[BlueMoon6]

Im on 20 mg and it makes me much less interested in sex. That is not like me at all. And my therapist wants me to temporarily go up in dose as we work on trauma b/c Im having a difficult time with anger/rage and tantrums. I am afraid to go up, I'll be a zombie or something.

Any thoughts or experience with sex with lexipro or flattening out emotions with it?

[crystalrose]

i have heard that is a side effect. Ask if there is an anti psychotic you can take in a low dose to help with the trauma symptoms. Effexor xr is the only anti depressent that hasn't lowered sex drive it actually increased my sex drive. But these drugs work different for each person. Talk to pdoc, about why you don't want to increase the meds.

[onlymedid]

I can go weeks without sex, but then when I have it, I am insatiable. It's very weird.

[BlueMoon6]

Originally Posted by crystalrose

i have heard that is a side effect. Ask if there is an anti psychotic you can take in a low dose to help with the trauma symptoms. Effexor xr is the only anti depressent that hasn't lowered sex drive it actually increased my sex drive. But these drugs work different for each person. Talk to pdoc, about why you don't want to increase the meds.

I am going to mention that tomorrow in therapy. My PNP once mentioned wellbutrin in combination with lexipro to decrease the sexual side effects. I wonder if effexor would be good for me. I HATE to screw around with the meds. But I like sex and I dont like that I feel like Id rather sleep....which I dont do so well on lexipro anyway.

Onlymedid- Youre funny! That has happened to me. My husband likes it when I want a lot of sex. He does, too.

I was once offered symbyax instead of lexipro, but I chose the lexipro. I wonder if symbyax does the same thing?

[sunrise]

I have heard that lexipro can affect the time to climax (lengthen it or prevent it). I have taken wellbutrin on its own and it did not decrease sex drive.

And my therapist wants me to temporarily go up in dose as we work on trauma b/c Im having a difficult time with anger/rage and tantrums.

A lot of times a benzo, such as klonopin, ativan, or xanax, can help with those symptoms too. A lot of people take a combination of an SSRI + a benzo to help with depression/anxiety with anger.

[BlueMoon6]

Thanks Sunny. Yes- she did give me klonopin.I took it once for sleep. It worked. I might take something tonight to sleep since I have such a bad cold and cant sleep now from the lexi and cold. UGH!

What my PNP said that the sexual side effects may be lessened by going down with the lexipro and adding wellbutrin- in other words, to take them in combination. I might ask her if I can try that. I have an appt in Jan- maybe I'll go in sooner- or call her and do it on the phone.

I am working on my anger in therapy. It does tell me a lot about where I am and allows me to heal when I have those feelings. How would I do it if I am medicated to be less angry? Or have fewer tantrums? Thants another reason I dont want to go up in lexi dose. I understand a lot from this weeks session about why I feel the way I do and have raging reactions to things.

Possibly I dont understand the effect the med would have on me?

[sunrise]

Bluemoon, my XH took Lexapro for depression and he told me it really helped him with his anger. For him, anger was one important symptom of his depression--and with lexapro, he just wasn't so angry anymore. (I don't really understand it as I do not react with anger to being depressed, but I guess anger is not an uncommon depression symptom.) Maybe the lexapro can help with the acting out (tantrums) but you can still work on the anger that you hold. I think this is a really good question to ask your PNP and also your therapist. Does your therapist think you would not be able to work on anger ij therapy if you take too much anti-depressant? What is your reason for taking the lexapro? Sometimes it is prescribed for anxiety and sometimes for depression. Has it helped with the symptoms you originally took it for?

[BlueMoon6]

This lexipro has been a miracle drug for me. If you remember some of my posts before august,I was suicidal and was SIing. There were days I couldnt get out of bed and barely made it through my day. ONce I weaned my daughter and got on this drug everything changed and I could do some work in therapy beside cry all the time.

I had many more rages and it has definitley helped with that. Ftt has suggested that as we do trauma work to increase the medication for anger symptoms, but I so dont want to. It didnt come up in the last session and I forgot to mention it. I am concerned, too, that the sexual side effects would increase as well if I increased the dose. But I do like this medication. Its great for depression. That heaviness I felt everyday is gone.

