Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 298669

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Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

Before I waste any more money on adjunct drugs to bring back my sex life (Celexa 40 mgs) I wanted to poll y'all to find if anyone has found relief on either Wellbutrin, Amantadine, or Cytohypramine (sp?) when added to an SSRI.

Please give feedback and details (of the meds, not the sex) :)

Thanks,

Craig

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by PoohBear on January 9, 2004, at 15:38:29

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

Wellbutrin has worked for me. On straight Effexor I was unable to achieve/sustain and erection or have an orgasm...

TR

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 15:48:13

In reply to Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by PoohBear on January 9, 2004, at 15:38:29

> Wellbutrin has worked for me. On straight Effexor I was unable to achieve/sustain and erection or have an orgasm...
>

Cool! At what dose? where there any cognitive side effects? How long did it take?
> TR

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by PoohBear on January 9, 2004, at 16:26:42

In reply to Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 15:48:13

I'm taking 75mg daily, six hours after my Effexor which I take in the morning...

TR

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by Ed O`Flaherty on January 9, 2004, at 18:17:45

In reply to Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by PoohBear on January 9, 2004, at 16:26:42

Effexor is probably the worst AD for sexual side effects.The SSRIs are a problem too in many cases.

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by Interject79 on January 9, 2004, at 22:03:59

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

Wellbutrin 150 xl helped me with Lexapro sexual side effects. Cognitive side effects from Wellbutrin aren't bad; actually they can be helpful. You often feel more alert and energized. On the downside, you can become more irritable if not very careful (e.g., limit caffeine and other stimulants, limit sugar intake, sleep well, etc.).

After taking Lexapro+Wellbutrin for a couple of months, I came off Wellbutrin (too activating) and found my sex drive was intact still.

Best,
interject

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by theo on January 10, 2004, at 14:24:52

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

I've been taking Paxil for 1 month and have lost all desire for sex. Don't know with time if this get's better or worse. The Paxil is working great for me for anxiety but horrible sex problems. I can't even get excited enough with my girlfriend to get a lasting erection!!! HELP!!!

 

Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » CraigD

Posted by Maximus on January 10, 2004, at 16:46:45

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

> Before I waste any more money on adjunct drugs to bring back my sex life (Celexa 40 mgs) I wanted to poll y'all to find if anyone has found relief on either Wellbutrin, Amantadine, or Cytohypramine (sp?) when added to an SSRI.

Hi Craig,

I have tried many adjuncts to my cocktail in the past without having a satisfying response. Moreover all the SSRIs and Effexor have this nasty side effect.

Some patients and i have found that Wellbutrin, Remeron or a Tricyclic antidepressant (except clomipramine) have very few sexual side effects. Of course we are talking about antidepressants here.

Personally i can't stand the side effects of Wellbutrin (anxiety) nor a TCA (global side effects are high).

So i'm taking Remeron 45 mg die with Zantac 75 mg bid to counteract the weight gain and it works perfectly.

But if you want absolutely playing around with an adjunct, take a look for a stuff which blocks the receptor 5HT2A. That is the key.

Hope this helps.

 

Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » Maximus

Posted by Francesco on January 10, 2004, at 17:22:09

In reply to Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » CraigD, posted by Maximus on January 10, 2004, at 16:46:45


> Some patients and i have found that Wellbutrin, Remeron or a Tricyclic antidepressant (except clomipramine) have very few sexual side effects. Of course we are talking about antidepressants here.

Soory to jump in this conversation ... may I ask you what TCA did you try in the past and what were the sexual side-effects ? I have tried clomipramine in the past and it killed my libido. I have just started taking desipramine and I'm concernced with the sexy side of the thing.

> Personally i can't stand the side effects of Wellbutrin (anxiety) nor a TCA (global side effects are high).

and ... which non sexual side-effects did you have from TCAs ?

> So i'm taking Remeron 45 mg die with Zantac 75 mg bid to counteract the weight gain and it works perfectly.

I'm going to start Remeron in the next days. Never heard of Zantac but I'll keep in mind for the eventual weight gain.

> But if you want absolutely playing around with an adjunct, take a look for a stuff which blocks the receptor 5HT2A. That is the key.

This is interesting. Which are the adjunct that block the receptor 5ht2a ? Sorry for all these questions, hope I'm not boring you.

 

Re: trying to fix sexual side effects

Posted by psychlover on January 10, 2004, at 17:27:52

In reply to Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » CraigD, posted by Maximus on January 10, 2004, at 16:46:45

Paxil was a diaster for me sexually, couldn't even get an erection. That was SO disturbing! It also made me so tired I couldn't function, so I switched to Lex which was terrific except it takes me FOREVER to reach orgasm. Even women don't want you to take that long.

