Misc 25 years old and zero libido after taking sleeping pills for over a year.

[shred81]

^ I used benzos on and off for years around age 18 - 22... This period with the libido issue came directly after maybe eight months of daily use. I started to notice it even before quitting the benzos but didn't think much of it as I knew benzos impacted my sex drive. This was in fact one of the prime reasons I quit in under a year, as I still had quite a bit of anxiety, with the other main reason being the mental fog/ negative effects on the brain that comes with regular benzo use. The period directly after quitting benzos was a pretty strange part of my life... During this period is when I noticed that I was not totally back to normal concerning my libido, nor was my state of mind positive at all. This went on some time, it is hard to quantify looking back but I'd put somewhere in the range of a few months. Gradually things started to look up, both in sex life and life in general, and all at once it seemed that I was coming out of this stage.

I didn't realize fully at the time how much benzos were responsible, but I had another brief stint with benzos for maybe a month a year or so after the events above. I was quickly able to pinpoint the similarities to the way I began to feel in the months following the previous benzo addiction. I quickly stopped benzos again and vowed to never use them with any regularity again, which I have successfully done. In the time off of benzos, I've gotten my mental and physical (and sexual!) health into the best shape of my life and am really disgusted by how much of an impact these drugs had on my life. It is clear to me now that much of the negativity in my life during that period was a direct result of benzos, ironically, as I was taking them to deal with the very issues they were causing.

Honestly, I am experiencing the exact same libido problem and overall mental state that you describe. I can physically get aroused but its almost like I cant think sexually. When I used to see attractive women, I would get nuts etc.. and want to...... Now I just dont get that. I am hoping my problem goes away as yours did. Also, if anyone else has gone through this too after taking these types of meds, please feel free to share.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

You are right about getting bloodwork. If not for the fact that New York doesn't allow people to order their own bloodtest, I would already of used Privatemdlabs and gotten tested. I will still use them but being that I have to travel to Connecticut to have the test done, I am having trouble finding the time right now.

Also, of course I want to have the problem settled before I go on cycle. In fact that's the only reason I haven't yet done the cycle. The thing is that if for example, I hear from a few more people that took sleeping pills and suffered the libido loss which returned a period of time after stopping, I would feel confident in going on cycle, right now.

I would certainly love to hear from more people who took either Ambien and Lunesta or even benzos, and suffered libido issues.

Z-drugs are damaging to the immune system, at least this is the proposed theory why people who use these drugs have higher rates of several cancers.

I have no Z-drug experience; and have had excellent sex on temazepam. So I can't say this has ever been a problem for me. I have only used benzos rarely though.

 

[shred81]

Z-drugs are damaging to the immune system, at least this is the proposed theory why people who use these drugs have higher rates of several cancers.

I have no Z-drug experience; and have had excellent sex on temazepam. So I can't say this has ever been a problem for me. I have only used benzos rarely though.

Well I am sure they aren't healthy and I am glad to have not taken a single sleeping pill in almost 4 months. Right now I would love to hear from people who experienced libido loss from long term sleeping pill/benzo use and how long it took to come back. I am pretty upset about this and would love to know when I should expect to be over this. Thanks

 

[shred81]

It just sucks that it's been exactly 4 months since I quit taking them and still I libido is gone. I know that I was on them for awhile but I wish I knew when to expect to be recovered. This sucks.

 

[Pegasus]

^The body adapts to most anything over time. That said, being confident is crucial, your libido will never be strong if you're not confident in it (IME).

Thinking back to when I had this problem, I stopped sex/ masturbation unless my sex drive was outrageous. I recommend trying this... Let your sex drive build up for a few days to a week, I'm optimistic that you will feel the drive come back if you do this. Many people go through a similar situation without drugs simply by maturing a bit. The frequency with which arousal comes goes down, but the enjoyment of the act often goes up.

 

[shred81]

^The body adapts to most anything over time. That said, being confident is crucial, your libido will never be strong if you're not confident in it (IME).

