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Regaining my sex drive after SSRI use

Cyanoide

Cyanoide

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Joined
Apr 22, 2011
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The last 7-8 years or so I've been on different meds, mostly different AD's (particularly SSRI's). As those of you who've used SSRI's may know all too well, they can eliminate your sex drive completely. This has happened to me with escitalopram and for the last 4-5 years I've had no sexual feelings at all if I haven't taken stimulants (which are very destructive for me and I try my best to avoid them) and a few psychedelics. I've now stopped using escitalopram and am going through some quite nasty withdrawal (no horniness right now...).

Anyway I feel like I'm mentally ready to face life without AD's now. The problem is regaining feelings of sexuality. I've had this problem before and I feel like there has been some lasting impact by SSRI's in this regard. How have you post-SSRI users coped with this (I do appreciate advice from everyone, not only those who've used SSRI's)? I know it's not something simple but I feel like a side of me is dead.

Strangely enough I had an extremely erotic experience a few weeks ago - on DMT! I had sex with entities, I really can't describe them in detail but they were vibrating with sexual energy. My guess is that this was a projection of my brain, kind of reminding me of something that's inside me but not necessarily easily felt when being sober. That I'm a sexual being after all, that it's inherent in me although I rarely feel it.

Anyway drugs are not the solution to anything here (other than psychs reminding me of some things like in the above case), quite the opposite. I'm not an assexual person, that's why the lack of sexual emotions feels unnatural. The brain does recover from SSRI's but it can last many many months - up to a year or more. I'd like to speed up the process.
 
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I took SSRI's for a solid 2 years, then just quit suddenly cause I didn't like how they were making me feel. It's been almost 2 years since I stopped taking them, and honestly my sex drive has not improved a single bit. To be totally honest, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't return at all.

Considering you've been on them much longer than I was, I'd expect the same results, if not worse. The best you can do, is maintain a healthy diet, exercise and stay mentally sharp. Try to abstain from using too many substances.
 
Well, I wouldn't have suggested stopping your lexapro cold turkey BUT what's done is done. You'll have some withdrawal symptoms for a bit and once those disappear you should notice slowly but surely some increase in sex drive. I have had some bad experiences with lexapro as well, and switched to welbutrin which actually had sort of the opposite effect. Not sure if you've tried that, but it's something to consider. Welbutrin is actually prescribed for patients wanting to avoid as many of the sexual side effects as possible.

That being said, the effect will vary greatly from person to person so I would give it some time. It might take a month of being off the medication to notice any changes. In my case, it took about 2-3 weeks. I'm not sure how into herbal remedies you are, but Milk Thistle is known for being particularly good at cleansing the liver - the main metabolic route for lexapro. It's common for the drug to remain in your body and liver/bile for a while. Especially if you're using other drugs that compromise the CYP450 cytochrome system. This includes moderate to heavy alcohol intake.

Be patient, and you'll all of a sudden notice that you've got the drive back one day. It's how it happens with many people. I wouldn't worry about it being irreversible as SSRI's don't irreversibly effect brain chemistry like some MAIO's.
 
There is a plant called Ptychopetalum or Muira Puama that is known to increase sex drive. I tried out of curiosity and I can confirm its effectiveness.
 
j0hn0b said:
Well, I wouldn't have suggested stopping your lexapro cold turkey BUT what's done is done. You'll have some withdrawal symptoms for a bit and once those disappear you should notice slowly but surely some increase in sex drive. I have had some bad experiences with lexapro as well, and switched to welbutrin which actually had sort of the opposite effect. Not sure if you've tried that, but it's something to consider. Welbutrin is actually prescribed for patients wanting to avoid as many of the sexual side effects as possible.

That being said, the effect will vary greatly from person to person so I would give it some time. It might take a month of being off the medication to notice any changes. In my case, it took about 2-3 weeks. I'm not sure how into herbal remedies you are, but Milk Thistle is known for being particularly good at cleansing the liver - the main metabolic route for lexapro. It's common for the drug to remain in your body and liver/bile for a while. Especially if you're using other drugs that compromise the CYP450 cytochrome system. This includes moderate to heavy alcohol intake.

