Recommend an antidepressant

[shadowknight]

Hello Everyone.

Can anyone here recommend an antidepressant which does not cause any sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction or difficulty reaching an orgasm)?

I am right now on Prozac 20 mg and Amisulpride 50 mg. I talked to my current psychiatrist about the sexual dysfunction I have been experiencing because of these medicines but he insists I continue using the two. So this calls for a change of doctor.

I’ll be visiting another one tomorrow and I’ll talk to him about the recommendations I get here.

Best Regards,
-- SK

[Jikan]

Namaste,

Unfortunately, sexual dsyfunction is common among the SSRI's, such as Prozac. The one that will cause the least problem is Wellbutrin.

There are also some of the earlier tricyclic's that do not cause as much sexual dysfunction, but you can expect some from them also.

It''s an unfortunate side effect we endure to treat our disorder.

My psychiatrist prescribed Viagra for me and it helps, so you might want to talk to your doctor about this.

Michael

[therese83]

We are all suffering the same  problems.  I am waiting for a new antidepressant Valdoxan to be released as it is new and does not have the same problems.

I have heard that adding Wellbutrin helps.  But as an antidepressant it was no good for me.

You could try going down to a lower dose, if your doctor agrees.  Or just suffer through for sometime as after a while it is easier to lower the dosage. Being on a lower dose can help a lot.  Also sometimes these problems are worse at the start of therapy and improve a little with time.

I will be watching for a better answer

[Hensley258]

That is an unfortunate side effect of almost all antidepressant medications.

Welbuterin works in a mich different way and has very little risk of sexual side effects, only problem is that Welbutrin isn't very effective for a lot of people (myself included)

You really want to keep your eyes out for this new AD medication that shadownight mentioned. It's called Valdoxan and it will be the first Melatonergic antidepressant on the market. It already in Phase 3 clinical trials and the results thus far are outstanding.

It is proving itself to be even more effective than todays SSRI's and SNRI's, yet with no sexual side effects or sleep cycle side effects.

Pending FDA approval. We should see this on the market very soon. It's already been approved in Germany.

[shadowknight]

Guys,

I went to a new doctor today and he took me off those medicines and replaced it with Mirtazapine. I'd like to know if whether any of you here had any experience using Mirtazapine? Also he has given me a prescription for Viagra.

[Hensley258]

That's kind of funny shadowknight, because today my P-doc and I decided to switch me over to Remeron (Mirtazapine) because my current AD drug Nortriptilyne is pooping out on me.

Looks like we will both be experiencing this Remeron together for the first time.
Here is what I know thus far about Remeron (Mitazapine)

It can (and usually does) make most people drowsy for the first 4 to 5 hours after taken. This is why it's important to take it at bed time only. The first 5 hours or so of drowsyness is then replaced by (from what I am told) a fairly potent antidepressive effect which during the day helps with alertness, lifted mood, and focus.

Remeron (Mitazapine) is the only Tetra-cyclic antidepressant medication on the market.
In clinical trials it has been proven to be very effective at moderate dosages. In many cases even more effective than Tri-cyclics, SSRI's and SNRI's

What is good for us about this drug is that it's actual mechanism of action is much different than any other AD meds on the market today. This is good because I fugure our bodies will have no prior resistance built up to the active ingrediant, thus (hopefully) resulting a response for us both.

The half life of this Remeron is only moderate, so My best educated guess for noticing any improvement will be between 2 to 4 weeks after treatment.

We shall see. I tell you what Shadowknight, this **** better work for me because you know where I'm going if it doesn't........ Yup, then It's MAOI time. You know I'm trying to avoid an MAOI like a hooker with crabs. But, I'm out of meds to cycle thru. In 17 years I have pooped out on over 15 different medications.

If I can just get two years from this Remeron, then I will consider it a success. If I can just go remissive for two years it would be a gift from God. I hope Remeron can do that.

Keep in touch so we can share day by say side effects and such.

Later.

[shadowknight]

Guys,

I am not sure but I think I have started experiencing Prozac withdrawals. I feel very weird, dizzy, I am not able to think properly and I feel mentally unstable. Also my body feels a bit shaky. I didnt taper Prozac, I had stopped taking it abruptly. Its been 7 days since I stopped taking Prozac.

Are these symptoms of withdrawals?

[Hensley258]

That sound s just about right. Prozac has a very long half life, so If you quit abruptly 7 days ago then that just about how long it will take for the withdrawls to kick in.

Why go off Prozac? I take Prozac with my Mitazapine. They play fine together. No risk of drug interaction between the two.

[shadowknight]

Well,

Most of the time it was making it very difficult for me to reach an orgasm. Plus the erectile dysfunction it was causing. I am 23 right now and I just got married. Having Sexual Dysfunction is something I cant afford right now.

I am going to miss Prozac. It helped me a lot. I just hope Mirtaz turns out to be as effective as Prozac.

[shadowknight]

And also I would like to know one thing.

At times I am feeling my depression is returning. I am experiencing these crying spells where I feel like crying for no reason and I feel very sad. Is this happening because of withdrawals or is my depression returning? If you tell me its withdrawal, I'll cope with it. I just want to know its not my depression thats returning..

[Hensley258]

I know the feeling shadowknight. It's like this wave of fear, doom and utter hopelesness washes over your brain and it just feels like you could bust out into tears for no reason.
I swear for me it almost feels like my brain is trying to vomit. I mean like it physically feels like that.

You see, thats the worst part about severe clinical depression. It needs no reason to slam your mind with horror and confusion. (God damn it I hate this ******* disease and for all the God damn misery that it causes good people like you and I!)

Sorry, I had to get that rant out because my hate for this beast is beyond contempt.

Ok, back to answers now, (as if I have any.) Dude, (I think your a dude) I can totally relate to the sexual side effects. I know they exist, but I am fortunate in the sence that they don't effect my ability to perform sexually.

Now, they do effect my ability to finish (if you get what I mean) In other words; I can get the submarine up to periscope depth no problem, but I have difficulty firing off the torpeedo.

Now in my case this is a plus for my wife because she knows it could last all night if she "needs it to."

Like any AD med you will need to adjust to it before it starts working and the side effects go away.

Example last night was my first night taking my first dosage of the Mitazapine. My god Shadow! I'm glad I took it a night because it knocked me on my ***. I was dizzy, heavy, sleepy, and grogy, but those side effects were gone in the morning and the whole next day.

Mitazapine if you were to look at the studies, is a more effective drug for depression than SSRI's. It is never a first choice by doctors because it can have more side effects than an SSRI.

Good news is that Mitazapine has less sexual side effects than SSRI meds, but more of other side effects. This is why most Psychiatrist use it as a second or third line back up if SSRI's don't work good enough.

Keep posting (use my PM) were both new to this Mitazapine, so we need to stay in contact to share experiences about it.