Aellyce

Hi Friends.

A quite simple question this time for those of you that have tried psych meds. Has it been worth it? In other words, has the benefits overcome the side effects?

I will be very upfront about my biggest worry right now. I worry about the potential sexual side effects of psych medications. Why? Because no matter my addictions, my sexuality is something that I have always regarded as one of my healthiest features that I've never really questioned or abused. I am a bi woman and have been that way since perhaps age 4 or 5. I never had a "coming out" phase. Just bi by start and by nature. Female married to a male right now but our "repertoire" includes all of possibilities as far as sexuality.

But (obviously from the fact I am here) I have a problem with alcoholism, and also with life-long anxiety. So, for the anxiety at least, I wonder if meds could help me. You know, all those SSRI's. Just freaking of the sexual side effects right now. Sex is important for me. Apparently there are some formulations of the SSRI's (and other meds) that don't have sexual side effects. Please share!

lein

I got this from NHS site
Some of the main side effects of SSRIs are described below, but this isn't an exhaustive list and some of these won't necessarily apply to the specific SSRI you're taking. For information about the side effects of a particular SSRI, check the information leaflet that comes with your medication.
Common side effects

Common side effects of SSRIs can include:

feeling agitated, shaky or anxious
feeling or being sick
indigestion
diarrhoea or constipation
loss of appetite and weight loss
dizziness
blurred vision
dry mouth
excessive sweating
sleeping problems (insomnia) or drowsiness
headaches
low sex drive
difficulty achieving orgasm during sex or masturbation
in men, difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction)

These side effects should improve over time, although some – such as sexual problems – can persist.
But it doesn't give specific names of the medications.
I was given a kind of prozac thing years ago that made me super hyper, I only took it for 6 weeks and when the doctor saw me and I was practically manic, she took me off them. They also had the sexual side effects stated here. By the way I am a woman.
Fluoxetine is probably the best known SSRI (sold under the brand name Prozac). Other SSRIs include citalopram (Cipramil), paroxetine (Seroxat) and sertraline (Lustral).

Steely

I've heard a few men talk about ongoing sexual dysfunction with SSRI's. It was a very small study but the literature points to it. A very personal choice.

Dee74

Beyond anti-depressants like prozac, I have no experience to share Aellyce but I hope others will.

I can't say I discerned any real difference or side effects in my case.
D

Aellyce

Soberwolf

I take prozac and I've only said this once before in refrence to sex but I haven't noticed that type of a side effect

sleepie

I was on Wellbutrin some time ago and it does not affect your sexual orientation- we are of the same, Alleyce and that does not change with meds. However it did make some things difficult otherwise. It was an inconvenience.

Delizadee

Ssri's, my friend, are like our recovery journey. It's different for every person. A lot of it is trial by error. You never know what side effects will crop up until you take them.

I for one tried pretty much every ssri out there over my lifetime. My doc and I have concluded that that family of anti-depressants affects me very strongly in terms of side effects- I usually get them all severely and tend to have strong suicidal ideations upon commencing them or dosage upping as well as depersonalization. I had to visit another family of antidepressants and did settle on one but the beginning is always a struggle. Still a lot of side effects.
I did take one for called nortryptiline originally prescribed at low doses for sleep. That along with buspirone for my anxiety really helped level me out with very few side effects. Buspirone is a good one I find because it's not addictive and withdrawal is safe and easy.

I would recommend a sit down with one or even two qualified psychiatrists to discuss your diagnostic criteria and what your best options are. It is decidedly a very personal decision and you won't know the side effects until you try them out yourself. I for one didn't like the sexual side effects of most of them. The only ones worth noting to me were the nortryptiline and buspirone. The buspirone for me turned me into a stomping angry sex obsessed over horny teenager as I adjusted to the meds and dose uppages and apart from the rage-y tantrums nobody complained about that lol but again - who knows how it will affect you? And in time that did wear off.

