Posted by Elizabeth on June 12, 2001, at 2:43:38
In reply to My twin Gilbert and all of you fine posters, posted by grapebubblegum on June 11, 2001, at 8:17:17
> As for the stereotype about men declining and women ascending some mythical sexual peak in their forties... Don't worry about that, Gil; I happen to think it's a load.
At the very least, the years seem to be wrong. My experience (which basically consists of having talked to a lot of people of different ages and even dating a few of them) is that men do "peak" in their early 20s and are less interested (and capable) by 40. Young women, on the other hand, often have a hard time reaching orgasm, which can improve with age, to a certain point: menopause can really wreak havoc with a woman's sex drive and ability to be aroused. (ERT seems to help some with this.)
> Who wants to take meds that will make you basically sexually crippled?
Well, my experience with men on SSRIs is that they usually can find something to counteract the side effects. They may not be as responsive as they were before the SSRIs, but they are certainly ready, willing, and able. My experience, however, has been with young (mid-20s) men (n = 2, not a very large sample -- I don't specifically seek out men on Prozac to test my theories < g >). The decrease in functioning and interest may be harder to treat if you've also experienced a decline in sex drive due to age.
Of course, if you're one of those unlucky men (or women) who can't find anything that overrides this side effect, then SSRIs are pretty much out. Like you say, it just doesn't make sense.
Whether or not it's treatable, it's good to have an understanding partner who you can talk to about it. One of the 2 men I mentioned above, who was taking Wellbutrin to counteract the sexual side effects of Prozac but still had occasional difficulties (sometimes reversed with Ritalin), had been a close friend years before we became sexually involved, and he knew I take antidepressants too, so I think he found it easy to talk to me about the problem.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:65576
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010605/msgs/66199.html