[ajonesiii]

I have been on AD (prozac) for years now and my sex life suffered immensly, my husband and I went without any sex for 5 years, we still loved and supported each other just without the sex. My doctor weaned me off of the prozac back in january and last night I had sex for the first time in years, I hope this means my libido is slowly returning. Is it normal for it to take months for this to happen? Anyone else with this experience as a side effect of meds.?

[Sometimes psychotic]

Haven't been on Prozac but I also lost libido. Within a week of tapering down on my drug I got it back, but then I had to re-up the dose and lost it again. But the APs are fast acting..ADs can take months to kick in so it makes sense to me that it would take months to get it back.

[onionknight]

The effects of anti-depressant discontinuation can last a lot longer than you actually take the drug. You'll feel better little by little. Losing sexual feeling or drive is a normal side effect, so don't worry, you aren't alone in this.

[sewerrats]

prozac at 20mg is one of the better med SSRI,S not to ruin your sex life. Makes you fat so put you off showing your body. I remember having mirror,s on most walls in my bedroom to go with sex, but a few years on SSRIs I got rid of them it was like looking at a hippo in a serengeti mud pool.

[DePressMe]

prozac killed my sex drive. i got it back after a brief time off the prozac but then had to take other meds that also killed my sex drive. My pdoc finally said do you want to live or go out with a bang? He was playing with words. I hope that does not offend you--that's not the meaning of me writing it. Just sharing my experience.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by DePressMe

prozac killed my sex drive. i got it back after a brief time off the prozac but then had to take other meds that also killed my sex drive. My pdoc finally said do you want to live or go out with a bang? He was playing with words. I hope that does not offend you--that's not the meaning of me writing it. Just sharing my experience.

no you you dont offend me it takes a lot for that to happen, i like your experience its frustrating when the pork sword dont work , or the gearbox needs oiling.

[healingme4me]

My Pdoc, threw his hands up in the air, asked, so what do you want to do? I said I think I want to come off of the AD and I recall, he said, 'You think?"

I had a couple other side effects with it, to boot. But sheepishly, blushed and said, the fourth side effect is that my libido is 'shot to hell'!

I had that side effect, before, when I was on it, but was going through a divorce, and frankly speaking...at least I wasn't interested in 'rebound/makeup/one last hoorah' sex

Damn, you'd think you want to use these meds to feel better, but how can you feel better, if this is the side effect. After 5 years on, I can see why it would take this long to recover, but glad you are getting that side of your life back

[sewerrats]

docs expect you to just put up with it , don't they see it makes you more depressed, if you have a girl like a glamour model and the pork sword wont perform, or your vagina is dryer than the desert , He is most likely screwing 3 nurses and tells us not to worry about it. Plus we eat 3 lettuce leaves a day and still get fat WTF they think there doing us a favour we pay a high price to get well.

[healingme4me]

I wouldn't quite say, like being in the desert, but I would say, like being on a calm sea that has absolutely no wave activity or undertow.

If a doctor were to say, not to worry, and doesn't give the choice to the patient to make an informed decision, then I'd personally say...look for a new doctor who will listen and respects your concerns and choices.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by healingme4me

I wouldn't quite say, like being in the desert, but I would say, like being on a calm sea that has absolutely no wave activity or undertow.

If a doctor were to say, not to worry, and doesn't give the choice to the patient to make an informed decision, then I'd personally say...look for a new doctor who will listen and respects your concerns and choices.

What can he say , your med is working on your depression so his job is done. HE dosent make the meds and the side effects are there to see on the leaflet in your box so if low libido and orgasm probs are side effects either take it on the chin of do what I do , take the lowest dose you can without flipping yourself out. But that's a risk I take to have a sex life I don't recommend it to anyone, I take half the dose my doc wants me to take.You carnt blaim you doctor for med side effects , if on antiphycotics there 4 times worse. Your doctor has no control on your side effects, you either take a med or you don't ,simple there all about the same , mirtazapine is ok for sex but makes you fat has a hippo so nobody will lay you anyway , if you find the answer 30,000-000 people would love to no.

[healingme4me]

I was on the lowest dose when this happened. What can he say? He said, what would you like to do?! That's what he said. It ended up not working for my depression, my depression was getting worse. Not his fault, it's that my body and the medicine that he can offer, doesn't mix.

I had other side effects, this was one of them. And honestly, if that aspect isn't functioning, what's the point?!

A half dose, what was it 10mg? AND it did ALL THAT?!

I really can't blame the prescribing physician, not his fault. He gave me a choice. Isn't that what they are supposed to do? Give the choice? I don't have to accept any prescription I don't feel comfortable taking. Noone forced me to try the med, either. I went in for several months, before I finally said, listen, I'd like to try it, again, the AD.

Then within 2 weeks, I was back into his office, saying, listen I'm having some side effects off of 10mg of Celexa or had I bumped up to 20mg, the full pill, by the time those couple weeks came along?

