(no subject)

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

hey everyone :) i was just wondering; the past couple of weeks or so i've been on the medication "Paxil". I've been on it for two weeks or so and i've heard from many sources that most anti-depressents have "sexual side effects". I still have my drive, but it seems that i just can't reach 'the big O' ..even with my vibrator :/
I was just wondering if anyone here has experienced the same sort of thing? and possibly have found any solutions? Feeling better and everything has been very much worth it, but i'd like to have my cake and eat it to ;)

Comments

[firinel.livejournal.com]

I had that problem when I was taking zoloft.
The only way I was able to orgasim easily again was when I went off it again.
sorry ;/ not exactly good news.

[enigmae.livejournal.com]

Me too. Now I'm Zoloft-free and all back to normal.
I know there are certain varities of antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, etc. that are supposed to have low or no incidences of sexual side effects.

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

not good news, but valued nonetheless! It confirms my thoughts that my orgasmlessness has been due to the meds. Thank you for sharing, and i hope that you have found something else that has helped you in some way :)

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened with me when I was on prozac. It's a common problem with SSRI's.

Re: eBay Addiction

[violet-hour.livejournal.com]

That's a common side effect with many antidepressants. Depending on how much it concerns you, you might want to discuss switching medications with your doctor. There are a few ADs that don't usually cause sexual side effects; one of them is Wellbutrin, my medication (which has actually helped). However, since Paxil is working for you--and since meds can be very hit-and-miss, working for some people and not others--switching may or may not be worth a try.

Re: eBay Addiction

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

yeah, i'm really afraid that after taking a couple of weeks to ween my body off of the paxil, and going through the side effects of getting used to a new drug, may be quite the pain if it doesn't work. I'll bring it up with my doctor at my next appt (i think its in 3 weeks) And we'll see what she says. I'm really glad that you've found something that has worked for you, and thank you so much for the advice! :)

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I couldn't orgasm to save my life when I was on Paxil. I had to go off it for other reasons--constantly shaking, headaches, etc.--but only then could I orgasm again. That's not a fun drug to take. :/

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

i had all that stuff when i first took it -dissoriented, shaky, fatigued during the day/insomnia at night, i don't know why i stuck with it but i did and all of the side effects seem to have gone (except for this :/) i'm so sorry that it didn't work for you :( Hopefully you've found something (medically or naturally) that has helped you feel better.

[erynchrista.livejournal.com]

Not that it was any of my business, but my dad had been on Paxil for awhile and I know it caused lots of arguments with the rents... :p...It does have sexual side affects.

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

oh no! i hope that everything has been resolved since!

[lasttraintocool.livejournal.com]

yeah, i was on the paxil for awhile too and i couldn't come either...unless i stopped it for a day or two [which is NOT advisable...eek!]...and even then, the orgasms i had were incredibly less than spectacular...less than mediocre even. yick.

now i'm on effexor which isn't *supposed* to interfere...and didn't for the first week or so, but now i can't come *again* even if i do stop taking it for a few days [which is really really really bad if you're me, yeah].

ha. and the effexor website says that it only affects 2% of the patients who're taking it sexually. oh, lucky me.

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, i hear for paxil that you have to wean your body off of it or else you go into withrdawl. (kinda scary when you think about it :b) I'm so sorry that the effexor isn't helping any more than the paxil did :/
I hope that you find something that your body agrees with. Or that you come to peace with your lack of orgasms! I wish you much luck! :)

Re:

[lasttraintocool.livejournal.com]

i've kind of come to terms with it, but i really wish i didn't have to! eek!

thank you, though. :)

[nuwanda-1998.livejournal.com]

My mother took an antidepressant for an inflamed bladder condition once, and she described it as being dead from the waist down.

It's good to know that Wellbutrin doesn't typically have that effect, because I have an appointment for antidepressant med trials in early May, and I'm going to suggest to my doctor we try that one first. Every person I've talked to that has taken Zoloft or Prozac has had problems with either sex drive or not being able to orgasm.

Are doctors open to suggestions as to what meds you'd like to try? I've never been on regular meds for anything before, where there were multiple med choices.

