issues. Different people will experience different side effects from different drugs. I was on Paxil which worked great but it did effect my libido. Switched to Lexapro with no sexual side effects!

[sassy69]

Depression can also be from Hormonal Issues. Different people will experience different side effects from different drugs. I was on Paxil which worked great but it did effect my libido. Switched to Lexapro with no sexual side effects!

This was the situation w/ the origin of my question - my friend in question - it sounds like his gf doesn't want to put herself thru that period of time of trying different drugs, different compounds to arrive at a better solution. Like fear of that shake out period is greater than desire for a balanced life. THAT is very depressing to me. Sort of like if you're stuck in a job you hate but you've just resigned yourself to live w/ it for the rest of your life because you dont want to go thru the stress / risk of finding another.

[sassy69]

I've used Lexapro and Celexa both with no problems.


Been off everything since being back in Texas and I must say....I think my issues where environment driven but of coarse that's a whole other story and we ain't going there.


So your're sayin' the sex is betta in texis?

[apex23]

It sure will be interesting to see what the future hold in regards to Antidepressants...say in another 5 to 10 years.

[drsalomon]

ask your doctor about wellbutrin xr don't go above 300mg. I am a doctor.
reports have indicated that wellbutrin has no sexual side effects and doesnt diminish libido. it's used for depression and smoking cessation.

[Sistersteel]

ask your doctor about wellbutrin xr don't go above 300mg. I am a doctor.
reports have indicated that wellbutrin has no sexual side effects and doesnt diminish libido. it's used for depression and smoking cessation.


If your anti D affects your sex drive significantly, then you need to try another drug. I have nothing but good things to say about Wellbutrin. Zero sides.

[BigJD69]

ask your doctor about wellbutrin xr don't go above 300mg. I am a doctor.
reports have indicated that wellbutrin has no sexual side effects and doesnt diminish libido. it's used for depression and smoking cessation.
Hey Doc does Wellbutrin help curb your appetite as well?

[Tatyana]

ask your doctor about wellbutrin xr don't go above 300mg. I am a doctor.
reports have indicated that wellbutrin has no sexual side effects and doesnt diminish libido. it's used for depression and smoking cessation.

Wellbutrin is also called zyban and buproprion in the UK.

I have used it for smoking cessation ages ago, and you do feel fab on it, diminished hunger. It is not registered for anything but smoking cessation on the NHS so you can only have a limited prescription for it, however, it is probably different in the US.

[Jodie]

So your're sayin' the sex is betta in texis?
lol. Just left the "issue" in Oklahoma

[apex23]

Wellbutrin curbed my appetite.

[devil's_daughter]

Was on Zoloft for ten years. Quit when I was pregnant with first kiddo. Got back on to help with post partum. Started to wean off and taking St. John's Wart and living a more positive lifestyle. Been off of it for 3 years and the drive is stronger than ever.

Major loss of sex drive on Zoloft. Only fix was a bottle of red wine.

[badfish51581]

You got to change up the drugs. It's relatively well known many SSRI's have libido lowering effects.


Sexual side effects SSRIs can cause various types of sexual dysfunction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_dysfunction) such as anorgasmia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorgasmia), erectile dysfunction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erectile_dysfunction), and diminished libido (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libido). Initial studies found that such side effects occur in less than 10% of patients, but since these studies relied on unprompted reporting, the frequency was probably underestimated. In more recent studies, doctors have specifically asked about sexual difficulties, and found that they are present in between 17%[27] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#cite_note-26) and 41%[28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#cite_note-27) of patients.


Stimulation of postsynaptic 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors decreases dopamine release from the substantia nigra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substantia_nigra). A number of drugs are not associated with sexual side-effects (bupropion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bupropion), mirtazapine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine) (Remeron), maprotiline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maprotiline) (Ludiomil), tianeptine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianeptine) (Stablon)[29] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#cite_note-28)[30] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#cite_note-29) (some of these are also not associated with weight gain). As a result, sexual dysfunction caused by SSRIs can sometimes be mitigated by several different drugs. These include:


bupropion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bupropion) (norepinephrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor) and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_reuptake_inhibitor))
buspirone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone) (serotonin receptor agonist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_receptor_agonist))
methylphenidate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate) (stimulant)
mirtazapine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine) (noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noradrenergic_and_specific_serotonergic_antidepres sant) (NaSSA))
amphetamine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine) (stimulant)
amantadine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amantadine) (antiviral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiviral))
pramipexole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramipexole) (dopamine agonist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_agonist)) and
ropinirole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ropinirole) (dopamine agonist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine_agonist))

On the other hand, the effect of SSRIs to slow down sexual stimulation may be used as treatment; SSRIs have been proposed as a drug to treat premature ejaculation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ejaculation).[31] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#cite_note-30)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor#Sexual_side _effects

[ChowderPaw]

Ok. First of all, im not here to offend or berate anyone about this topic. But I dont agree with the use of any of these drugs for psychological issues. I think they set people up for even more problems as we've seen with nearly every mass shooting like V-Tech and Chris Benoit' blowout. But the media wont even touch that... after all, the steriods and guns are to blame right? Not the lobbied/scripted pharmas being doled out at carelessly large levels...

But on the topic as well, from what i can gather, most the posters on this thread are women? How many have considered that if they're using male hormones to what extent that is tinckering with wired female brain biology? You are aware that the brain chemistry and even the way the brain is biologically structured differs between the sexes? How depressed and dead in the sack would a 25 year old male be dosed up on supraphysiological amounts of Depo Provera estrogen? I can tell you, it'd likely be a sorry scene. All I'm saying is, for those of you on this thread that are trying to mask the affects of one by taking another, i think you ought to consider moving on and away from taking male hormones all together.

[sassy69]

Ok. First of all, im not here to offend or berate anyone about this topic. But I dont agree with the use of any of these drugs for psychological issues. I think they set people up for even more problems as we've seen with nearly every mass shooting like V-Tech and Chris Benoit' blowout. But the media wont even touch that... after all, the steriods and guns are to blame right? Not the lobbied/scripted pharmas being doled out at carelessly large levels...


I agree w/ you that doctors hand out Ritalin like its candy and would rather prescribe something than look at hormone levels. But that said your statement is very broad and the chemistry of the human mind is not well-understood so you can't just say that the anti-D's do nothing and should never be used.



But on the topic as well, from what i can gather, most the posters on this thread are women? How many have considered that if they're using male hormones to what extent that is tinckering with wired female brain biology? You are aware that the brain chemistry and even the way the brain is biologically structured differs between the sexes? How depressed and dead in the sack would a 25 year old male be dosed up on supraphysiological amounts of Depo Provera estrogen? I can tell you, it'd likely be a sorry scene. All I'm saying is, for those of you on this thread that are trying to mask the affects of one by taking another, i think you ought to consider moving on and away from taking male hormones all together.

The original source of my post was related to a friend of mine whose gf is NOT on any male hormones but is on anti-Ds and has no sex drive. I was hoping to get more support for the fact that if you adjust the anti-D treatment, it is possible to recover your sex drive vs just giving up on ever having one again. It is near the end of what my friend can handle in terms of having a complete and loving relationship w/ her if there is no sex. I had wanted to provide him w/ more ammo to help convince her to go work w/ her docs on her treatment so that she can have a sex drive vs not wanting to fiddle w/ "what works" in terms of her depression, but at the cost of her sex drive.