Oh my geez... I just remembered all the insanely dirty texts I sent to my other half when I started the buspirone. .. haha

thomas11

I can report it has had no effect on me sexually, and yes the benefits are worth any issues it caused for about a week. Been fine ever since.

BlissWithin

I guess it depends on the person, I tried taking SSRI's but the sexual dysfunction symptons were very difficult to deal with so I stopped taking them. I also took antipsychotics for 22 months and for about half of that time I was in a high dosage and I had some problems with my libido but they were tolerable and it got back to normal as I reduced the dosage and finished my treatment with them.

advbike

Man here. Was prescribed a mild SSRI for anxiety and mild OCD about 10 years ago, after a month I discontinued it due to sexual side effects. I could perform but never finish. Not worth it for me. Don't remember which one it was, not Prozac.

courage2

You haven't tried anything yet, is that correct? The commonly prescribed SSRIs as far as I know don't have irreversible effects on brain/body chemistry, so if you don't like the effects, you can just stop the drug, probably without discontinuation symptoms if you haven't been on it long.

Have you actually met with a psychiatrist to discuss the medication options?

Also, what do your sexual preferences have to do with your question?

To be honest, there's something about your post that makes me think you're trying to distract your/our attention from the problems at hand -- your recent relapse and whatever mental health issues brought you to it. I hope that's not true. I have a suspicious nature

uncorked

I've been on several SSRIs and regrettably, they all had sexual side effects along with weight gain (although drinking negatively affected both of those as well!) I'm on Wellbutrin now. It's not an SSRI and has no sexual side effects -- however, it's prescribed for depression, not anxiety. Keep in mind that everyone responds to these meds differently. The only way to find out is to try. There are non SSRI meds that may help as well.

Aellyce

Thanks everyone.

Yes I've seen a psychiatrist and discussed it with him, just curious as to the experiences here. This is not a distraction, I am sober and looking for compatible longer term solutions. Of course the sexual side effects become minor when it comes to saving my life, was just curious since sex is such a positive and fulfilling component of my life right now and one I've never abused or done in excess. Weird for an addict? Just don't want to destroy one element of me that is working well.

ALinNS

I believe it's different for each person, the sex of the person and the medication, benzo's for me when I used to take them had no effect however some SSRI's were very frustrating but as a man there are medications to help with ED and they do work. I believe I read on CNN a while back there is also a new Viagra for women as well, not really sure as it's been probably a year since I read it.

Aellyce

Well, I just like my natural and effortless setting and would not like to alter it unless absolutely necessary. Intimate relationships have always been such a good and satisfying parts of my life and I have a great partner now. Of course it's not all about sex, but I (we) like that part. And my initiative, creativity and ability to actually experience satisfaction in the "creations" is important in it. I am open to psych meds now to improve my life, but would like to make a sensible compromise if possible.

Aellyce

Okay I've given more thought to my motives behind this thread. I think the original question is a valid one, but the way I have been discussing it... it really screams a form of distraction and trying to rationalize not wanting to address my issues and getting onto irrelevant tangents. And then defensiveness. I think I've been discussing way too many things lately that are mostly attempts to shift my focus from where the focus really has to be, projecting aggressive impulses and anxiety into external factors. I think it's mostly because I am having a hard time accepting my recent relapse and that the responsibility is on me alone for it and for repairing the damage.

Dee74

For what it's worth I agree entirely Aellyce.

It's enormously helpful that you see all that though

D

RallyAly

Great insight here. To go back to the original question,, I don't have personal experience but do have lots via my wife. Meds affect people differently, interact differently, etc. but it's sort of like the creating a plan here, you try a tool, see if it works for you, if not evaluate why, and try another. So if you have a need that calls for medication, then there is likely one or more that will help with acceptable side effects. It just may not be the one you try first. And research for many conditions shows meds+therapy works better than either in isolation. For anxiety there are definitely different options and approaches, plus therapist directed mindfulness practices can be helpful for many.