low libido and elation six months after paxil discontinuation

[thejayfunk]

Background information: Have suffered from periodic bouts of depression from about age 12; now I'm 25. Mom has manic depression and Dad had brain tumor removed at 24. Paxil has been helpful for me but also makes me too euphoric to function at times.  All other SSRI's make me confused and euphoric.

Question: about 6 months ago I tried to go back on Paxil but it made me extremely "high" after a few days.  I tried to come off of it but remained extremely euphoric for months after it.  6 months later I literally can't get stressed about anything.  I can't get sad, depressed, angry or feel any emotion other than absolute joy.  This wouldn't seem like a problem to most, except that I literally can't get sad, not even when a coworker recently died. I also have no libido whatsoever...and I'm a 25 year old male.  

How do I get my libido back and feel something other than pure joy?  I do not take drugs or ingest any drug other than caffeine. Although I feel great, I don't feel completely like myself, and would like to have a libido.  What should I do?

[Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.]

    You will need to talk to a medical doctor about your prescription and how the medications affect you. SSRIs affect each person so differently that calibration is difficult and very specific to the individual. The only mood medication I know of that does not have sexual side effects ( or at least very few) is wellbutrin but it sounds like you may have tried that and not tolerated it. But this is something to talk about with a doctor who specializes in endocrine problems or sexual medicine.

    In the meantime, you might want to test your libido to see if it can operate of you get out of the rut you are in. Rent a sexy movie ( whether that sounds sexy to you or not right now) and see if watching it affects you.  Make yourself go out to bars or some place where young women go to flirt and see if you can get into an interaction that is titillating.  In other words, even if the idea of one or both of these ways of getting yourself turned on doesnt sound interesting right away- give yourself a chance to see if putting yourself in an erotic  situation turns you on.

  This euphoric period may pass and become more manageable. I hope so because I understand that you want to be in a more balanced state of consciousness.  But perhaps you can also help manage your feelings by slowing yourself down in other ways. I would suggest joing a Yoga class, which has a meditative aspect to it and might also double as a way to meet girls! Try a peaceful marital art that works with fluid motions , such as Tai Chi ( sorry if I have the wrong spelling!) . In other words, treat your self emotionally and environmentally as well as medically. Get your brain and your emotions  working on your behalf  as well as your chemistry. You are right- you are 25 years old and you deserve a sex life and relationships. Work on that goal-which means following up on seeing a doctor on your prescription and following my advice to create a social life and a physical life that helps moderate your highs ( and helps you avoid lows). Sincerely, Pepper Schwartz

[hoponpop]

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SSRIsex/