unable to orgam on antidepressants

Contributor: cec578 cec578
I recently started taking my medication again. Unfortunaly though I am uable to orgam on it. Anyone else have this experience or know of a different option that may make me be able to orgasm again. I'm on celexa and depakote
10/05/2011
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Contributor: Honooko Honooko
Quote:
Originally posted by cec578
I recently started taking my medication again. Unfortunaly though I am uable to orgam on it. Anyone else have this experience or know of a different option that may make me be able to orgasm again. I'm on celexa and depakote
Unfortunately, this is a really common side effect of SSRIs (which Celexa is to my knowledge?) I'm going to get a little sciencey here, so bear with me. SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) work by controlling the absorption of neurotransmitters in your brain. Basically, your neuron fires, spits out a bunch of neurotransmitters (in this case, serotonin) and the synapse then absorbs that neurotransmitter. Whatever isn't immediately absorbed gets taken back in (re-uptake) by the neuron that spit it out. People with depression have a problem where the neuron re-uptakes EVERYTHING before it's had a chance to be absorbed by the receiving neuron, so you basically never have enough of it. SSRIs come in by blocking then neuron from sucking it back up immediately and giving the receiving neuron more time to absorb it. This is great for depression!

Bad news: Orgasm is a huge, huge flood of neurotransmitters that are almost immediately reabsorbed (normally.) That's why they feel so good: a huge, absolute FLOOD of chemicals in your brain. But you can get up and walk almost right away; the afterglow doesn't last long because the reuptake is so fast. But since an SSRI by design blocks that flood from happening to start with? You get all wound up and end up getting no where.

The only SSRI known for NOT having this is Welbutrin, but that one's a bit dodgy for some people because it has other side effects instead. I've taken pretty much every SSRI there is and always had this problem, but I got switch to SNRIs instead (I'm bipolar) and haven't had the issue anymore. So I take Remeron and it's worked.

Talk to your doctor about it, because like I said, it's a really common side effect that they consider serious, so he or she might be able to suggest either medication to counter that effect, or a different SSRI altogether.
10/06/2011
Contributor: Redboxbaby Redboxbaby
My doctors put me on all kinds of anti-depressants when I began complaining of headaches and everything else (come to find out I actually had a brain tumor and now MS).

Anyhow, while I was on them (for YEARS) they robbed me of my orgasm and they completely killed my drive. It took two years for my body to readjust once I stopped taking them.
10/06/2011
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
Definitely do not just stop taking them on your own. It's definitely a VERY common problem that you are experiencing, so make a call to your doctor and let them know what's going on so they can try changing your meds. Best wishes! That must be very frustrating!
10/06/2011
Contributor: TheBadHobbit TheBadHobbit
I'm a Lexapro gal - almost exactly the same thing as Celexa - and I too have a much lower libido and a very hard time orgasming / it's not as satisfying. When I did some research on it I saw that some people's bodies never fully go back to normal as far as sex as concerned, even once they stop taking the pills (though quite a lot just take a really long time to readjust, like Redboxbaby).

However, from what I understand, some people have been prescribed Wellbutrin after going off SRSIs and it restores some of their libido/counters some of their anorgasmia. ("According to a survey of psychiatrists, it is the drug of choice for the treatment of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, although this is not an indication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thirty-six percent of psychiatrists preferred switching patients with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction to bupropion, and 43% favored the augmentation of the current medication with bupropion.") I haven't tried it myself - I don't have a partner atm, and more medication is expensive; I'm willing to put up with less enjoyable sex to save money - but you might want to talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks!
10/06/2011