Aa
Difficulty acheiving orgasm
Background:
I'm a 24 year old male, 6'2", 160lbs, get exercise regularly, don't drink, smoke or do any illegal drugs. In December of 2006 I was diagnosed as having had a long sever, major depressive episode after a methodically planned out suicide attempt. I was placed on 150mg of Effexor XR a day.
Two months ago I experienced a set of unexpected grand mal seizures that put me in the hospital for a few days. I was placed on 2 500mg pills of Keppra a day and my CT scan, MRi and EEG have all come back normal and mostly unremarkable. (Doctors tell me that there is damage to the short term memory portion of my brain on the left side, about where they think the seizures originated from.) In talking to the neurologist I found out that symptoms I had experienced for most of my life without knowing what they indicated were signs of petite mal seizures. (For me they were a dizziness and narrowing of vision like I had stood up quickly after laying down for a long time, "head rush" if you will, and a sense of deja vu, as if I knew the location of everything immediately around me and what was going to happen in the immediate future.)
One month ago the doctor who had been prescribing the Effexor XR and I had been unable to fit an appointment into my work schedule due to very limited office hours on his part and that I no longer live in the area where his office is. We managed to find a time when I could make it in, but I was going to run out of the medicine a week before this appointment. The doctor refused to refill the prescription until I came in for an appointment so I was forced to go off the Effexor XR suddenly, cold turkey.
Question:
Since some point in my late teens I have experienced decreased sensation from pleasure from ejaculation achieved through masturbation, sex, and foreplay. It is the the point now where the vast majority of my ejaculations occur without even the slightest bit of pleasure. Most of the time I am still able to ejaculate and occasionally I have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection. I realized how bad the problem had become about a week after I was forced off the antidepressant. For a period of a few days I was easily able to achieve strong, pleasurable orgasms again, but it has faded quickly once more. What is wrong, and what can I do to help correct things?
I'm a 24 year old male, 6'2", 160lbs, get exercise regularly, don't drink, smoke or do any illegal drugs. In December of 2006 I was diagnosed as having had a long sever, major depressive episode after a methodically planned out suicide attempt. I was placed on 150mg of Effexor XR a day.
Two months ago I experienced a set of unexpected grand mal seizures that put me in the hospital for a few days. I was placed on 2 500mg pills of Keppra a day and my CT scan, MRi and EEG have all come back normal and mostly unremarkable. (Doctors tell me that there is damage to the short term memory portion of my brain on the left side, about where they think the seizures originated from.) In talking to the neurologist I found out that symptoms I had experienced for most of my life without knowing what they indicated were signs of petite mal seizures. (For me they were a dizziness and narrowing of vision like I had stood up quickly after laying down for a long time, "head rush" if you will, and a sense of deja vu, as if I knew the location of everything immediately around me and what was going to happen in the immediate future.)
One month ago the doctor who had been prescribing the Effexor XR and I had been unable to fit an appointment into my work schedule due to very limited office hours on his part and that I no longer live in the area where his office is. We managed to find a time when I could make it in, but I was going to run out of the medicine a week before this appointment. The doctor refused to refill the prescription until I came in for an appointment so I was forced to go off the Effexor XR suddenly, cold turkey.
Question:
Since some point in my late teens I have experienced decreased sensation from pleasure from ejaculation achieved through masturbation, sex, and foreplay. It is the the point now where the vast majority of my ejaculations occur without even the slightest bit of pleasure. Most of the time I am still able to ejaculate and occasionally I have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection. I realized how bad the problem had become about a week after I was forced off the antidepressant. For a period of a few days I was easily able to achieve strong, pleasurable orgasms again, but it has faded quickly once more. What is wrong, and what can I do to help correct things?
Thank you for the information, Dr. Mathews. I know first hand how severe abrupt withdrawal from Effexor XR can be, but thankfully the symptoms were only that bad for about a week. While some still persist it isn't anything I can't manage. I'd like to take a couple months off of the antidepressant to see if I need it anymore. Again, thank you for the information. I'll head over to a more appropriate section of the forum here to ask further about Effexor XR and withdrawal.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
Individuals experiencing depression also develop anhedonia. This is a condition where there is decreased pleasure and enjoyment of normal activities that would have been pleasurable if not for the depression altering perception and enjoyment of these activities.
Since you have been responding well to Effexor XR, it indicates that there is an organic basis for your depression and it appears to be mediated by serotonin imbalances.
Another aspect of the erectile dysfunction could be that it is a side effect of the effexor.
You will need to go back on the Effexor and also add supplements containing DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in your diet. This is an omega-3 fatty acid and helps in maintainingf essential amounts of serotonin in the brain and also elevates mood.
Try never to go off any SSRIs abruptly. Withdrawal symptoms, especially after prolonged use, can be quite severe and may be quite difficult to manage.
Do keep us posted on your doubts and progress.
Regards,
Individuals experiencing depression also develop anhedonia. This is a condition where there is decreased pleasure and enjoyment of normal activities that would have been pleasurable if not for the depression altering perception and enjoyment of these activities.
Since you have been responding well to Effexor XR, it indicates that there is an organic basis for your depression and it appears to be mediated by serotonin imbalances.
Another aspect of the erectile dysfunction could be that it is a side effect of the effexor.
You will need to go back on the Effexor and also add supplements containing DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in your diet. This is an omega-3 fatty acid and helps in maintainingf essential amounts of serotonin in the brain and also elevates mood.
Try never to go off any SSRIs abruptly. Withdrawal symptoms, especially after prolonged use, can be quite severe and may be quite difficult to manage.
Do keep us posted on your doubts and progress.
Regards,
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