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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
sexual dysfunction as a side effect by prozac
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
sexual dysfunction as a side effect by prozac
by pasha300, Feb 16, 2004 12:00AM
hello doctor,
from the beginning of last year i started having severe pain in my head. several times i went to two different neurologists but couldn't solve the problem. both neurologists suggested that i was suffering from anxiety otherwise there were no neurological symtoms. so both of them suggested anti-depressant prozac for it.thus by the end of january last year i started taking the medicine. i noticed that by third week had passed after starting the medicine my sexual abilities,desires ,potecy and libido were totally diminshed.i couldn't get an erection even after trying so hard and yet i was only 24. so i went back to my doctor and explained the situation.i told him that before starting this medicine i was sexually very strong but now its all gone.he said that its probably because of some side effects of the medicine which will go away by time. but they didn't. so after 3 months period i.e in march i decided to quit the medicine because the headache was still there secondly i had a girl friend to attend and i didn't want to use viagra all the time without telling her. apart from that what is the point of getting an erection with viagra when u are sexually not getting aroused.so i stopped taking it.after that i waited for two months but my libido didn't come back. for the headache i later on found out that my neck muscles were responsible for that i started work out and resistance exercises and my headache went away. now again the libido problem was remained unsolved so i went to a urologist and he suggested to wait more till the side effects go away and meanwhile he asked me for some hormone tests just to be sure. so now since march last year till now i have got tested about 4 times for testosterone and other hormones responsible but still my libido is not coming back. its been almost a year. my question is : do u think that these kind of sexual side effects from ssri's can last for such a long time . secondly what can be done to reverse them or to restore the old potency. can medicines that contain dopamine help to reverse the side effects and bring my libido back to normal again. if yes then which medicine?
from the beginning of last year i started having severe pain in my head. several times i went to two different neurologists but couldn't solve the problem. both neurologists suggested that i was suffering from anxiety otherwise there were no neurological symtoms. so both of them suggested anti-depressant prozac for it.thus by the end of january last year i started taking the medicine. i noticed that by third week had passed after starting the medicine my sexual abilities,desires ,potecy and libido were totally diminshed.i couldn't get an erection even after trying so hard and yet i was only 24. so i went back to my doctor and explained the situation.i told him that before starting this medicine i was sexually very strong but now its all gone.he said that its probably because of some side effects of the medicine which will go away by time. but they didn't. so after 3 months period i.e in march i decided to quit the medicine because the headache was still there secondly i had a girl friend to attend and i didn't want to use viagra all the time without telling her. apart from that what is the point of getting an erection with viagra when u are sexually not getting aroused.so i stopped taking it.after that i waited for two months but my libido didn't come back. for the headache i later on found out that my neck muscles were responsible for that i started work out and resistance exercises and my headache went away. now again the libido problem was remained unsolved so i went to a urologist and he suggested to wait more till the side effects go away and meanwhile he asked me for some hormone tests just to be sure. so now since march last year till now i have got tested about 4 times for testosterone and other hormones responsible but still my libido is not coming back. its been almost a year. my question is : do u think that these kind of sexual side effects from ssri's can last for such a long time . secondly what can be done to reverse them or to restore the old potency. can medicines that contain dopamine help to reverse the side effects and bring my libido back to normal again. if yes then which medicine?
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Feb 17, 2004 12:00AM
, Feb 17, 2004 12:00AM
The sexual side effects should be gone. The problem is that once this occurs, you get so self conscious, you lose some of your normal rhythyms, and it becomes more psychological than physical. Ask your doctor about a short course of Wellbutrin, which often fixes this kind of problem.
It is not to do with self consciousness or performance anxiety but physical changes made to the body by these drugs that are little understood.
The condition is called Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction.(PSSD)
A support group for it is at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ssrisex/
and to see a young man talking on youtube about the PSSD he has had to live with for 11 years -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-6pmsVOe3g