Sexual side effects symptoms and conditions

I never thought that my depression could be linked with my BCP until someone recently suggested it to me. I am simply amazed at the frequency that others have posted symptoms similar to mine. After a traumatic event in 2002, I dealt with depression and took an anti-depressant for about two years, but gradually came off of it. In the spring of 2005 I began taking BC to regulate my menstrual cycle. That summer I was back on anti-depressants. I have coped just fine until recently. I got married 11 months ago and I did not know that some anti-depressants have sexual side effects. (we waited until we were married) My psychiatrist decided to switch me to Wellbutrin. I may as well be taking nothing. Horrible depression. I plan on switching back to my original anti-depressant, but I would like to know if anyone else has had a similar experience. I can't pinpoint if my depression is being caused by the Loestrin 24 Fe or an ineffective anti-depressant. Maybe it is both. Any ideas would be appreciated.
C

I was taking Lexapro for anxiety, but was having sexual side effects. I went to a Psychiatrist, who gave me a few options, and decided to go with Wellbutrin. He started right off the bat on 300mg, and for the first week or so didn't feel too much change. Then, about the beginning of the third week I had terrible nausea and dizziness. I was scared to drive to work some days. I also feel as though I am becoming emotionless, and have a general melancholy feeling. The nausea and dizziness seems to be getting better, but if the sad feeling doesn't subside, I believe that I will discontinue use.
On the bright side, the sex has been great!

I started Wellbutrin in the beginning of December. Someone very close to me passed away and I developed severe anxiety with some depression. I took some control of it with simply taking Ativan, but the doctor insisted I get on something for depression as well. I didn't really understand why I need to take a pill when I was just fine before this event.... but ok, I agreed.

I was prescribed Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. I was optimistic about it. She said it might improve my focus, give me some energy back, had no sexual side effects.

I took it in the morning, and usually with at least something in my stomach. The first 3 days of taking it, I was severely unstable. I think if I didn't have my boyfriend, I would be dead right now. I would cry uncontrollably, for no reason, pace, have terrible anxiety... I remember going through my closet, throwing things around, looking for a belt, throwing a few on the bed and taking one and tightening it around my neck.. I then walked around and was looking for a place to hang myself.. Luckily my boyfriend got home because he had a bad feeling about what was happening with me... otherwise I, to this day, do not know what I would have done.

After the first 3 days... things sort of calmed down... sometimes I would feel "better" in little spurts the first week.

I also had my sex drive for the first 2 weeks and it was good. I still wasn't "happy" but the medication wasn't doing any significant harm.

In the 3rd week, I lost interest in nearly everything. I didn't want to step foot outside. I stopped talking to my family, stopped answering my phone, I would lay in bed for hours, thinking of depressive things. I began eating, a lot. Constantly. Which shocked me since it is supposedly supposed to suppress appetite. I stopped going to school.

In the 4th week, and last, things gradually, and then quite suddenly just went downhill. It started with me becoming very agitated, snapping at everyone. My mental clarity was out the window. When someone said something, it took me a long time to register it, if I ever did. Sometimes my boyfriend would look at me after saying something and I would realize, oh my god, he said something... I really didn't hear/listen anymore. I was brain dead to everything except these horrible thoughts of just wanting to die. As the days progressed in the 4th week, I became more and more depressed. If I had to describe it, I would say it was a mental breakdown. I would cry hysterically over nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't think of a single reason. I would start to cry while brushing my hair, while eating, sitting, watching a movie... I would cry 20 or more times a day. I really wanted to die because I could not bear it anymore. I felt like this was the end and it was going to end.. I wanted to inflict injury on myself, but focused my thoughts on more "permanent" damage -- suicide. I became obsessed with buying a gun. I swear if I had one, I would not be here. I would hit myself, all over my legs, while sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Days later my boyfriend would ask where the bruises came from because it would be in such a weird area that there was no way i walked into something... and I would tell him I had no idea, and I didn't..... until later I realized it was me, hitting myself.... I felt very depersonalized. I felt unpredictable and I felt that I was not sure what I was going to do next, I was afraid of myself and very paranoid. I lost my appetite and never wanted to eat, thinking of food made me nauseous. I felt sick to my stomach. My anxiety was through the roof. My mind wouldn't stop spinning with thoughts, repetitive... until eventually it lead to another breakdown.