I have tried adding cyproheptadine, which just made me feel dizzy and wobbly, but no help with sex side effects.

I have added Wellbutrin to my Lex now, which has not helped my sex side effects at all, but has made me less depressed. I am now on WB XL 300 mg and Lex 20 mg, but this last week I tried lowering my Lex to 10 mg. Haven't noticed a difference yet, but I hope to slowley wean off the Lex and see if the side effects disappear along with it (I hope!). By the way, I suffer from panic attacks, and surprisingly WB does not make me panicky or anxious. Go figure!

Viagra doesn't help with orgasm either.

I have heard that ginkgo biloba may help. Yohimbine may help but it is supposed to have too many bad side effects.

I am taking some L-arginine daily to see if that helps...

Good luck!

 

Re: trying to fix sexual side effects » psychlover

Posted by CraigD on January 10, 2004, at 19:11:52

In reply to Re: trying to fix sexual side effects, posted by psychlover on January 10, 2004, at 17:27:52

> Paxil was a diaster for me sexually, couldn't even get an erection. That was SO disturbing! It also made me so tired I couldn't function, so I switched to Lex which was terrific except it takes me FOREVER to reach orgasm. Even women don't want you to take that long.
>
> I have tried adding cyproheptadine, which just made me feel dizzy and wobbly, but no help with sex side effects.
>
> I have added Wellbutrin to my Lex now, which has not helped my sex side effects at all, but has made me less depressed. I am now on WB XL 300 mg and Lex 20 mg, but this last week I tried lowering my Lex to 10 mg. Haven't noticed a difference yet, but I hope to slowley wean off the Lex and see if the side effects disappear along with it (I hope!). By the way, I suffer from panic attacks, and surprisingly WB does not make me panicky or anxious. Go figure!
>
> Viagra doesn't help with orgasm either.
>
> I have heard that ginkgo biloba may help. Yohimbine may help but it is supposed to have too many bad side effects.
>
> I am taking some L-arginine daily to see if that helps...
>
> Good luck!
>

I doubt that you'd feel the agitation from WB until the the Lex works its way out of your system. SSRI's tend to keep seratonin high and dopamine low, ergo the lack of sex drive and agitation from WB.

I'm wondering if taking the cyproheptadine while on WB would make a difference in increasing sexual appetite. It lowers seratonin levels, or so I've read.

I went on my first date last night since a bad break up two months ago (that's partially why I'm on ADs again) and my interest was so transient. I'll initiate sex and then see what's on TV three minutes later.

Either way, I might stay on the WB while on the Celexa just because I feel more "normal" on the both than just on Celexa. The mood elevation is cool from Celexa, but I find I'm so sicky sweet -- nice to everyone but with no edge or sense of humor -- in social situations.

Anyway, back to the sex issue. I'm holding out hope for Amantadine, which is a parkison's med and increases dopamine. Side effects are supposed to be less tolerable than WB.

How often do you have to take your WB? I'm taking mine 75 mg pills at a time so I have to deal with that up-down feeling. These are old pills and I want to get sold on it before going out and buying another batch.

 

Re: trying to fix sexual side effects » CraigD

Posted by psychlover on January 10, 2004, at 19:15:29

In reply to Re: trying to fix sexual side effects » psychlover, posted by CraigD on January 10, 2004, at 19:11:52

Amantadine sounds scary.

I take WB XL 300 mg once a day.

If you initiate sex and then want to watch TV a couple of minutes later, that doesn't sound like an arousal problem. That sounds like something else.

 

Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!

Posted by JohnFromCalifornia on January 10, 2004, at 19:26:24

In reply to Re: Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by theo on January 10, 2004, at 14:24:52

> I've been taking Paxil for 1 month and have lost all desire for sex.

Paxil had exactly the same effect on me. I switched to Lexapro and my sex drive returned nearly 100%.

 

Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » Francesco

Posted by Maximus on January 10, 2004, at 19:57:15

In reply to Re: Only 3 choices: Wellbutrin, Remeron or a TCA » Maximus, posted by Francesco on January 10, 2004, at 17:22:09

> and ... which non sexual side-effects did you have from TCAs ?

Imipramine, Desipramine and Nortriptyline.
and.

>Which non sexual side-effects did you have from TCAs ?

No sexual side effect at all (for me). But a few reports some erection difficulties.

> I'm going to start Remeron in the next days. Never heard of Zantac but I'll keep in mind for the eventual weight gain.