Thinking back to when I had this problem, I stopped sex/ masturbation unless my sex drive was outrageous. I recommend trying this... Let your sex drive build up for a few days to a week, I'm optimistic that you will feel the drive come back if you do this. Many people go through a similar situation without drugs simply by maturing a bit. The frequency with which arousal comes goes down, but the enjoyment of the act often goes up.

Ok, I will deff try this. The thing is that my case is deff not a situation involving aging etc.. The fashion in which the libido left is insane. It was wiped out by the pills. Its not like there was a decrease, it's more like it was eliminated.

 

[Pegasus]

^Yeah, I was just mentioning that a lot of people experience this even without drugs... It was surely drug related with us, though.

 

[shred81]

^Yeah, I was just mentioning that a lot of people experience this even without drugs... It was surely drug related with us, though.

I wonder how long it will be before I notice significant improvement. I mean their is no question something actually changed, this is not a creation of my imagination.

 

[Pegasus]

^I bet if you don't have a single ejaculation for a week, you'll probably be pretty horny by that point! Even before that potentially...

 

[artist1]

i to suffer from loss of libido.im on zoloft,lyrica for nerve damage,valium.tamazapam,oxycontin.this surley affects your libido.i also must point out that zoloft for deppresion can also be a factor.but any substances that you take will always have some sought of affect on the core functions of a person on a very basic and principle level.weather good or bad it all has an affect

 

[Captain.Heroin]

It just sucks that it's been exactly 4 months since I quit taking them and still I libido is gone. I know that I was on them for awhile but I wish I knew when to expect to be recovered. This sucks.

Have you tried watching porn? Have you tried thinking about sexual situations with yourself and other attractive people? Or do these things just not seem interesting to you, despite the fact that you can still get hard and have an orgasm if you were to force yourself to do it?

If this is related to the "PAWS"-type post-benzo/z-drug usage, which I am not going to say it is as I'm not sure, then I wouldn't expect you to be at zero libido for much longer, as 4 months is a long time to go without any libido at all.

Do you have any other medications at your disposal? Have you considered going to a psychologist/clinician to try to be diagnosed for something? Other mental disorders can be really troubling concerning sex drive. I'm not trying to say "you have issues" or anything and this may not be the case at all, so please don't be offended, I'm just trying to think of what could be the problem instead of stating what is.

i to suffer from loss of libido.im on zoloft,lyrica for nerve damage,valium.tamazapam,oxycontin.this surley affects your libido.i also must point out that zoloft for deppresion can also be a factor.but any substances that you take will always have some sought of affect on the core functions of a person on a very basic and principle level.weather good or bad it all has an affect

Zoloft is the most troubling with libido; the SSRI's can eliminate/limit sexual pleasure aka tactile sensations while having sex, or it can be deleterious to the libido, or both.

I am actually wondering if the OP has ever been on SSRI's or any other class of drugs around the same time or during, but I didn't see anything about that in their first post.

 

[shred81]

Have you tried watching porn? Have you tried thinking about sexual situations with yourself and other attractive people? Or do these things just not seem interesting to you, despite the fact that you can still get hard and have an orgasm if you were to force yourself to do it?

If this is related to the "PAWS"-type post-benzo/z-drug usage, which I am not going to say it is as I'm not sure, then I wouldn't expect you to be at zero libido for much longer, as 4 months is a long time to go without any libido at all.

Do you have any other medications at your disposal? Have you considered going to a psychologist/clinician to try to be diagnosed for something? Other mental disorders can be really troubling concerning sex drive. I'm not trying to say "you have issues" or anything and this may not be the case at all, so please don't be offended, I'm just trying to think of what could be the problem instead of stating what is.



Zoloft is the most troubling with libido; the SSRI's can eliminate/limit sexual pleasure aka tactile sensations while having sex, or it can be deleterious to the libido, or both.

I am actually wondering if the OP has ever been on SSRI's or any other class of drugs around the same time or during, but I didn't see anything about that in their first post.