With my luck, it reached it's worst around the new year when everything was closed and I couldn't get a hold of anybody. I desperately called mental emergency facilities but all they said they could do was commit me for at least 72 hours and I didn't want that. I just wanted this to end, NOW, not be trapped in another hell hole. My mental doctor was closed so I tried to see my primary care and he was too afraid to mess with anything and told me to double my ativan dosage (WHAT! Because of Wellbutrin, I went from taking .5 or less mg of ativan a day to taking 2mg or more and still, it barely did anything!), so I went to the ER, and they did nothing, except tell me that the only way to help me would be if I went to a hospital for 72 hours. I said NO. It is ridiculous to allow someone to get this bad, and to not help them immediately, instead leave it up to them, to either be placed in some state run down mental facility or kill themselves that day.

I got a hold of my doctor the next day and she switched it immediately.

I have been on celexa for 3 months now and I love it. i feel so much better and think so clearly. My family is happier and my bouts of depression are very rare. I have not gained any weight or have any sexual side effects. I am on 40 mg. I do however have to take a sleep aid to help me at night.

Ive had really good results with this drug. Ive been happy alert cheerful etc.. like a "normal" person. I was taking it for about a year when Lithium was added to my cocktail and some very bad sexual side effects occurred. Thankfully a touch of real (im not going that here) Wellbutrin eliminated that but right now im off and in the wonderful land of generic budeprion. Im switching back to Effexor ASAP!!!

I was taking Wellbutrin for about 2weeks (i had taken for about 7yrs previously) from Effexor because of sexual side effects. The Welbutrin worked to get rid of that problem and my Dr in the hospital warned me about generic Budeprion, but my regular PA-C said that the 150's were different and made by Glaxo. Huh???? Like an idiot i got the generics and 5 days later I feel like i have no anti-depressant in me. Im having panic like "emotional attacks" where i just cry if I hear or see something that triggers an emotion, sleeplessness (i don't need any more of that), weight loss (what's food and why is my stomach gurgling) and over all lethargy. I hate this drug, its useless beyond belief, I really wonder who got paid at the FDA to pass this one through.

Does anyone know how long does the sexual side effects of Celexa wear off after I stop taking it.

I have been on Celexa about 2 yrs now I am having a hard time dealing with the sexual side effects...I have no problem wanting sex...I am having a problem reaching orgasm...If I had known that this would be a real issue and how serious it is I would have never taken the drug...Please warn all friends and family about the serious sexual side effects of Celexa...I have little to no feeling in my clitoral area...It is so frustrating to me and my partner

I've been taking Zoloft for nearly a month. My sex drive has not decreased but it takes me a very long time to have an orgasm. It is frustrating because my partner and I have always had a very active sex life. Now, I'm hesitant to have sex because it takes too long to have an orgasm. Any suggestions?? Sexually Frustrated

I am a 42 year old healthy man that started getting tired of getting up during meetings every hour and a half to urinate. I went to the doctor and he prescribed Flomax. The frequent urination has improved, but the sexual side effects are awful. I first noticed a significant decrease in ejaculate. No big deal. I refrained from ejaculation for a week and this morning, when I had my orgasm I had zero ejaculate. The flomax is in the trash! I can not fix one thing and totally mess up a really good sex life. I sure hope this will not have any long term effects. I'm just trying to honest!!

I've been on Welbutrin for about six months, along with Zoloft. I had tried it because of the lack of motivation and the lithergy I was feeling (I suspect) as a result of the Zoloft. I came across this site after a search for memory loss connected with Welbutrin. I believe I'm having that problem. I don't seem to have the quick grasp of words I did. In a phone conversation today, I could not remember a certain medical term that I have been using rather frequently over the past six months. There are some other cases, but that incident put me on the trail of memory loss research. I actually suspected that it was the Ambien I had been taking for sleep (I have not completely ruled that drug out). But all the posts here seem to indicate that the welbutrin could be at fault.

I'm on 150mg, twice daily. However, in the morning, I will actually take one and a half pills (225mg) to get me going. I have noticed CONSIDERABLE jitters, hand tremors, enough that if I'm doing delicate work of some type, I have difficulty continuing ti complete the task. At the 225mg, I do seem to become over amped a bit, but it improves my motivation. A St. Johns Wart capsule will usually calm that, but you see the problem of one drug, helping one problem, but causing another, so you take a third! I have tried numerous other antidepressants and they all caused more side effects than they were worth.
Celexa cause an eventual complete lack of ANY motivation! Plus SERIOUS sexual side effects. Zoloft has been the best with the least side effects and I have always returned to it. But the sleepiness can just be extreme with me.

