Sexual Side effects of suboxone/Klonopin

[love2party]

Opiates tend to lower testosterone and testosterone plays a role in sex drive. So if I was you guys I would get my testosterone levels checked.

 

[BlueSmoke]

^Bupe actually doesn't lower testosterone like most opiates... Doctors don't seem to know too much about bupe TBH.

That is true, but I think it lowers it to some extent. My desire drops a bit, but that is not an issue if having a halfnaked girl in font of me. What is an issue is that my dick is not as willing, and it takes longer to finish. But Sub is still great in this area compared to other opiates, cuz on mostly it is impossible to finish.

When I was on tramadol for a while it was 99,5% impossible to get there, with or without a girl. But the desire was like increased by 50% so it was a bit of a hell..=) On sub one can at least cum in 15min.

 

[Pegasus]

Here's a study that confirms that bupe does cause sex drive issues:

Bliesener and colleagues (1) demonstrated that opioid-dependent males maintained on buprenorphine were less likely to experience sexual dysfunction compared with those in methadone maintenance, as evidenced by greater suppression of plasma testosterone and higher frequency of self -reported impairment of libido and potency in methadone maintained males compared with buprenorphine-maintained males and healthy controls.

We report findings on a large sample of 308 males currently receiving methadone or buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence in NSW, Australia. As part of a larger study, clients dosed at community pharmacies were asked questions regarding help-seeking behavior on a number of health related issues. With respect to sexual function male clients were asked about impotence, reduced sexual enjoyment and reduced ability to reach orgasm, and whether they had ever discussed it with a doctor or health professional, had ever received help or would currently like help with the sexual health issue.

One-third of males in our sample indicated that they had discussed or received help for reduced sexual enjoyment, while one-quarter would currently like help with reduced sexual enjoyment. Twenty-two percent of males had discussed or received help for reduced ability to reach orgasm while 17% would currently like help with this. Seventeen percent had discussed or received help for impotence while 17% would currently like help with this problem. Approximately one-third of those who had discussed or received help for impotence, reduced sexual enjoyment, and reduced ability to reach orgasm would currently like help for these problems.

In contrast to the findings of Bliesener and colleagues, our study found no significant difference in self-reported health seeking behaviors between methadone-maintained and buprenorphine-maintained males on any of the sexual dysfunction problems investigated. However, our results support the findings of Bliesener and colleagues in highlighting the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction and unmet health care needs among this group. Treatment providers should consider including assessment of sexual function as a part of routine health care screening in those receiving methadone or buprenorphine for opioid dependence.

However, this is not caused by lowered testosterone:

　High-dose methadone is well known to cause testosterone deficiency and sexual dysfunction in opioid-dependent men. Buprenorphine is a new drug for the pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence. Its influence on the gonadal axis has not been investigated to date. We therefore assayed testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, SHBG, LH, FSH, and prolactin in 17 men treated with buprenorphine. Thirty-seven men treated with high-dose methadone and 51 healthy blood donors served as controls. Sexual function and depression were assessed using a self-rating sexual function questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Patients treated with buprenorphine had a significantly higher testosterone level [5.1 ± 1.2 ng/ml (17.7 ± 4.2 nmol/liter) vs. 2.8 ± 1.2 ng/ml (9.7 ± 4.2 nmol/liter); P < 0.0001] and a significantly lower frequency of sexual dysfunction (P < 0.0001) compared with patients treated with methadone. The testosterone level of buprenorphine-treated patients did not differ from that of healthy controls. In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time that buprenorphine, in contrast with high-dose methadone, seems not to suppress plasma testosterone in heroin-addicted men. To this effect, buprenorphine was less frequently related to sexual side effects. Buprenorphine might therefore be favored in the treatment of opioid dependence to prevent patients from the clinical consequences of methadone-induced hypogonadism.

