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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Beliala on March 7, 2002, at 18:43:40
I’ve been suffering from more-or-less complete lack of sexual sensation for over 5 years, and lately I’ve been suspecting that clomipramine (Anafranil) is the culprit. Okay, a brief history: My libido had decreased somewhat during the first 3 years of my depression, when I was treated with various psych meds which may or may not have been a factor. But it was still reasonably okay. In late June 1996 I went on clomipramine. No major changes there. Somewhere around November I noticed it really starting to wane. By February 1997 it was damn close to zero, which really frustrated me because I’d finally snagged the guy I’d been lusting after. I ended up staying on the clomipramine for over 5 years. Going off there was extremely little improvement, even though for awhile my only medication was a puny 300mg of Neurontin.
I’m basically numb "down there," except for a pain condition I’ve since developed. I kinda feel like I have lidocaine slathered on. I also notice that my nipples are extremely numb, and my sense of touch in general doesn’t seem as acute as it used to be. I don’t know what to attribute this to - clomipramine’s anticholinergic effect, maybe? Did having those receptors chronically blocked cause them to die off completely? My knowledge of neurology is pathetically limited so this speculation might be wildly off-base....any thoughts?
I’ve asked a few doctors about this problem and they all basically brushed me off. Most told me it must be psychological; a couple suggested the antidepressant but implied they thought the effect would only last as long as I was on it. Because this effect had taken so many months to develop and ended up persisting while off all antidepressants, I’d dismissed this suggestion....now I wonder.
What’s really sad is that the clomipramine didn’t do a damn thing for me - I only stayed on it because of intense pressure from my pdoc and family (who don’t believe in situational depression). Now I’m back on the poison again and might well be for the rest of my very short life, but I need to know if it’s responsible for damaging me. I would never have stayed on it if I had known it could cause this.
Posted by Beliala on March 8, 2002, at 1:20:20
In reply to PERMANENT sexual dysfunction from clomipramine?, posted by Beliala on March 7, 2002, at 18:43:40
Whoops just realized the numbers don’t add up. I was on clomipramine 3.5 years, though I took low doses of other tricyclics during much of my time off. Not that it matters.
This is the end of the thread.
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