I have run out of Welbutrin and the result is return of the lithergy. I also believe that the Welbutrin may be causing my occasional up tick in anger. Possibly spreading the dosage will help. Not mixing it with caffiene may also help because caffiene can make me explosive if I don't limit my intake to about a cup of coffee. Most of you know that Zoloft, Prozac and the like increase the available seritonin in your brain, a calming neurotransmitter. Welbutrin increases the available norepinephrine, a stimulating neurotransmitter, akin to adrenalin. (Research for yourselves those facts, remember, I posting this because of a problem with MEMORY! :) So it makes perfect sense that people can become overstimulated with Welbutrin. The memory aspects of it, I don't yet understand. I'm going to experiment with dosage reduction and possibly replacing the Welbutrin with the amino acid L-phenylalanine. I hope this little post can help some of you as much as the other posts here have helped me!

Burt

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences- I should have done a search on Nuvaring long ago. I have been using it for almost a year. At first I loved it but now the bouts of itching have become unbearable and embarrassing. No one wants to be caught scratching herself! I have also had lots of watery discharge- my underwear always feels damp. Not comfortable and certainly not helping the itch. I also often have thick white discharge (but smooth and without odor and so not exactly like I understand a yeast infection to be). I say "understand" because I have never had anything remotely like a yeast infection up til now (34), which is another reason that I suspect the ring. My sex drive is also nonexistent, a problem I have had with oral contraceptives too- I feel bad for my husband. I didn't connect it all at first because the itching is external, but then I noticed that I felt better when I took it out for my period and even better still when I stopped using it for three months due to other health issues. I hate to admit it because I loved the convenience of the ring but I took it out an hour ago and think I already feel better. Now I'm wondering if it was the cause of any of my other health issues but will have to wait and see. Can anyone recommend any non hormonal methods of birth control (other than condoms) or at least any oral contraceptives with less sexual side effects?

I've been on topamax at 400mg 2x a day for about 8 years now. It is a great drug but it has HORRIBLE side effects! It ( along with lamictal) gives me WONDERFUL seizure control. And it is safe for pregnancy. BUT it has destroyed my memory. short term and long term I cant remember much of anything! The sexual side effects is just awful. It makes reaching an orgasm almost impossible! I am very scared that I may have full blown alzheimers by the time I am 30!

Has anyone gained they're memory back after stopping topamax?

Agree with the earlier post -- read the drug insert that comes with your Rx! Majority of these side effects are well-known. Blood clots are a very well-known potential side effect of hormonal birth control -- non common but certainly devastating if it happens. Chances are good that these individuals have a genetic tendency toward abnormal clotting. The only good news for these gals is that they've had a warning (it's likely to happen again).
Re sexual dysfunction, it is a VERY common side effect of all hormonal BC. But especially with Yasmin and Yaz -- the form of progestin in these BC pills has anti-testosterone action which is great for acne but lousy for your sex life. Unfortunately, you might not be able to have clear skin AND libido.
For those with serious mood disorders on the pill, consider non hormonal forms of BC -- copper IUD inserted by an experienced clinician is worth considering.
And gals in your 40s, guess what? PMS often gets worse with age and then slides right into perimenopausal symptoms (did u know 10% of women never stop having hot flashes?!). Normalizing with BC pills is an option, but the sexual side effects are even worse for us older gals.

question that I have is that has there been any report for side effect sexual for either male or female? If so what was suggested?

Since being on Lexapro, I have no feelings of anxiety. In fact, I have no feelings at all. I am numb to everything it seems and I have little to no emotion - ever. In addition to being a zombie, I am hungry all of the time and I have no energy to do anything, but rest on the couch. I have been taking Lexapro for about 3-4 years and have gained about 30 pounds. Now that is depressing. I am slowly weaning myself off the drug now. I took 1 pill every other day for a month and now I am taking 1/2 every other day until my prescription is gone. I'm experiencing some additional side effects now. I am having mini panic attacks where my heart will race for about 5-10 minutes, restless legs where I need to keep moving them when I am trying to rest, hot flashes where I will sweat profusely, I'm very irritated at the smallest of occurrences and the most strange side effect that I have not heard of previously is breast soreness - very painful. If anyone else is experiencing the same, please write about it, I would really like to know if this is common, how long it will last and if there is something else (natural) that I can take to help with weaning off Lexapro. Please help!!