 

[comatoserct]

This is literally ruining my relationship with my girl
I'm 22, she's 21, we are both very attracted to each other but we are both on suboxone
We have sex like once a month, sometimes longer
She tries to get me to have sex a lot, but 90% of the time I don't feel like it
And then when we take a vacation and do heroin, we are both horny, but sometimes I'll be way too high and can't even get it up

it's such a terrible cycle

 

[kdn123]

I been on Suboxone for like 3-4 years, started at 32mg/day down to 6mg/day. I theoretically want to be off it, and cant wait til I'm back to normal and not fucked up from the sexual side effects, but in a way I'm scared to quit. I truly have no desire to do herion again (sounds very very odd tho, dont it?), but I have always used Suboxone as a crutch in daily life. Much like ciggarettes, I often times do a lil Sub before many things such as watching a movie, goin out, goin to grocery store, b4 & after sex, etc. Partly bcuz I worry I'll be away a long time and might start feelin withdrawal, mostly bcuz it makes me feel better to have done it (I'm thinkin mostly placebo effect for the half dozen or so times a day I do tiny amounts...) I dont just take my Sub twice a day in 2 big chunks (like prescribed), I take it in 4-8 tiny pieces a day (to wake up, b4 everything I do, to go to bed).

I think this is gonna be a major hurdle for me in the end...

 

[pb2003]

Good god 24 mg's thats pretty outrages. In my personal experiences, while on subs it is easier to get a hard on compared to pillz/ other opiates. Thats weird how different people have certain side effects from the medicine...

 

[xburtonchic]

Yeah, my sex drive DEFINITELY went down thanks to opiates. Especially Suboxone! I hear it's a pretty common problem. Sex drive goes down, premature orgasm goes up. Seems a bit paradoxical, but it's true. Very strange indeed.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Opiates tend to lower testosterone and testosterone plays a role in sex drive. So if I was you guys I would get my testosterone levels checked.

Buprenorphine does not have this effect though.

Reading a little bit of this thread I see that some of you have experienced similar problems that I have. Here's my story: Started into H around 17-18, got real bad by 19 (for argument's sake, I'll just say I used ALOT). I weaned myself down on H to about 4 bags a day before I switched to Suboxone. I started at 32mg/day (4x 8mg tablets) and worked my way down, I currently take about 6mg/day.

Unlike many people seem to experience, I don't think I had a decrease in sex drive or arousal ability (as far as I know), and never any problems with ED. My main problem has always been in lasting, not getting it up. I always figured my EXTREMELY fast climax was a result of minor Suboxone withdrawal, so I would always try to take some Sub before sex (ideally half hour to an hour before). This helped some, but I could rarely last 3 min with this technique alone and eventually resorted to a 'self warm up' process (the 2nd climax would usually take 10 min (relatively reasonable), but sometimes still 3 min or less). Before using H (while using I rarely cared to have sex), I had no problem lasting 20-30 min or more.

Now, I have to try to anticipate sex and sneak off for some "alone time" to prepare; and still it had a very poor success rate. Way too embarrassed to admit this to my girlfriend (same one through all of this), I spent the past years trying to live up to the original me she knew before H. Despite my preparation for sex, the majority of the time I still ended up coming 1-3 min into sex (sometimes even during other pre-sex acts) and usually try to pretend it didn’t happen and keep going for awhile (risking losing my erection).

I have had my share of bad outcomes and every single time I feel somewhat guilty, incapable of pleasing her, and it’s a major blow on my manhood. I have always told myself it was the Suboxone and that I would be normal again someday (when I have been weaned off of it awhile). However, lately I feel like this problem has been getting worse (as my Sub dosage continues to decrease) and I am thinking more about my fear that this problem is either not from Suboxone (its just me), or its from Suboxone but I'll never be normal again. I was just wondering if any of you out there have had a similar problem, and if so, could you provide me with any input to these questions:

- Will this problem go away when I am weaned off Suboxone? If so how long will it take?
- Will I ever be completely normal again (like before)?
- In the mean time, until I finish weaning off Sub, is there anything I can do to help with this problem? (vitamins, supplements, Rx's, exercises, etc)

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Yeah if you continue to taper off of Suboxone, that should naturally go away.

If it doesn't, there are other ways of dealing with such a problem. You can take a very small dosage of an SSRI so that you don't have a very different effect mental-state wise, but the delayed orgasm effect will be there.

Eating well and exercising are the best things you can do in reality though.

My doctor told me that the bupe will reduce your testosterone.

Not correct.

^Yep, mine too... It's not testosterone being lowered though, this has been studied.

Exactly. Thank you. Buprenorphine hasn't altered my sex drive at all, if anything it's increased dramatically.

I am sorry to hear many of you are experiencing problems but this has never been a problem for me.