I have never been on any other drugs. I simply took these sleeping pills for a very long time. In my first post, I said that I noticed the libido loss in August of 2010 but insanely continued taking the Ambien till January 12, 2011
So I have indeed not had a normal libido in a very long time, but I have only been off the pills for 4 months.

I have never been on any other drugs. I simply took these sleeping pills for a very long time. In my first post, I said that I noticed the libido loss in August of 2010 but insanely continued taking the Ambien till January 12, 2011
So I have indeed not had a normal libido in a very long time, but I have only been off the pills for 4 months.

Well Pegasus took a couple of months to get back to normal and he took the pills for less time than I did. Lets hope I see some improvement very soon. I am 100 percent positive that this is something to do with my brain. Its not hormonal. I am getting leaner and stronger in the gym totally naturally. I dont feel weak, tired or anything. I feel healthy and strong. Its just that these pills fried my brain. It sucks having no libido regardless of the reason. Its exactly 4 months off the pills now so lets hope I start getting my libido back.

^ I used benzos on and off for years around age 18 - 22... This period with the libido issue came directly after maybe eight months of daily use. I started to notice it even before quitting the benzos but didn't think much of it as I knew benzos impacted my sex drive. This was in fact one of the prime reasons I quit in under a year, as I still had quite a bit of anxiety, with the other main reason being the mental fog/ negative effects on the brain that comes with regular benzo use. The period directly after quitting benzos was a pretty strange part of my life... During this period is when I noticed that I was not totally back to normal concerning my libido, nor was my state of mind positive at all. This went on some time, it is hard to quantify looking back but I'd put somewhere in the range of a few months. Gradually things started to look up, both in sex life and life in general, and all at once it seemed that I was coming out of this stage.

I didn't realize fully at the time how much benzos were responsible, but I had another brief stint with benzos for maybe a month a year or so after the events above. I was quickly able to pinpoint the similarities to the way I began to feel in the months following the previous benzo addiction. I quickly stopped benzos again and vowed to never use them with any regularity again, which I have successfully done. In the time off of benzos, I've gotten my mental and physical (and sexual!) health into the best shape of my life and am really disgusted by how much of an impact these drugs had on my life. It is clear to me now that much of the negativity in my life during that period was a direct result of benzos, ironically, as I was taking them to deal with the very issues they were causing.

Hey Pegasus, I know you already said that it's hard to put an exact time on to when you started getting your libido back after quitting benzos but do you think at 4 months post quitting, you started to feel better? It's exactly 4 months since I took a pill so I was curious if by this time, you were improving. Thanks

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Shred, when you have more than one response to quote here's what you can do...

click the EDIT button to add in additional responses in one post, as opposed to posting several times in a row.

OR

you can click the

button for everyone you want to quote except the last person, then hit the QUOTE button for them.

Do you think it's possible that the sleeping medication caused depression for you, and that is the reason why you haven't had a libido?

 

[shred81]

Shred, when you have more than one response to quote here's what you can do...

click the EDIT button to add in additional responses in one post, as opposed to posting several times in a row.

OR

you can click the

button for everyone you want to quote except the last person, then hit the QUOTE button for them.

Do you think it's possible that the sleeping medication caused depression for you, and that is the reason why you haven't had a libido?

Hey Captain Heroin, thanks for the pointer. I will try to keep it more organized next time. As far as your question is concerned, while I don't feel really depressed, who knows whether I am or not. I am upset about my libido problem so I can't say that I am too happy right now.

All I know is that till I was almost 25 years old, I had a crazy libido. Then I introduced sleeping pills, took them for far too long and libido disappeared. It's been 4 months since stopping the pills and still no improvement. I am convinced it's a mental problem and not hormonal. Nothing has changed one bit with me physically other than the libido loss. If I was suffering with a serious enough ailment that would mess my hormones up enough to wipe out libido, I am sure other physical problems would be manifesting themselves. Now having said that, I wish there was a way for me to fix this problem or at least have an estimated date of when I would expect to be better. Not knowing when I will be back to normal sucks too.

