Zoloft / Sexual Side Effects... HELP!!!!

[sihaya]

I am on 100mg of zoloft a day for social phobia, severe depression and anxiety (although i also have lorazapam for the anxiety).
On the whole the tablets are solving the depression and i am learning to cope with the depression / phobia etc but the down side is my sex drive is ***0***

At another point in my life this wouldn't have been such an issue but i got married 8 months ago and my current condition is not fair on my husband. we have gone from a more than healthy (if you get my drift) sex life to maybe having sex a couple of times a month. I don't feel like having sex and cannot orgasm.

I'm not coming off the tablets as it has taken a nervous breakdown and 5 other types of tablets to find ones that allow me to get out of bed, but i wondered if anyone has found any techniques or herbal / other solutions to help with this??? im desperate!!! not just for me but i know its getting really difficult for my husband!

[cornish]

its a side effect of so many of the meds that most of us take.   have you voiced your concerns about the side effects to your gp ??

[SteveW]

Pretty well all the anti-depressants can cause sexual side effects but the SSRI's, which you are on, are widely recognized as being the worst. The good news is that for most people things return to normal when you stop taking the drug. The bad news is that there has been talk of something referred to as PSSD, Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction. It is being suggested that for some things don't return to normal and the problems can persist for quite a while afterwards.

I have seen a list of drugs that have been used to try and improve the problem but they are all prescription only and I can't see the average UK GP prescribing them-one of them is dexamphetamine for example. You do see advice such as taking a two day drug holiday every week,reducing or retiming the dose,but you risk loosing your anti depressant effect.

Your GP would know about all these options and your only real choice is to go back and discuss it.

[SteveW]

Thought I would post a link to the Wikipedia article on PSSD. It's a bit technical in places especially about the possible biochemical basis of PSSD but worth a read if you take SSRI's. The link is:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-SSRI_sexual_dysfunction


There is also a Yahoo group for sufferers from PSSD which someone told me has 2000 members,which is worrying if it is true. Don't have the link but Google will throw it up.

[Munchroom]

I'm completley with you on this one Sihaya and it is very miserable. If there was something herbal, I'd be on it like a shot!

[dlg78]

Thought I would post a link to the Wikipedia article on PSSD. It's a bit technical in places especially about the possible biochemical basis of PSSD but worth a read if you take SSRI's. The link is:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-SSRI_sexual_dysfunction


There is also a Yahoo group for sufferers from PSSD which someone told me has 2000 members,which is worrying if it is true. Don't have the link but Google will throw it up.

I would agree there is some truth in this matter, having personally felt the after effects myself I know it to be a real problem.

[SteveW]

The following is an article that lists drugs that have been used to treat SSRI sexual problems. One of them at least is herbal - Gingko Biloba. Possibly Yohimbine I don't buy herbal stuff so wouldn't know. The evidence isn't strong but if your desperate. The link is:

  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430614_5

I also had a think about whether I could see a GP prescribing and found one combination that I could. Mianserin and an SSRI is one of NICE recommendations for Treatment Resistant Depression so your GP should at least be aware of the safety of the combination.