During PAWS, you may have a lowered sex drive naturally due to how you feel with or without Suboxone. After the first year on Suboxone, I have noticed my sex drive is completely back to normal, even if I titrate my buprenorphine up or down (I have only tapered up due to extreme pain).

I think that everyone should work on exercise (if they aren't already). People can have low testosterone levels no matter what drugs they use; it's good to keep a running track of what your levels are like by having blood work done every now and then, especially if you are concerned about this sort of thing.

 

[jhax]

wow this is all the opposite for me.. I'm on 6mg suboxone daily and I always take about 2 mg's 20 min before sex and can screw for 20 min no problem.. I can go longer but am usually just torturing my girlfriend by then.. When i was on methadone I didn't last that long and had some issue's (getting up) while on high methadone doses.. My sex drive is through the roof now and want it everyday and anytime! lol.. been on sub's for about 4 months now..

 

[Larson0]

i last longer generally on sub. when i was on 2mg/twice a day i wasstill horny. now that im down to a very low dose we have sex once a week. i can always get it up and finish but i just dont like being touched and my sex drive is so low now. i plan on quitting this week and figure im gonna be nutting in 5 seconds (literally)

my girl is very horny though and im just not wanting it ever really. i take xanax for 5 days a month and from what i can rememver we dont screw often during that time.

i take my dose before bed and mid afternoon around 2. in the morning im always horny but shes awake way before me and we dont get the wake up screw together thing much except our day off.

then again some days we will do it 3 times just for fun, other days she'll be begging me and ill be like no i dont want to or just grunt at her lol

suboxone did this to me. when i was on methadone/oxy i was always horny. sometimes i wouldn't finish or would get soft but i was still pumping her silly. suboxone just makes me not want to do it at all.

 

[regulator1]

Clonidine- Lowers blood pressure, lowers penis pressure
wellbutrin-IS FIGHT OR FLIGHT
Klonopin- is a downer
Suboxone-32mg i use to be able to screw for hours on either full agonist or partials, Couldnt feel nothing.

IMO this cocktail of meds you are taking is screwing your sex drive and this almost looks like a speedball, Get a new doctor and tell him all the meds you have taken recently. Way to many meds? How old are you?

 

[Silent_Mono]

Almost every opioid decreases the production of testosterone and the higher the dose the less testosterone you make, long term usage will hammer it to the point at which your testicles aren't making any testosterone, the rest of your body does but spall of that combined only totals ~5% of normal testosterone production

 

[Hillbilly77]

I was on 48mgs of suboxone a day

I cut myself down to 1 a day now I was 1st on perk30's around 10 or 15 of them a day the suboxone is great but my gf is madder than hell "I can't get a hard-on but I'm bringing myself off as quick as possible maybe I'll try Viagra iv Hurd it works I don't no is anybody on Viagra an suboxone

 

[Znegative]

I can relate. Lower the dose, and you won't have this problem (actually I could always get hard, just not ejaculate)

 

[Jrrice123]

24 Is alot, I'm on 8-10 mgs a day. Of
Suboxone and 2 mgs a day of klonopin. Although my life is better, my sex life has been inconsistent . I can totally get an erection. And have sec for hours but it is hard for me to cum. My gf doesn't know that im on the subs so I can't explain to her why I hardly ever cum. She thinks it is something wrong with her. I'm a scared if I tell her what drugs on and why, she won't understand and breakup with me. I'm not really sure how to handle this , but I know I need to do something.... Anyone have any suggestions...

 

[SineWaveSoldier]

I'm bored, and currently coming off of subs for the umpteenth time and will give my input on what it does for me sexually.

i'm currently in a relationship, she is almost 6 months pregnant with my child. My girl has been on suboxone (now subutex) the whole time. i got clean from heroin in august and around oct/nov started dabbling with subs.
See this is why i'm giving my opinion here...
I originally took them to get high, but as our relationship got more and more serious, I was using (or telling myself anyways) to improve my sexual stamina.

I built up such a complex to this and we were having so much sex in the beginning, that I would plan when i would use, or would straight up get high and wait a lil bit, then I would fuck for hours.
Subutex is not as strong as Suboxone strips. they don't last as long, they dont work as much, i dont know why this is but they are weaker.
Anyways if I take 8 mgs to 12 mgs of subutex with my current tolerance I have what has become normal sexual function and stamina. Normal being able to last for 30 to 45 minutes with no ED.
If i take an 8 mg strip and or add any benzos in it I come close to not being able to have an erection and probably not going to ejaculate.