 

[Mr. Squiggle!]

Try some Viagra, get off the sleeping pills.

 

[shred81]

Try some Viagra, get off the sleeping pills.

I am always thankful when someone comes in here to help but both your suggestions are completely irrelevant and you didn't even read my original post.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Try some Viagra, get off the sleeping pills.

He's already off of sleeping pills.

I would advise Shred to continue cardiovascular exercise, as well as trying to stimulate a positive sexual mindset and environment.

 

[shred81]

He's already off of sleeping pills.

I would advise Shred to continue cardiovascular exercise, as well as trying to stimulate a positive sexual mindset and environment.

I will absolutely do this. I do adequate exercise. I am very serious about fitness and weight train 5 - 6 times a week. I am trying to keep a positive mindset. Thats hard though. If I knew when exactly I would recover, that would help me stay positive. Right now I have no idea when I will return to normal.

 

[Pegasus]

Hey Pegasus, I know you already said that it's hard to put an exact time on to when you started getting your libido back after quitting benzos but do you think at 4 months post quitting, you started to feel better? It's exactly 4 months since I took a pill so I was curious if by this time, you were improving. Thanks

Like I was saying, it was a gradual thing that occured around this point. It definitely didn't happen overnight; what happened first is that I noticed the libido was gone, followed by a time of experimentation where I tried to force myself to be sexual. I could orgasm, but the orgasms were lame as my drive was not truly strong. This led to me not doing anything sexual for awhile as the drive was not there. Not long after this began, maybe one to two weeks, I happened to think of something sexual and got really turned on, took care of business and had an intense orgasm. This made me happy as it was the first like that in a long time. After that, I didn't press the issue and maybe 5 days later, I was extremely horny again. This led me to realize that for me, the way to get over this was to let my drive build up and not force myself to be sexual as regularly as I was before. Nowadays, I do go through periods of wanting sex daily for two weeks or so, but this is usually followed by two more weeks where I want it only sporadically. I think you just have to accept that you're in a stage of not really wanting sex right now and let your drive build. It will definitely build as time goes on without release, there are actually people who do this on purpose to increase their sex drive to astronomical levels.

If you don't have any sex or masturbation for two weeks and still have no drive, you may have something else causing this. If it is indeed a result of changes to the mind that are the underlying cause, I am very confident that within two weeks of your sex drive constantly building, you will notice it has returned with a vengeance. Don't try to force your sex drive to be there, let it come back on it's own and I'm confident you will notice the return soon (within two weeks).

 

[shred81]

Like I was saying, it was a gradual thing that occured around this point. It definitely didn't happen overnight; what happened first is that I noticed the libido was gone, followed by a time of experimentation where I tried to force myself to be sexual. I could orgasm, but the orgasms were lame as my drive was not truly strong. This led to me not doing anything sexual for awhile as the drive was not there. Not long after this began, maybe one to two weeks, I happened to think of something sexual and got really turned on, took care of business and had an intense orgasm. This made me happy as it was the first like that in a long time. After that, I didn't press the issue and maybe 5 days later, I was extremely horny again. This led me to realize that for me, the way to get over this was to let my drive build up and not force myself to be sexual as regularly as I was before. Nowadays, I do go through periods of wanting sex daily for two weeks or so, but this is usually followed by two more weeks where I want it only sporadically. I think you just have to accept that you're in a stage of not really wanting sex right now and let your drive build. It will definitely build as time goes on without release, there are actually people who do this on purpose to increase their sex drive to astronomical levels.

If you don't have any sex or masturbation for two weeks and still have no drive, you may have something else causing this. If it is indeed a result of changes to the mind that are the underlying cause, I am very confident that within two weeks of your sex drive constantly building, you will notice it has returned with a vengeance. Don't try to force your sex drive to be there, let it come back on it's own and I'm confident you will notice the return soon (within two weeks).

OK, thanks a ton for the advice. I am gonna do exactly what you say and report back.