Originally Posted by sewerrats

What can he say , your med is working on your depression so his job is done. HE dosent make the meds and the side effects are there to see on the leaflet in your box so if low libido and orgasm probs are side effects either take it on the chin of do what I do , take the lowest dose you can without flipping yourself out. But that's a risk I take to have a sex life I don't recommend it to anyone, I take half the dose my doc wants me to take.You carnt blaim you doctor for med side effects , if on antiphycotics there 4 times worse. Your doctor has no control on your side effects, you either take a med or you don't ,simple there all about the same , mirtazapine is ok for sex but makes you fat has a hippo so nobody will lay you anyway , if you find the answer 30,000-000 people would love to no.

[sewerrats]

I take 10 mg of Lexapro which is the same has 20mg of celexa so 10mg celexa is only 5mg Lexapro that would do SFA for me. I would not complain to my DOCTOR about side effects after only 2 weeks that's not near enough time to settle in your body and 2 weeks you should have gone to 20 mg if that was your target dose set by your doc. 20 mg celexa is on label high dose but there are people on a lot higher dose than that. I myself came of celexa with a side effect (aggression) my wife informed me but I also had the useual sex side effects all meds give you plus a few more but I took them has normal for the med. I always give a med 10 weeks trail to be able to cross it off my list if nothing happens to my depression. I put up with anything it throw,s at me in the 10 weeks because I have had meds work on 9 weeks after giving me hell all the way till then. More people would be on meds if no side effects maybe %90 of the planet, but they can be worse than the illness or they can be tolerated there is no other answer ,you either take them warts an all or you dont simple

[healingme4me]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

I take 10 mg of Lexapro which is the same has 20mg of celexa so 10mg celexa is only 5mg Lexapro that would do SFA for me. I would not complain to my DOCTOR about side effects after only 2 weeks that's not near enough time to settle in your body and 2 weeks you should have gone to 20 mg if that was your target dose set by your doc. 20 mg celexa is on label high dose but there are people on a lot higher dose than that. I myself came of celexa with a side effect (aggression) my wife informed me but I also had the useual sex side effects all meds give you plus a few more but I took them has normal for the med. I always give a med 10 weeks trail to be able to cross it off my list if nothing happens to my depression. I put up with anything it throw,s at me in the 10 weeks because I have had meds work on 9 weeks after giving me hell all the way till then. More people would be on meds if no side effects maybe %90 of the planet, but they can be worse than the illness or they can be tolerated there is no other answer ,you either take them warts an all or you dont simple

Then I must have made it to the 20mg target dose, I take meds as prescribed. 10 weeks, when I vowed to myself if this sexual side effect came back, I wanted off the med, wasn't going to work for me, this time around. I did stop having the physical depression, coming off the med. It all started with the common cold. The joys of having a neurological illness, on top of it all.
I do agree, for many people, if these side effects didn't occur, maybe more would use the AD's that are out there.
The original poster, 5 years!!! FIVE years!!! There's just got to be a better formula, out there. There are things, about being on Ad's that I do like, but overall. There's things that I need to be able to experience in my life, and maybe it's something some need to deal with, you mention aggression, as coming off a med...darnit all!!!
I felt it necessary to go back to my Doctor. Why wouldn't I have?? Why should I have to put up with the things that I was feeling when I went on the med???

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by healingme4me

Then I must have made it to the 20mg target dose, I take meds as prescribed. 10 weeks, when I vowed to myself if this sexual side effect came back, I wanted off the med, wasn't going to work for me, this time around. I did stop having the physical depression, coming off the med. It all started with the common cold. The joys of having a neurological illness, on top of it all.
I do agree, for many people, if these side effects didn't occur, maybe more would use the AD's that are out there.
The original poster, 5 years!!! FIVE years!!! There's just got to be a better formula, out there. There are things, about being on Ad's that I do like, but overall. There's things that I need to be able to experience in my life, and maybe it's something some need to deal with, you mention aggression, as coming off a med...darnit all!!!
I felt it necessary to go back to my Doctor. Why wouldn't I have?? Why should I have to put up with the things that I was feeling when I went on the med???

Sure you don't have to put up with the feelings, just don't take them is the answer, or lower your own dose till tolerance if found , something you don't want to do. I haven't always taken AD,S survived on benzos and booze for many years. I was being begged buy the medical proffesion to go on ADS but I didn't take there advice, now I carnt drink because I have half my guts missing with the fall out of booze but it was cool while it laster you get a good 10 year out it if you fell the need to try an alternative.

[healingme4me]

Sorry to hear that you have damage from drinking. I choose to use yoga, as my exercise to get my mood lifted. I write and look for all the little things to appreciate about being on this side of life. I can't do more than yoga for exercise, because when my body overheats, it can trigger my illness, the neurological one. That's about all I can do, when my anxiety and depression strikes me.

The side effect that was mentioned here, I don't really feel it is advertised IRL, as being as problematic. It was nice to hear from another woman, that this really happens.

I wonder, if she realized her AD was the culprit, only after coming off of it. Like myself, when I came off mine, after my first time on it.