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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by atmlady on February 3, 2008, at 23:29:02
I'm a serotonin girl - Effexor and Lexapro worked great for my depression, but both caused me to gain weight (lots) and worse, took away the ability to orgasm.
I've been making do with Wellbutrin for the past year, but the side effects started to get to me. Plus, I knew what it was I really needed. How could I get serotonin without the weight gain and sexual side effects? That's when I read about Ixel.
So 10 days into my ixel trial - here's my take on the sexual side effects.
Have you ever taken an SSRI and had that dead below the waist feeling? Felt like you or someone could spend 3 months "down there" and it would be pointless because it just wasn't gonna happen? Like you were going up that sex hill and you were just never, ever going to reach the top of it and see the other side?
I do not have this feeling with Ixel. I'm able to orgasm. Not as easily as before, but not impossible like with Lexapro or Effexor. Glory Hallelujah!
Hope this post doesn't offend anyone - I just know ow much I appreciated the women who posted about this issue while I was seeking answers....
Posted by mav27 on February 4, 2008, at 0:00:39
In reply to Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by atmlady on February 3, 2008, at 23:29:02
I found the same thing with tricylclics and why i will only ever take them and not those horrid ssri type drugs.
I found the TCA's worked just as well as ssri's but with the bonus of still having sexual function even if it takes a little more effort than usual.
Posted by Maria3667 on February 4, 2008, at 8:44:11
In reply to Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by atmlady on February 3, 2008, at 23:29:02
Well, you are not alone!
I have some 'shocking' revelations too... For the feeble of mind, please stop reading. My aim is to inform and help others with sexual difficulties by sharing this information.
All the regular SSRI's made me impotent. Wellbutrin's promise didn't hold true. Ativan in high dosages also killed the vibes 'down south'...
But here's the good news:
* Remeron really gave my sex life a boost.
* Tianeptine set my limbs alive and gave me long lingering orgasms.
* On tricyclics sex was almost normal.
* And orgasms never happened so quickly on Abilify.> I'm a serotonin girl - Effexor and Lexapro worked great for my depression, but both caused me to gain weight (lots) and worse, took away the ability to orgasm.
>
> I've been making do with Wellbutrin for the past year, but the side effects started to get to me. Plus, I knew what it was I really needed. How could I get serotonin without the weight gain and sexual side effects? That's when I read about Ixel.
>
> So 10 days into my ixel trial - here's my take on the sexual side effects.
>
> Have you ever taken an SSRI and had that dead below the waist feeling? Felt like you or someone could spend 3 months "down there" and it would be pointless because it just wasn't gonna happen? Like you were going up that sex hill and you were just never, ever going to reach the top of it and see the other side?
>
> I do not have this feeling with Ixel. I'm able to orgasm. Not as easily as before, but not impossible like with Lexapro or Effexor. Glory Hallelujah!
>
> Hope this post doesn't offend anyone - I just know ow much I appreciated the women who posted about this issue while I was seeking answers....
>
>
>
>
Posted by bulldog2 on February 4, 2008, at 15:46:59
In reply to Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by atmlady on February 3, 2008, at 23:29:02
> I'm a serotonin girl - Effexor and Lexapro worked great for my depression, but both caused me to gain weight (lots) and worse, took away the ability to orgasm.
>
> I've been making do with Wellbutrin for the past year, but the side effects started to get to me. Plus, I knew what it was I really needed. How could I get serotonin without the weight gain and sexual side effects? That's when I read about Ixel.
>
> So 10 days into my ixel trial - here's my take on the sexual side effects.
>
> Have you ever taken an SSRI and had that dead below the waist feeling? Felt like you or someone could spend 3 months "down there" and it would be pointless because it just wasn't gonna happen? Like you were going up that sex hill and you were just never, ever going to reach the top of it and see the other side?
>
> I do not have this feeling with Ixel. I'm able to orgasm. Not as easily as before, but not impossible like with Lexapro or Effexor. Glory Hallelujah!
>
> Hope this post doesn't offend anyone - I just know ow much I appreciated the women who posted about this issue while I was seeking answers....
>
>
>
>OMG! Didn't mean to read this one!
Posted by Molybdenum on February 5, 2008, at 3:09:27
In reply to Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by atmlady on February 3, 2008, at 23:29:02
Citalopram made me go off sex entirely. I could orgasm but I just never felt like it. That drug was a real libido-killer for me.
Same with Effexor for me too. Although I heard that Avanza (mirtazapine) is NOT supposed to have this effect. I take both now, so I can't know if it's true.
BTW, I'm male - at least "technically" of course.
In honor of the great & now unfortunately dead Kurt Vonnegut, here's a quote from his story "Welcome To The Monkey House" that I hope you will enjoy:) :
"...ethical birth-control pills, the only legal form of birth control, made people numb from the waist down.
