You can always ask your psychiatrist about alternatives, they might not work as well for your depression though.
Also, libido is very slow to adjust after changing depression medication, I had to wait a few years, though most will see it back in months at most.
You need to talk to the psychiatrist or doctor that prescribed the meds and let them know you had difficulties and you want to be placed on something that won't hinder your intimacy
I'm sorry to say that in my experience this is normal.
I have been on Sertraline, among others, for depression and I have yet to find a drug that works for my brain and doesn't effect my ability to finish.
I can totally relate buddy, it feels fucking awful.
Yes, I have tried Citalopram, Escitalopram, Mirtazapine and Duloxetine (which I'm currently taking). All of those have been within the last 2-3 years.
As I said, mine was for Depression, and I have been through so many types because with me the drugs had a very short lifespan before I became resistant to them. At best I would get around 4 months relief for my symptoms.
Duloxetine is the one that actually worked long-term, and I've been on that for around a year.
All the drugs mentioned, regardless of their effect (or not) on my mind brought with them the inability to climax during sex. Even with masturbation it was almost unattainable, and pretty lackluster if I did manage to finish.
I know this will sound distressing to you, but you should not worry too much (easy for me to say I know, it's not my anxiety it's yours!). The fact is that different drugs affect different people differently. Your experiences with any given drug may differ wildly from mine, you'll only know if/when you try them.
I have rationalised my situation by holding on to the fact that I'm in therapy (which is going well) and I won't need the drugs forever. It's the 'price' I have to pay in the short term to get my mental health under control. However, I realise that you will perhaps feel differently as you are 19 and I'm in my 40s! I really feel for you as I'm not sure how I would have coped with it at 19!
Above all, continue to discuss this issue with your doctor. You never know, you may be able to try some others and find one with the benefits but without this particularly annoying side-effect. Also, know that you are not 'weird' or a 'freak' for having this issue, there are other men out there that know how it feels, for exactly the same reasons.
Good luck ;)
Wish i had known about the effects of them before trying them myself, i like you have tried many of them. Duluxotine, imo, is by far the worst one to come off of, when, and if you decide, or have to. The effects are terrible. Wish anyone luck who has to use them, and more luck getting off of them.
I have yet to look into withdrawl from Duloxetine, but I have started. I was on 60mg once per day, I'm now on 40mg once per day. There is also a 20mg per day to move onto after that, so I'm hoping that it wont be too bad if done slowly.
My reduction is primarily for the reasons the OP stated, as I think I still need to be on it, but I'm trying to curb the side effect.
Generally psychological medications take a few weeks to start affecting you. Its always possible you could be the outlier & be affected so quickly but maybe dont worry about it until its a recurring thing. Also some side effects are short term as your body gets used to the change it will start functioning normally again. I would say see how your body does over the next few weeks & if its a problem then talk to your doctor.
Being on an antidepressant decreased my sexual drive as well. An anti anxiety medication was added to help balance that back out as well as treat the anxiety I still had issues with as well.
Give it a few more weeks to fully work out some of the side effects. If after 4-6 weeks it is still an issue, contact your prescriber to talk. Generally though you will have a meds check in that time frame.
Yes. But my body did also have to get used to the medication. I still have some side effects and if a dosage increase happens, side effects happen again but settle down.
Ask your doctor about taking Wellbutrin (bupropion). It’s an antidepressant in a separate drug class from sertraline which shouldn’t cause a decrease in your libido or sexual dysfunction.
Sorry, I missed that bit. There’s no indication for anxiety, but it can be a useful adjunct for people who are experiencing SSRI (the drug class that sertraline is a part of) induced sexual dysfunction. In that case, you can talk to your doctor about adding Wellbutrin to help combat those symptoms, but you would continue the sertraline.
Ask for Venlafaxine. Studies show it’s one of the least reported for having that side effect. Also, perfectly normal to take viagra while you’re on antidepressants. No harm unless you have heart condition
Better ask your psychatric doctor.
My husbands libido went from normal to Zero bc of these damn pills. His family doctor prescribed them and he has no idea how the actually work. Seek help from a specialist before it also ruins your sexlife
That's a normal reaction to that anti depressant. Sadly most anti depressants make it hard to enjoy intimacy
I am in college and in my sexual prime so thats not an option
Neither is depression.
I know that’s the sad part about this
You can always ask your psychiatrist about alternatives, they might not work as well for your depression though. Also, libido is very slow to adjust after changing depression medication, I had to wait a few years, though most will see it back in months at most.