So since she is pregnant, and sex is iffy, and we're at the point where we love each other and honestly sex isn't as important to us... Fuck it isn't as important to her as I thought it should be... I mean I was thinking I had to be this superman in bed when now its to the point of she tells me when she wants me to get off and we don't do it for hours at a time... part of this being when your pregnant sex can hurt, shit our sex life is complicated period.

I hope anyone reading this may be able to identify with me in the aspect of opiates being used for sexual enhancment... The reality for me is that my girlfriend would rather have me not addicted to drugs (especially with a child on the way) then to be able to fuck for a couple hours. I swear in my head I let myself get addicted to them again almost purely for sexual purposes in the beginning. Then I started to need them for energy at work or whatever else the myriad of excuses one builds up to use opiates. Knowing full well I'll have to kick them eventually and that those sexual effects weren't as important as not being on drugs and being the best man that I can for this woman.

 

[laCster]

when i first started bupre (suboxone), my sex drive was shitty and i maybe got horny 1-2 times IN A MONTH!! when i did get honry, i lost the ability to ejaculate which wasnt cool!! that was when i was snorting 2-4mgs a day. then i lowered myself down to .5-1mg (nasal) or .25-.5mg (IV) a day, and my sex drive completely came back and i was able to ejaculate regularly!!

benzos affect my sex-drive like alcohol does - my horniness isnt really increased per say, but my inhibitions are completely removed. inebriation caused from benzo/alcohol use helps lessen anxiety, which makes me want to go up to every girl i see (LOL!!). depending on how much i took, i might make a fool of myself, but at this point, i dont give a flying fuck! well, the next day, i might have regrets heh. finally, if you drink to much or take a heavily sedative benzo with awesome muscle relaxation (temazepam, tetrazepam, valium, nitrazepam, ect..), you might get whiskey dick (lose ability to get a chubby).

stimulants on the other hand (amphetamine, cocaine, caffeine, even wellbutrin(!), ect....) make me horny though. however, stimulants cause dick shrinkage due to vasoconstriction.

 

[down508]

I hooked up with a transgendered girl once and I couldn't get it up either (I think I was really turned off by her), but I think your situation is different. try a different benzo. because you switched two drugs at once its gonna be harder to figure out which one is causing it. have you ever had this before? try going back to xanax, if it continues then you'll know it's suboxone. I say try xanax first because its less trouble then switching back from suboxone.

what does the gender assignment of your girlfriend have anything to do with it though? I mentioned my experience because I realized I was totally turned off by chicks with dicks, but if you haven't had this problem ever before then I doubt you just realized you weren't sexually compatable.

so to reiterate, try the xanax, if that doesn't work try going back on methadone for a week (if that's possible) and see if that helps. good luck

and like lacster said, dose plays a huge role in whether suboxone affects sex drive, when I was on 8 mg a day I had almost no sex drive, borderline asexual. when I got down to less than 2 mg a day it came back with a vengeance.

 

[bwanajzj]

Lower the subs, and also try lower the alprazolam, have beer or two before and fuck away! But be careful mixing those 3. I have heard rumours that another benzo - bromazepam - can make people really fucking horny when they have a drink on top (but just a rumour). But you don't wanna end up whacking your mate with a dough roller in the ass when banging on the kitchen table - booze and benzos can lead to wierd shit, and the next day u wont remember you whacked her until the bruises bring back some foggy and faint reminders...

In general opiates/opioids fuck up the sex drive and hinder any libido one might have had. Unless you have a sex routine already, getting turned on can be difficult. Benzos also make your mind a bit foggy, so that can also hinder any interest in sex.

 

[bingey]

Hmm the whole transgender-thing could have implications on a physical level ,technically she is still (part) male and those male pheromones (androstenone among others) could be the culprit keeping your wee-wee down./ speculation I assume the op likes his partner and that is not the problem.

I never had problems with sub , au contraire i feel like it greatly enhances my sexual performances. Benzos make me come quicker and are more like alcohol in that aspect. Now what I think is the most devasting on sexual ability are anti-depressants/ atypical anxiety meds ie. the wellbutrin (that stuff is just garbage imo)

but lowering your sub dose will make you hornier and at the same time lower your endurance (bit of a catch-22)