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

i've known my doctor since i was 3 years old (i'm 18 now) we have yet to really discuss 'sexual stuff'. She's a wonderful woman, so i'm going to bring up this whole "unable to orgasm" buisness at my next appointment. Its just going to be a little uneasy ;) Anyway, if she suggests changing medications i will; its just that to go off paxil you can't just quit cold turkey. It also means going through all the side effects for a couple of weeks with a new drug. Although in the long run it does seem like a small price to pay :)

[linzbinz.livejournal.com]

I've been on Paxil for a few years, and at first, I totally had the same problem. There was NO way I was having an orgasm, whether it was me, another person, or a vibrator. It just WASN'T happeneing. But after a while I started being able to orgasm again. Sometimes even during sex- woo hoo! So my advice is that if Paxil is working for you mentally, STICK WITH IT! You'll be able to orgasm again. Invest in a super high power vibrator...like the back massager kind. Good luck! *Hugs*

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

aw thanks :) its encouraging to hear that because the paxil really is working, and i have hardly any other side effects. I just don't want to jolt my body by going off a drug that works and trying something else that might not. We shall see! :)

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

Also (kinda off topic) do you know if you can drink while taking paxil? (My friends' birthday party is on friday) I sort of assumed that mixing a depressant with an anti-depressant isn't the best idea; but i was hoping to get someone's first hand experience with it.

[pixiechik.livejournal.com]

I was on paxil for 4 years, and for the first few years I had no sex drive and so not being able to have an orgasm didn't exactly bother me too much. After I while I learned how to do it again though, but I never really had much of a sex drive the entire time I was on it. I'm on effexor now - my sex drive is back (really back) & I can orgasm no problem. If it really is a problem you could always try a different med or just keep at it & you will find a way.

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

See thats the thing; I figure my well being is getting managable -if not enjoyable. I still have my sex drive, i just can't orgasm. If it means being happy with myself then i'd rather that, but people keep telling me i shouldn't trade one for the other. I don't know, if it really starts to bother me that much i might suggest another drug to my doctor, but i'd really like to stick to something that works. Thanks for the vote of confidence! :)

[amylynn.livejournal.com]

I was on Paxil for two months... and the *only* thing it did was make me completely unable to orgasm. (During that entire two months, I had exactly one, and it sucked.) Very, very frustrating. I know that's not exactly encouraging, but... :\
I'm kinda *glad* it didn't work for me, 'cause that meant I could go off it and have my orgasms back. Heh. I don't recommend that route if the Paxil is otherwise doing good things for you, but you might ask whoever prescribed you the Paxil if there's a different medication you could try... I know Wellbutrin actually *advertises* its "low risk of sexual side effects"... hehe. I've been on that one for a whole week (wow, what a long time), and no problems so far...
Good luck...! :)

[weetziebat.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that paxil didn't help you all that much, but its so great to hear that you've found something that does! :) It seems to be working alright with me. I mean i've only been on it 2 weeks, but i had no idea i was able to go through life without having anxiety and depressing episodes. Since i've only been on it for a little while, i have yet to truely miss my orgasms (although these past couple visits with my vibrator have been frustrating ;b) If it starts to get really bad, i may ask my dr for something else. Thank you for the luck though! :)

[urania.livejournal.com]

I was on paxil briefly; it didn't have sexual side effects for me, but it didn't do what it was supposed to either ;) so no more of that...

There are other anti-depressants which don't tend to interfere as much, although as always, people are different so YMMV. I think Serzone, etc, don't tend to... but again, I don't know your specific case, etc, and g-d knows I'm no doctor! If Paxil is working for you, otherwise, and you're willing to stick with it for awile, I'd say hang on for a few more weeks and see if things improve; if, however, this is really getting in the way of your life, then definately talk to your doc about switching.

Just my 2c worth: don't mix it with alcohol... can do some odd things, I'd presume. I haven't done a search on it (you could probably find out more on google) but this coming from the kid of a shrink and someone who's been on and off meds like thatk for the past 5 years--the great majority you aren't supposed to take with alcohol. Sorry :-