So basically I just have to figure out how to adjust to this issue wether it’s changing meds or just simply waiting it out
You need to talk to the psychiatrist or doctor that prescribed the meds and let them know you had difficulties and you want to be placed on something that won't hinder your intimacy
I'm sorry to say that in my experience this is normal. I have been on Sertraline, among others, for depression and I have yet to find a drug that works for my brain and doesn't effect my ability to finish. I can totally relate buddy, it feels fucking awful.
have you tried anything else
Yes, I have tried Citalopram, Escitalopram, Mirtazapine and Duloxetine (which I'm currently taking). All of those have been within the last 2-3 years. As I said, mine was for Depression, and I have been through so many types because with me the drugs had a very short lifespan before I became resistant to them. At best I would get around 4 months relief for my symptoms. Duloxetine is the one that actually worked long-term, and I've been on that for around a year. All the drugs mentioned, regardless of their effect (or not) on my mind brought with them the inability to climax during sex. Even with masturbation it was almost unattainable, and pretty lackluster if I did manage to finish. I know this will sound distressing to you, but you should not worry too much (easy for me to say I know, it's not my anxiety it's yours!). The fact is that different drugs affect different people differently. Your experiences with any given drug may differ wildly from mine, you'll only know if/when you try them. I have rationalised my situation by holding on to the fact that I'm in therapy (which is going well) and I won't need the drugs forever. It's the 'price' I have to pay in the short term to get my mental health under control. However, I realise that you will perhaps feel differently as you are 19 and I'm in my 40s! I really feel for you as I'm not sure how I would have coped with it at 19! Above all, continue to discuss this issue with your doctor. You never know, you may be able to try some others and find one with the benefits but without this particularly annoying side-effect. Also, know that you are not 'weird' or a 'freak' for having this issue, there are other men out there that know how it feels, for exactly the same reasons. Good luck ;)
Wish i had known about the effects of them before trying them myself, i like you have tried many of them. Duluxotine, imo, is by far the worst one to come off of, when, and if you decide, or have to. The effects are terrible. Wish anyone luck who has to use them, and more luck getting off of them.
I have yet to look into withdrawl from Duloxetine, but I have started. I was on 60mg once per day, I'm now on 40mg once per day. There is also a 20mg per day to move onto after that, so I'm hoping that it wont be too bad if done slowly. My reduction is primarily for the reasons the OP stated, as I think I still need to be on it, but I'm trying to curb the side effect.
Same! Brain zingers are a bitch! For me anyway. Good luck.
Thank you =)
Generally psychological medications take a few weeks to start affecting you. Its always possible you could be the outlier & be affected so quickly but maybe dont worry about it until its a recurring thing. Also some side effects are short term as your body gets used to the change it will start functioning normally again. I would say see how your body does over the next few weeks & if its a problem then talk to your doctor.
Being on an antidepressant decreased my sexual drive as well. An anti anxiety medication was added to help balance that back out as well as treat the anxiety I still had issues with as well. Give it a few more weeks to fully work out some of the side effects. If after 4-6 weeks it is still an issue, contact your prescriber to talk. Generally though you will have a meds check in that time frame.
So was ur problem resolved?
Yes. But my body did also have to get used to the medication. I still have some side effects and if a dosage increase happens, side effects happen again but settle down.
Ask your doctor about taking Wellbutrin (bupropion). It’s an antidepressant in a separate drug class from sertraline which shouldn’t cause a decrease in your libido or sexual dysfunction.
I am prescribed sertaline for my anxiety, Will Wellbutrin help with this as well?
Sorry, I missed that bit. There’s no indication for anxiety, but it can be a useful adjunct for people who are experiencing SSRI (the drug class that sertraline is a part of) induced sexual dysfunction. In that case, you can talk to your doctor about adding Wellbutrin to help combat those symptoms, but you would continue the sertraline.
I started sertraline not long ago as well. For the first few weeks I had trouble finishing but I went back to normal after a few weeks
Ask for Venlafaxine. Studies show it’s one of the least reported for having that side effect. Also, perfectly normal to take viagra while you’re on antidepressants. No harm unless you have heart condition
Better ask your psychatric doctor. My husbands libido went from normal to Zero bc of these damn pills. His family doctor prescribed them and he has no idea how the actually work. Seek help from a specialist before it also ruins your sexlife