[Rhapsody]

Loss of sexual drive is one of the side effects of this medicine.... the best way to counter act it is to continue to engage in sex on a regular basis for the intimacy part of it and the desire will come later.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by BlueMoon6

This lexipro has been a miracle drug for me.... ONce I weaned my daughter and got on this drug everything changed and I could do some work in therapy beside cry all the time.... Ftt has suggested that as we do trauma work to increase the medication for anger symptoms, but I so dont want to.

It sounds like this medication is working very well for you at the current dose. My PNP likes to say that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. For example, she has said to me before that I could probably completely eliminate the wellbutrin I am taking. (I am down from 300 mg wellbutrin to 150 mg per day and also take 20-30 mg vyvanse each day. She thinks I could just take the vyvanse on its own and be fine.) But then she said I was doing so well, let's not monkey with things now. There is always later to change doses, etc., if we want to. Anyway, sounds like you are in kind of a similar spot--taking a drug that has really helped you and not wanting to change things. It seems like taking more lexapro a day would not really help with your depression, which was the symptom you wanted to take it for originally. You already have the depression under control with 20 mg. The anger is a different symptom, and maybe it is not pathological. Maybe you can use other coping strategies (behavioral) to keep from acting out. I strongly believe that a drug is not the answer to everything. Sounds like you are doing fine on 20 mg lexa (except for the sex drive thing).

[BlueMoon6]

Sunny- That is exactly how I feel. I dont want to fix something that isnt broken! Except for sex and anger. And I am working on my anger stuff in therapy and with this letter.

Rhapsody- I think I will continue to have as much sex as my body can handle and hope for the best

[pazyamor]

I lost a ton of interest in sex taking Lexapro.

[Hugs needed]

I had the same problem I was just recently put on 300mg of wellbutrin (150mg in AM & 150mg in PM). It is working wonderful and I have the desire back and everything else.

[Phoenix1985]

I take 40mg of Lexapro and don't have any problems with my sex drive. Maybe I'm just weird like everyone says I am lol. Good luck getting yours back

[fallenangel337]

I definitely got the flat emotions with it. Like to the point of emotional anesthesia. That's why I had to discontinue lexapro.

As for the sex...I wouldn't know. haha Sorry I can't help you out with that. But talk to your pdoc (or whoever writes your rx's) about it. They'll know what to do.

[jenkins09]

Lexapro was great in helping me manage my anger while dealing with serious issues. The trade off was I felt nothing emotionally, was tired all the time and had 0 sex drive..there is a cost..I am off it now as I grew tired of being a "walking zombie."

[ljp1979]

Just bumping the old thread

I was on Lexapro a few years ago, and really do not remember if my sex drive was affected or not. I was just put on Lexapro again, and OMG - I never wanted sex more than I want know. I hope it will wear off soon, because it can get really annoying to be aroused for hours and hours, especially in public places..... Good thing I am not a man

[BethD1980]

I have been on lexapro and I also lost interest in sex. When i went off of it ( on effexor now) my sex drive has returned.

Beth

[Jerrypharmstudent]

Originally Posted by BlueMoon6

Im on 20 mg and it makes me much less interested in sex. That is not like me at all. And my therapist wants me to temporarily go up in dose as we work on trauma b/c Im having a difficult time with anger/rage and tantrums. I am afraid to go up, I'll be a zombie or something.

Any thoughts or experience with sex with lexipro or flattening out emotions with it?

SSRIs like Lexapro are infamous for causing sexual side effects - ranging from premature ejaculation to ED (erectile dysfunction) to a major lowering of libido. Adding a benzo to the mix can make these worse. Many docs have had success adding a small amount of Wellbutrin to the mix. Wellbutrin is probably the most "prosexual" of all the antidepressants because it acts on dopamine and NE. Also, adding a stimulant like dexedrine, Ritalin or Adderall can help as well because of their activity on DE and NE.

Also SSRis are infamous for flattening "affect" or emotion. For many they make the person feel "blah" and kind of bored. This is because of the potent action on serotonin. Again, for this reason stimulants are often used to help reduce this effect or a switch to an AD that effects NE and Serotonin like Effexor or Cymbalta.

Hope this helps some.

Jerry