Anti-depressants & "sexual side effects"

[calrockxxx]

I was having sex with one of my regulars yesterday and he apologized to me when he couldn't cum. He said his doctor had put him on Celexa (citalopram) for depression a few days before and that he hadn't been able to have an orgasm since. And no matter what we tried, he couldn't cum. He has no problem getting hard, he just can't get off. He can't even cum when he jerks of to his favorite porn.

I googled a bit and discovered that this is a very common side effect for men on this medication.

Has anyone here heard of any ways to overcome this (other than changing meds)? I found a few posts about using herbal "enhancers" but I'm skeptical of that kind of bunk.

Any suggestions?

[butfullplease]

This side effect wears off after a few weeks, though not completely. In some ways it becomes a virtue because it means your top will be able to fuck you for hours

[GermanFucker]

It's indeed very common. It usually takes a few weeks for the brain to adapt to the medication and it usually gets a bit better after that. It might still be hard though (pun intended, antidepressants usually rather help the errection). I found that relaxation helps to "let go". I.e. taking away the pressure, discussing beforehand that one partner might not cum and both being ok with that. When close to climaxing not intensifying the rhythm, i.e. instead of cumming during the hardest part of the fuck, cum during the slow and relaxed part of the sex.

[calrockxxx]

Thanks guys. I'll pass this on to him... and we can keep trying

[fillmyhole]

I have been on some of these medications before and have been affected.. It truly is the case that you cannot cum.. Paxil, Celexa did it for me.. He needs to try other medications that will not have this side effect.. They react differently between individuals. I switched ,cause i got even more depressed when i could not cum even when i was horny

[seaguy]

He should try one of the other similar drugs like Fluoxetine or Wellbutrin my experience was when I switched the sexual side effects went away. But each drug seems to have it's own set of side effects for each person.

[marcsoton]

It's pretty important that he tells his physician as soon as possible and ask him to change his prescription or the effects could become long-lasting (speaking from personal experience).

[sleazebugga]

This happened to my boyfriend. Taken ages to find an anti-depressant which: a) works for him and does not fuck up his sex drive.

Agree with the comment above. Your friend should go to the doctor about this problem as soon as possible, as problems like this can affect a person's sexual confidence for ages.

[butfullplease]

Check out an anti-depressant called

Valdoxen. It has had good reports regarding not destroying libido

[calrockxxx]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll pass them on. He's been dealing with his depression for years and has been down the road with at least a dozen antidepressants. Celexa is the thing that works best for him to stabilize his mood, but the sex thing is really getting to him this time. He talked to his psychiatrist and apparently there are quite a few meds that can help with both libido and "anorgasmia".

There are also some tricks you can do with dosing the celexa (e.g., not taking it) if you can plan ahead, but the doc doesn't recommend that since his depression is pretty severe.

He has an appt this week to talk the details with his doc and then hopefully we'll get to test things out over the weekend

[Twochipigs]

On 7/9/2012 at 4:08 AM, sleazebugga said:

This happened to my boyfriend. Taken ages to find an anti-depressant which: a) works for him and does not fuck up his sex drive.

Agree with the comment above. Your friend should go to the doctor about this problem as soon as possible, as problems like this can affect a person's sexual confidence for ages.

Do you mind sharing what medication finally worked for him?  Thanks.

[viking8x6]

Yeah, this really sucks!

The SSRIs and often the SNRIs can cause ED and  anorgasmia... as I sadly know from personal experience. Keeping the dose as low as possible helps. Viagra and its relatives can treat the ED, but not the anorgasmia. I'm working on seeking alternatives but my health plan (so far) refuses to pay for them. I'll follow up if I find something that works.

I have secondhand information that wellbutrin does not cause this side effect at least for some. I was discussing antidepressants with my mom and she volunteered that she switched from Fluoxetine for this reason. In her 70s. GO MOM! I knew I came by my libido honestly 😉

Edited March 29, 2020 by viking8x6
added the bit about my mom

[Guest Omnivore]

It's the anti-cholinergic effect of many drugs that causes this.  The anti-depressant with the lowest such effect that I've been able to find is Zoloft/sertraline.  

[bbzh]

I don't notice any side effects from trazodone.