[FrozenYogurt]

I'm currently taking 20mg Paxil at night, and it works like a charm. Depression is fading away, anxiety is almost nonexistent. And I've only been on it for about 5 weeks. But (and this is a big BUT), the side effects are way too much to bear. The sexual side effects are the most severe I've ever experienced with an SSRI. I have no sex drive, and when I work up the energy to have sex, I can't climax. I'm a young man, I shouldn't have to worry about this. Also, the brain fog is horrible. I've been feeling like a zombie lately. It's not an unpleasant feeling, just sort of a feeling of nothingness.

But I don't want to switch meds. I've tried most of the common SSRIs and they all come with the same side effects. Paxil just happens to hit me especially hard. I'm wondering about adding Wellbutrin to the mix. I've been on 300mg of Wellbutrin XL for about a year before switching to Paxil. But now I'm wondering about augmenting my Paxil with the Wellbutrin. I hear it's supposed to help with the sexual side effects, as well as the haze Paxil gives me.

I'm seeing my doctor today, hopefully. If not, then next week. I'll discuss it with him then, but in the meantime I'd like your guys' opinion. Does the combo work for you? What other options should I consider?

[metamorphosis12]

Basically you have a 5-HT, Dopamine, Norepinephrine- triple reuptake inhibitor.If you add Wellbutrin. So, you're increasing the effectiveness of all 3 monoamines in the brain! Many times wellbutrin will negate the SSRI side effects, especially the infamous sexual ones. Pdocs use that combo with the SSRI's a lot.
Yeah, it's just not natural for a physically healthy young man to have sexual problems. I have been there and have known the frustration. That's the trade off some will and others won't take. Imo. lexapro is the way to go with that. It has the lowest side effect profile of the SSRI's and it is therapeutic at such a low dose 10 mg but some find when augmented 5 mg will be enough. The lower the amount for the desired effect. The better, just look up these meds and go in and talk to your pdoc or doc. I assume it's a pdoc about these issues and weigh the positives and negatives of the two.