Most men said their bottom halves felt like cold iron or balsawood. Most women said their bottom halves felt like wet cotton or stale ginger ale. The pills were so effective that you could blindfold a man who had taken one, tell him to recite the Gettysburg Address, kick him in the balls while he was doing it, and he wouldnt miss a syllable.
The pills were ethical because they didnt interfere with a persons ability to reproduce, which would have been unnatural and immoral. All the pills did was take every bit of pleasure out of sex.
Thus did science and morals go hand in hand."
Posted by Bear Fan on February 5, 2008, at 17:58:45
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by Molybdenum on February 5, 2008, at 3:09:27
atmlady, where did you get your Ixel and what dosage do you take? Also what TCA's are common and don't have sexual side effects? And Men, did Ixel also not have sexual dysfunction?
Thanks
Posted by Sigismund on February 5, 2008, at 18:12:12
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by Molybdenum on February 5, 2008, at 3:09:27
Hey, that reminds me of Dr Benway from "Naked Lunch" saying something like 'Nurse, this man has an erection. Administer half a grain of morphine IM immediately.'
Posted by bleauberry on February 6, 2008, at 18:14:59
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by Bear Fan on February 5, 2008, at 17:58:45
Sorry, we can't post where to get non-FDA meds here. If you do a google search for "buy Ixel", or "Milnacipran", you will find where to mailorder it without any problems.
Ixel blunted my sexual desire somewhat, but not to the degree ssris did. It felt like the kind of blunting that would have gone away with time. I could not stick it out. My experience with Ixel went like this:
Trial 1. Felt better almost right away, got glum and down again by day 4, progressively got a little worse for the next 2 weeks. Main reasons for stopping...could barely pee, daily headaches, minor mini-rashes and itching. It did work good on pains. Sex was ok sometimes and not interested other times.
Trial 2. Felt better almost right away, got glum and down again by day 4, progressively got a little worse after. Same as the first time. Main reasons for stopping...difficulty peeing, minor mini-rashes and itching. Peeing was a little better than the first trial, and headaches didn't happen this time. But in addition to the difficulty urinating and the deterioration in mood, something new happened...very painful testicles.
In literature one of the more common side effects leading to discontinuation in men is urinary complaints. The difficulty peeing and painful testicles scared me away.
I may still use Ixel on ocassion though. To me it is somewhat in the Ritalin family. If I take it today, it will kick in by tomorrow and feel pretty good. It "feels" like a boost of dopamine and norepinephrine similar to ritalin. But that fades in a few days. Ritalin also makes me more depressed if I take it continually, but is good for a temporary crutch.
I had high hopes for Ixel but have to give it credit because at least I was able to get a month trial out of it, whereas most other med trials are over before a week due to severe worsening of mood. Ixel was friendlier. If not for the peeing pain and the testicle pain I might have upped the dose and done more time with it.
Back on topic, it did blunt my libido some, which for me is a good thing since it is too strong to begin with, but ability was fine and climax was fine. Actually climax was better than normal.
> atmlady, where did you get your Ixel and what dosage do you take? Also what TCA's are common and don't have sexual side effects? And Men, did Ixel also not have sexual dysfunction?
>
> Thanks
Posted by bissie66 on February 7, 2008, at 10:26:51
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please » Bear Fan, posted by bleauberry on February 6, 2008, at 18:14:59
I had loss of sensation and much difficulty achieving O's on all SSRI's. Very frustrating b.c. I did have a libido but then it was a chore to achieve satisfaction. Effexor was the worst. (I know it's not actually an SSRI.)
Low and behold, when I got pregnant with my THIRD child, and was on Zoloft, the sexual side effects disappeared. It was easy to achieve o's. This continued, even after I had the baby, no matter which SSRI I have taken. It is now 5 yrs later. How do you explain that mystery?
Incidentally, I was on SSRI's during my 1st and 2nd pregnancies and DID experience bad sexual side effects like always.
btw, Remeron has been the best AD for sex, by far - actually enhanced it.
Posted by ATMlady on February 7, 2008, at 17:42:00
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please » Molybdenum, posted by Sigismund on February 5, 2008, at 18:12:12
OMG you guys and gals are too funny!!! Look, ATMlady was on the couch Sunday night, multi-tasking (drinking wine while watching the superbowl AND posting on babble) and spilled wine all over her laptop! So she's now borrowing someone else's computer until her laptop comes back from the apple store (with new hard drive). I should know better, really. What was I thinking? Sigh...
So anyway, I will be incommunicado for another week or so - just wanted you all to know why I wasn't chiming in! :)
Posted by Bearfan on February 20, 2008, at 2:07:29
In reply to Re: Ixel and Sex - Prudes don't open please, posted by ATMlady on February 7, 2008, at 17:42:00
what about Ixel and men's erection? Does it have an impact on it?
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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