Be patient, and you'll all of a sudden notice that you've got the drive back one day. It's how it happens with many people. I wouldn't worry about it being irreversible as SSRI's don't irreversibly effect brain chemistry like some MAIO's.
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I didn't stop cold turkey, I tapered down to 7,5 mg before quitting it.

I have Milk Thistle, gonna give it a try.

The only AD that hasn't removed my sex drive is mirtazapine, but it's not an SSRI anyway.

Time I do have, plenty of it, I'm just so fed up with this feeling.

Thanks J.Wallace and MindWeather (definitely going to try Ptychopetalum if I can get my hands on it).
 
Ah sorry about that I just assumed for had stopped cold turkey, not sure why now that I went back and read. There are a few herbal remedies that boast being able to boost sex drive. Personally, I can vouch for a combination pill called "Catuaba Power Max" (http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=JL-1087)

I've also messed around with Maca Root and Yohimbine (being the more pure form of the Yohimbe bark). The Catuaba works very well, and has a combination of a number of things that you can check out on that website. Both those have worked for me when I had some issues tapering off of SSRI's or SSNRI's as well as when I just wanted a ... performance boost ;)

I would say if you aren't feeling a little better about a week after your withdrawal symptoms are back then to check back here or with a doctor. Each persons specific neurophysiology is different, which is why different people react different ways
 
I stopped my 10mg Lexapro cold turkey after a year of daily use. Honestly, I didn't notice much withdrawal symptoms. Maybe feeling a little crappy for a few days, nothing I hadn't already been feeling though.
 
Yeah I was able to stop 20mg daily of Lexapro with minimal side effects. Only a bit of "brain-zapping" here and there.
 
It took about a couple of weeks after stopping taking zoloft (i tapered) before my sex drive began to kick up a notch. It was back to about 80% after two months. I used to feel that it had never returned completely, but lately it has come back to how i used to be.

two things that are great: 1) zinc tablets. I was skeptical at first but they really do work to increase your drive. they also up testosterone.

2) Lift weights or do some other quite physical exercise. this increases test, decreases depression, and has a very positive effect on my sex drive.
 
I was on SSRIs for 3 years. It's going to take time to regain sexual prowice. Just be patient.
 
Cyanoide said:
Nope, do you think it's necessary? I haven't read about SSRI's lowering testosterone levels but there wouldn't be any harm in checking them I guess.
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Pretty sure they don't. they just surpress sex drive. The reason I think they don't, I got stronger at the gym than I have ever been whilst on SSRIs. if it caused a substantial drop in test then this would not have happened
 
The meds may not have caused a drop in the hormone but low testosterone induce symptoms of depression.
I think any male with depression should be checked. Once my husband was on replacement therapy he felt a difference mentally.
I am grateful over the years of his medication use that low sex drive or impotence has not surfaced.
 
I haven't taken AD's for depression, rather for panic disorder (which I've overcome) and social anxiety (which I haven't totally overcome).

Feelings of depression usually arise when I stop taking SSRI's; serotonin levels in the brain are usually quite low when quitting AD's. Other than that, I actually haven't felt that depressed, which may seem odd since panic disorder, GAD and depression often go hand in hand.
 
Sorry to dig up this old thread, but it's more relevant for me now than ever. Unfortunately the tips I got didn't work, tried some of the suggested ones.

I've again picked up a nasty habit every now and then I hoped not to do anymore; stimulants. They make me absolutely insanely horny. But it doesn't feel like "real" horniness, more like sexual obsession. And, getting hard, not to mention ejaculating, is almost impossible on them. The really bad thing though is that I even take small amounts of stims just to get horny some times. Without them sex wouldn't even exist for me. That's how low your sex drive can get from SSRI's even after not using them for a few months.
 
Dude, firstly, and I think you know this already, you really shouldn't be regularly taking stims due to your previous mental health history. Stims in particular can really mess up dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain. You're going to wind up back on anti-depressants if you're not careful <3

I too had lasting libido problems during and after using anti-depressants. I actually started this thread on the subject early last year, so you might wanna have a read of that.