Hello, I am 27 and a mother of two. I have only used birth control pills a few times a few months on and off. My doctor said that she didn't want to give me an IUD, but she wanted me to take Yasmin, because of my tendency to be depressed. I was excited because I don't like taking anti depressants because of the sexual side effects. I really felt okay before I started taking the pill. My son was only two months old, and I was happy. After a while I started feeling really down, I was very tired, and I had horrible acne again. It didn't help my PMDD, I felt angrier and more unhappy the longer I took it. My joints hurt all over and I was getting these very painful headaches. I recently noticed that my hair was falling out. I also got a call from my doctor saying that I had an abnormal pap smear. I ran out of the pills two weeks ago, and I didn't get it refilled. I am feeling a lot better, my mood has improved, but the hair is still falling out, and I need more tests to clear up those bad results. Honestly, I would rather use condoms with my husband, than to feel so miserable on the pill. I have to take care of my children and my husband. I don't recommend Yasmin. It prevents pregnancy, (i think it works because no one would want to have sex with a girl who was a wrek because of it), but that is the only thing it claims to do that is right. I am also angry because my doctor doesn't seem to think that it is important to explain the risks of taking the pill.

Has any male experienced any sexual side effects, such as inability to have an orgasm during intercourse? rbsatstone.

I too have experience a late period, 11 days late so far. In addition, I am having extreme nausea. I thought maybe I was pregnant, I took 3 tests and all are negative. I have been on the Wellbutrin for 1 month now and am not really thrilled with the results. Actually, I find it's not helping at all.

I was on Celexa for about 6 months and loved it with 2 exceptions. Hair loss and a huge loss of my sex drive.

My thought is that none of these drugs are without side effects...there is no free ride.

Anyone else have similar experiences with Wellbutrin?

I stopped taking wellbutrin xl 150 mg and lamictal 200 mg 3 days ago cold turkey because there is no way to cut thewelbutrin tablet in half and take it safely. The first day wasn't bad at all. I felt better than I have felt in years and years. Then yesterday I felt okay, but not as good as I did on the first day. Today I woke up feeling like I have the flu. Every single bone, joint and muscle in my body aches. I feel fine one minute and the next minute the room feels like it's spinning and the body aches return. My psychiatrist started me on all of this poison,,, oops, I mean, medications 2 years ago. I had lost a child and had gone into a deep depression which led to severe anorrhexia. He started me out on Lamictal and Lexapro and after a year of awful side effects from the lexapro(especially sexual side effects=no desire at all) he finally switched me to the wellbutrin xl and told me that it would help better than the lexapro. At my last appointment, 1 week ago, I asked him when and if I would ever be able to go off of these meds. And he told me that I am probably a "lifer". He refused to hear anything about my stopping or weaning off of these meds. So, after my 3 minute office visit and prescription refills written out I left the office. I did not take the prescription to the pharmacy because I decided then and there that the only reason he and a lot of other psychs put people on these outrageously priced prescriptions(the lamictal is $140 a month and the wellbutrin xl is $170 and that is for the generic per moth) is because they get HUGE incentives from the pharmaceutical companies to keep us on them. I will not go back on the meds ever again. I am tired of living in a drugged up state. I want to feel alive again like I felt before I ever started taking this crap.

they say no sexual side effects with this drug, yea right!

anyone get sexual side effects?

i have been taking yaz for about a month. i'm not taking it for birth control purposes, but because of period pain and irregularity. i was taking another low-dose birth control on which i had awful side effects of breast swelling, tenderness, extreme moodiness, and a complete lack of sex drive.

so far i haven't had the side effects of my previous pill, but i am definitely moody. i find myself getting upset a lot easier, crying for no reason, and being more aggressive and sensitive about things when i am normally not. i feel very different emotionally on this pill. i've decided to give it one more month and if things don't balance out, i'm going to go off it. what makes me feel worse is this winds up getting taken out on my family and boyfriend, and i don't want it affecting our relationship. also, i am having some sexual side effects, like an inability to physically get "excited" when this has never been an issue before.

We laugh about it now, but it was horrible at the time!! My husband was prescribed Celexa for mild depression he was having a few years ago. When they say "may cause sexual side effects' they werent kidding!! Forgive me for being graphic, but there is hardly a better way to describe this... He had no problems becoming aroused and performing. But it was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for him to orgasm! We could have intercourse for 2 hours straight and nothing would happen! He said he'd feel like he was going to climax at any moment... right on the edge... and right at that moment, he'd lose it! Like someone popped a balloon. So he'd have to start over again and build himself back up, only for it to happen again! It got so bad that he told his doctor he had to stop it! he put him on Wellbutrin instead which was MUCH better!!!

I took 300 mg. wellbutrin about 1 1/2 years ago and did not react well to it.
I just quit taking cymbalta after about 3 months because of sexual side effects, but here is the kicker. I started on a lower dose of wellbutrin about a week ago (175 mg xl) after only 3 days I was so screwed up it was a no brainer that I could not take it. It has been 4 days since I quit and I am still getting waves of disorientation and mild panic. How long will this last. Damn I only took it for 3 days and the side effect have lasted 7