Anti-depressants and sex

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Is it normal for most anti-depressants to reduce or even eliminate libido?Are there any meds. available which do not have this undesirable side-effect?

I don't know much about antidepressants, but I have heard that reduced libido is common for some of these meds.

Originally Posted By: xenonmanIs it normal for most anti-depressants to reduce or even eliminate libido?Yes it's normal. Most anti-depressants lower libido but don't eliminate it. When you get off your prescription, your libido gets back to normal so there isn't anything to worry about. Originally Posted By: xenonmanAre there any meds. available which do not have this undesirable side-effect? Honestly, antidepressants and other drugs which work on CNS work differently on different individuals. One drug may cause lower libido for me but increase your libido when you take the same. I hope you get what I am saying.It's best to talk to your doctor about this and find the med which works best for you.

Most older antidepressants, and especially the SSRIs, reduce libido. However, more recently (and not before time - for too long this was considered a minor problem) this issue has been addressed, and there are now a number of antidepressants available that do not have this effect. These include buproprion (Wellbutrin), mirtazepine (Remeron, Zispin), tianeptine (Stablon), agomelatine (Valdoxan) and others. They are not suitable for every case (standard SSRIs are usually preferred when there is some OCD, for example), but they still are not being prescribed as much as they ought to be, in my opinion.

Which anti depressants (and dosage) are you currently taking?

Presently I'm on Certaline (a/k/a Zoloft) and Bupropion (a/k/a) Wellbutrin

Zoloft is lowering your libido, I guess. Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Effexor (venlaxafine) are new drugs that "claim" to not lower libido. Ask your doc to switch Zoloft with one of these if possible.

Acvtually, I've been on Venlafaxine (a/k/a Effexor). While using it, my libido was generally "got up and gone"!

Effexor also has nasty side-effects like unsteadiness on feet at times, and severe headaches if you miss a dose even by a few hours!

Duloxetine and venlafaxine are SNRIs. They still raise serotonin levels, which helps with antidepressant action (through the 5-HT1 receptors), but causes loss of libido and anorgasmia (through some of the 5-HT2 receptors), so those claims aren't true. The antidepressants that really don't have the sexual side-effects either don't raise serotonin levels (such as buproprion), or block 5-HT2 receptors (such as mirtazepine).

My wife was also on sertraline and our sex life virtually stopped, but don't worry... it soon comes back again!

Thanks for correcting me.

Originally Posted By: xenonmanEffexor also has nasty side-effects like unsteadiness on feet at times, and severe headaches if you miss a dose even by a few hours! Ugh! I wouldn't take it. Sorry about my previous post.