Unfortunately my opinion probably isn't going to sit well with you :D But here it is. It just takes TIME. I tried a lot of different supplements and even prescription meds to try and get my libido back after stopping SSRIs, but nothing worked. I just had to ride it out and wait patiently. Slowly but surely my libido returned, and now it's stronger than ever :)
 
Hi everybody

Long story:
I know this is my first post. Doing that because i feel ive got something to share, and i often tend to not sharing my positives experiences after having sought (and found) help in forums like this one.
So, my story: 4 years ago i did 9 months of fluoxetine for Dysthimia. In these months i did some mdma from time to time, like 3 times maybe, nothing too damaging i guess, but i could feel euphoria energy and positive feelings.
I have always been a VERY horny person (i call it being a scorpio, my parners call it being a perv). Well the libido disappeared totally during fluoxetine, both the desire to and the "mechanical" capability. After i quit the fluoxetine, i tought: "lets wait, the med will flow out, eventually going to take a while, but ill get my "horniness""". Nope. I had some sort of total genital anaesthesia, zero libido (even though the desire reappeared VERY slowly) and erection even three years after i stopped. Besides these sexual, lasting side effect, i also have problems of hypersomnia, apathy, unmotivation, being totally passive in situations that would expect me to get aggressive or defend myself, and the most annoying of all, feeling nothing. I have a terrific gf at the moment and i feel so bad for her, because inside me i know that i should be feeling something, but i dont. I dont feel joy, anger, affection, nothing. I love her, my brain knows that, but i dont feel anything in my chest. I guess that falls in the anhedonic+depersonalization spectrum. Anyhow, given the situation, i tought i should at least get my penis back to work. Went to see an urologist which prescribed me Cialis. Did not want to take it at first, but then i cut one 2.5mg pill in four and took a part. One-time pill. My dick is back at work, morning boners included. I never took Cialis again and 6 months have passed, i get erections easily. I also started taking ginseng(and gingko, but its the ginseng for libido) and i can say it really works for me, horny much more than before, and it also helps with the fatigue in the morning and the eternal fight getting out of bed. The problem is the genital anaesthesia, that did not go away: it take around 1h to get there, sometime 40mins sometime 2h... I really dont know how to deal with that.

Short story:
do not do the mistake i did and dont wait, miracles wont happen. try cialis once for the mechanical function and gingseng for getting the libido. worked for me edit: BUT my genitals are still pretty anesthetized ands it takes huge amounts of time and stimulation to reach climax
 
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Hi Cyanoide,

I'm in the same shit (I took Effexor for 10 years), but I have a possible solution: You have to make a PCT, a post cycle therapy as used by steroids users. First, get informed about the HPTA axis. It works this way: In your brain, the hypothalamus normally detects a lack of testosterone and produces GNRH hormone. This hormone tells your pituitary gland to produce LH and FSH hormones. These hormones tell your leidig cells (in your balls) to produce testosterone. The problem is that SSRI grow up the level of cortisol (your body isn't use to have so much serotonine, so he produces cortisol to eliminate it). When you stop your meds, cortisol remain high. Here is the core of the problem: Cortisol (stress hormone) get the level of the aromatase enzyme up. The aromatase enzyme transforms testosterone into estrogen and when your estrogen is too high, your pituitary gland contains too much of it and when you have too much estrogen in your pituitary gland, it can't produce enough LH and FSH hormones which tell your leidig cells to produce testosterone. Then you suffer secondary hypogonadism (secondary means it's not a genetic problem, but a problem caused by your life experience, as stress). After months of being not stimulated by LH and FSH, your leidig cells become atrophied and your hypogonadism become permanent. PCT resets the process. Here is a link to have all the details: http://www.steroidal.com/post-cycle-therapy/

Good luck

Gpaltrow
 
i took lexapro for 3yrs and had zero sex....had no desire to have sex at all ...........i stopped taking lexapro in jan and since ive been a sex addict.......anyone had this prob?....will it go away with time?
 
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