GIRLS: Is the sexual side effects really that bad??

[AskJeeves]

I've been prescribed with citaprolam, haven't taken it yet, but i keep reading about loss of sex drive as a side effect...so i just wanted to know from a woman's point of view how that feels like??

Do you have no sensation in the clitoris or something?

Is it difficult to orgasm to the point where you don't orgasm at all or to the point where you get near to reaching your "peak", you loose it and then give up trying to orgasm out of frustration?

Or is it not really that bad?

Perhaps it is possible to be aroused & orgasm but you just have to work harder and put more effort into it? Is that the case?

I'm just wondering.

Thanks in advance

[nothing to fear]

i have a feeling this will get closed soon but anyway

for me it was inability to have as much feeling down there, i.e. even if my mind was aroused my body wasn't. it was also much harder to climax, in fact i couldn't at all for a long time and just gave up. it would just take a lot more effort and i eventually just didn't try for a very long time even though i would still feel the desire for sex. those side-effects faded after about 6 months for me, thank god.

oh, and i find that wine and/or pot intensifies any sexual desires/sensitivity so that might help a bit if you find it harder to climax.

[Foh_Teej]

Why would this get closed soon? This is a legitimate question regarding very real side effects that happen to be of sexual nature. If people have complaints with topics using scientific terms for human anatomy and the effects drugs may have on them, that's more offensive IMHO.

Originally Posted by AskJeeves

I've been prescribed with citaprolam, haven't taken it yet, but i keep reading about loss of sex drive as a side effect...so i just wanted to know from a woman's point of view how that feels like??

I can't speak for females as I was born with the counterpart to female genitalia but I can deduce the side effects are as parallel to one another as you could get in both sexes.

Originally Posted by AskJeeves

Do you have no sensation in the clitoris or something?

No(at least in men anyway). SSRIs dont desensitize the area(of course there could be an argument over semantics here) but the question would still remain- if you cared for the stimulation in the first place, if you lose your libido. With anorgasmia, sex can still be "pleasurable" but becomes frustrating when it becomes difficult to impossible to reach climax. Of course one could still attribute these effects as a loss of sensation when all things considered.

Originally Posted by AskJeeves

Is it difficult to orgasm to the point where you don't orgasm at all or to the point where you get near to reaching your "peak", you loose it and then give up trying to orgasm out of frustration?

Yes and yes... well depends. Anorgasmia is dose dependent and can vary in severity in any person at any given dosage. Sex with SSRIs can be as normal as normal can be without SSRIs yet no matter how long you drive down that road, you just never get to the end (or at least its a lot longer trip than mapquest predicted).

Originally Posted by AskJeeves

Or is it not really that bad?

This is something only you can answer for yourself. However, if you experience sexual side effects and have to ask yourself this question, the answer becomes obvious pretty fast.

Originally Posted by AskJeeves

Perhaps it is possible to be aroused & orgasm but you just have to work harder and put more effort into it? Is that the case?

Well that depends on whether you experience both anorgasmia AND loss of libido (as well as ED in men). They dont necessarily occur together with everyone at any given dosage.

[david24241]

I think that the fact that celexa and zoloft (citalopram and escitalopram) are selective on serotonin does increase the possibility of difficulty to reach climax because when serotonin is raised, there will be less dopamine which is related to the sex drive.

[AskJeeves]

Cool!

Thanks guys!

[nothing to fear]

Originally Posted by Foh_Teej

Why would this get closed soon? This is a legitimate question regarding very real side effects that happen to be of sexual nature. If people have complaints with topics using scientific terms for human anatomy and the effects drugs may have on them, that's more offensive IMHO.

just cause in the past when i've made completely harmless threads asking who has experience sexual side-effects they would completely disappear out of no where. which was kind of annoying because i was and still am interested to find out the average percentage of those on meds who experience it.

[Foh_Teej]

Originally Posted by bowlingpins

Citalopram is the SSRI with the lowest chance of causing sexual side effects.

These guys would disagree with you

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en..._uids=11229449

[Foh_Teej]

Well you are right about remeron and WB although neither are particularly effective with SA. WB can be useful in poly-therapy but generally sucks for SA alone(theres many topics on that here). Remeron on the other hand- dont know who would exchange a potential benefit for the nearly guaranteed 40lbs or so you'll pack on using it.


As for SSRIs and side effects, they are all generally safe but they all tend to cause sexual dysfunction to some degree or another -more often than not- in most poeple. Im not sure anyone can advocate any particular SSRI over another in individual cases as side effects can vary widely between people and different doses. Not enough data has ever been collected (even the study I cited above) to say one works better than or has less side effects as another. Taking SSRIs are a crap shoot anyway and for nothing more than mediocre results at best.

[Noca]

Remeron's worst side effect is its INCREDIBLE drowsiness you feel on it. You will sleep coma style if you take Remeron.

[Foh_Teej]

Originally Posted by Noca

Remeron's worst side effect is its INCREDIBLE drowsiness you feel on it. You will sleep coma style if you take Remeron.

hey now... i dont necessarily consider anti-histaminic coma inducers like remeron and seroquel as being bad side effects when you cant go to sleep

[Noca]

Originally Posted by Foh_Teej

hey now... i dont necessarily consider anti-histaminic coma inducers like remeron and seroquel as being bad side effects when you cant go to sleep

Lets agree that for an anorexic insomniac, Remeron is the med to take.

[Foh_Teej]

speaking of anti-histaminic coma inducers, hows the hydroxyzine treating you?

[Noca]

Originally Posted by Foh_Teej

speaking of anti-histaminic coma inducers, hows the hydroxyzine treating you?

it barely does anything. It helps me sleep but it doesnt knock me out. It also helps with the itching associated with taking opiates.