Posted by larryhoover on September 6, 2011, at 13:22:57
In reply to Re: Do antidepressants alter dopamine for the worse?, posted by Michaelho on September 6, 2011, at 6:41:24
> "Do the sexual side effects still occur after taking trycyclic meds. Is there a comparable effect to post ssri sexual dsyfunction?
>
> Antidepressants lower dopamine which is important for learning, amongst other things. Doesn't this mean antidepressants blunt the brain?"There is no evidence whatsoever that antidepressants "lower dopamine". Some patients experience a cognitive blunting, but it is impossible to know why some experience it, and others do not. When one considers the vast number of treated individuals (100's of millions, I should think), adverse effects must be in the minority of users. The same goes for sexual side effects. They can happen, but there is no way to know if they will, in your case. If you aren't willing to risk the side effects, I suggest you seek therapies that do not present those specific risks.
For example, Paxil caused sexual dysfunction in my own case, so I refused to continue on it, as my sexuality is very important to me. Paxil is also used to treat sexual dysfunction, so it is by no means a clear decision point.
Lar
poster:larryhoover
thread:995799
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110902/msgs/996019.html