Zantac is an anti-acid, an H2 receptor blocker.

> This is interesting. Which are the adjunct that block the receptor 5ht2a ? Sorry for all these questions, hope I'm not boring you.

Well there are always those heavy atypical anti-psychotic. But of course they are not indicated for that usage.

However if you take a low dose of SSRI you might have success with the buspirone aka Buspar (anti-anxiety agent), a serotonin 1A receptor partial agonist which also displays antagonist properties at D2 receptors and is metabolized to the alpha2-adrenergic receptor antagonist.


 

Re: trying to fix sexual side effects

Posted by Interject79 on January 11, 2004, at 20:13:53

In reply to Re: trying to fix sexual side effects, posted by psychlover on January 10, 2004, at 17:27:52

Ginkgo might help, so had DMG (dimethylglycine I believe) OR DMAE. Zinc can be beneficial. Lower doses of the SSRI can be sex-life saving; and I've found acetyl l-carnitine (1000 mg qd) to help with anticholinergic side effects (from concentration difficulty to memory problems and even anorgasmia). Wellbutrin does work for some, but it has side effects that many don't like and so it would seem more prudent to try alternatives first.

Another option is a dopamine agonist like L-Deprenyl (Selegiline). At lower doses it tends to be quite safe, and for some it enhances libido as well as concentration and motivation. It's also fairly cheap an can be obtained without a prescription by ordering from overseas. One must be careful with it, nonetheless because it is an MAOI. With Lexapro there should be no difficulties...look it up :)

Best wishes,
interject

 

what about l-tyrosine ? (nm) » CraigD

Posted by Francesco on January 14, 2004, at 13:19:28

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

 

Re: tyrosine for Sex on SSRI's? » Francesco

Posted by CraigD on January 14, 2004, at 16:19:38

In reply to what about l-tyrosine ? (nm) » CraigD, posted by Francesco on January 14, 2004, at 13:19:28

I haven't heard anything about Tyrosine for sexual drive or anorgasmia. Please explain your reasoning.

Thanks

 

Wellbutrin helped from day 1. Saved my life. » CraigD

Posted by watergirl on January 14, 2004, at 23:41:51

In reply to Let's talk about sex Ba-by!, posted by CraigD on January 9, 2004, at 14:39:00

no joke. not only did Wellbutrin restore my sex drive (which is VERY high; before any meds and even now w/ Wellbutrin SR 400mgs) It saved my life!!!!!

 

Re: tyrosine for Sex on SSRI's? » CraigD

Posted by Francesco on January 15, 2004, at 12:22:54

In reply to Re: tyrosine for Sex on SSRI's? » Francesco , posted by CraigD on January 14, 2004, at 16:19:38

> I haven't heard anything about Tyrosine for sexual drive or anorgasmia. Please explain your reasoning.
>
> Thanks

Hi CraigD, there's no reasoning behind my suggestion, just my personal experience. I was used to take it to try to fix my adhd-syntoms and I noticed it improved my sexual desire. When I started taking Imipramine I tried to add it to counteract the sexual problems I was experiencing and it worked. The trial lasted just a little because I quit Imipramine after few days. I can say it helped with desire, erection and ejaculation control but I don't know if it could help with anorgasmia. I had the latter just on Paxil while on TCAs I tend to have other kind of problems ... Now I'm on desipramine and remeron and if things go bad on the sexual side I'll try to take L-tyrosine, just when I need it, to see what happens. L-Tyrosine is a precursor of dopamine and NE and it's considered a stimulant, therefore my experience it's not so strange. Moreover it's quite cheap, even if I don't know if it can be safely added to meds. The only problem I had with it was a raise in blood pressure so my guess is that it wouldn't give problems if it's not combined with other meds that give the same side effect (just a guess though). Hope this helps even if it's not much.

 

Wellbutrin, no...Amantadine anyone? » watergirl

Posted by CraigD on January 15, 2004, at 13:17:05

In reply to Wellbutrin helped from day 1. Saved my life. » CraigD, posted by watergirl on January 14, 2004, at 23:41:51

Did you just start taking WB alone or were you on an SSRI first and add WB as an adjunct? My drive is fine until the Celexa is added.

I like WB w/Celexa because it makes me feel more like myself than just Celexa. But after five days, it hasn't really helped my drive or anorgasmia.

So I'm about to move onto the next suggestion, which was Amantadine - an antiparkinson drug that I think is essentially L-dopa. I'm wondering If I should just start doing coke again if it's all about a dopamine kick.

Any amantadine success stories?


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