Re: antidepressants and sexual side effects

Subject: antidepressants and sexual side effects

Forum: The Mental Health Forum


a few months ago i had seen a news brief on tv about the "new" prozac which is supposed to have fewer sexual side effects. is this "modified" prozac what is being marketed as celexa? i'm extremely frustrated w/ the antidepressants that i've tried, finding that the most effective for me are the SSRIs, but everything i've tried has really hindered my sex drive. it seems to come down to either stabilized moods or an enjoyable sex life, and since the mood t hing is more life or death, i have to compromise the other. i'm frustrated and would like some alternatives. thanks.




Jen,
It appears that you are suffering from one of the most common side effects of antidepressants especially SSRIs--sexual dysfunction.  Sexual dysfunction is most commonly manifested by delayed ejaculation in men, inability to have an orgasm in women and decreased sex drive in both.  The good news about this is that it resolves after discontinuing the medication.  Often these symptoms are present as a result of depression and anxiety so it is important to determine if indeed the antidepressant is the cause.
I am not sure if the "new Prozac"  is Celexa, however, it is also a SSRI.  Celexa is supposed to be more selective on how it works with possibly less side effects associated with it although sexual dysfunction also occurs.  There are other antidepressants such as Wellbutrin and Serzone that have less sexual problems associated with them and some times are used in combination with a SSRI to treat these symptoms.  A trial with one of these meds should be considered if not already attempted.
I encourage you to discuss these issues further with your physician/psychiatrist.
Sincerely,
HFHS.MD-JM
Keywords:  Antidepressants and sexual side effects





wellbutrin wasn't effective and serzone didn't really do the job for me either. someone suggested that some studies have been done w/ women and viagra. is there a possibility that viagra could be used in conjunction w/ antidepressants to somewhat "restore" the sex drive, or are the antidepressants too strong to be counteracted? is there any research being done on t his? it seems like it could be a solution for those who really need to be maintained on antidep.








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