Posted by lil' jimi on August 3, 2003, at 0:33:51
In reply to re: Lexapro sexual side effects, posted by guyndenver on August 2, 2003, at 12:47:19
hi guyndenver,
you're welcome ... ... anytime.
... ... (see below)> Thanks, Jim. I appreciate your input on this.
>
> Even though I have been treated for "depression" numerous times over the years, this last bout was with anxiety. I had an attack so severe that I could no longer eat. Everything I tried to swallow got stuck in my throat. After numerous procedures to try to "fix" the problem, my doc suggested that it might be anxiety and put me on Remeron Soltabs. Didn't work, so we tried liquid Prozac with limited results. Well, to make a long story short, I went for over 5 months living on mashed potatoes, yogurt, milkshakes, etc. I lost 30 lbs (not that I couldn't stand to loose 30 lbs, but not the way to do it). After I started eating again and stopped the Prozac, they put me on Paxil CR, 12.5mg to just keep me on an even keel. I had been on regular Paxil in the past and hated it. Paxil CR seemed to be better in all aspects except the sexual effects.
>
> I was in to see my doc two weeks ago and we discussed this all. She said it was up to me what I wanted to do. She told that since I have such an issue with insomnia as well, that she would really like to up my Paxil CR to 25mg and I told her I didn't want to do that because of the sexual side effects. That's when she mentioned Lexapro, or she said I could go off the Paxil for a while and see where I am. So, that was what I opted for. I have been totally off Paxil now for nearly a week (a week Monday) and ALL sexual side effects are gone. What a joy! I am still dealing with the dizzy spells, nausea and all that other crap that happens during withdrawls, but at least now I can have normal sex.
>
> I think I will see how this goes. If there is any sign of my anxiety issues resurfacing, I will have to do something - maybe Lexapro. We will see. I would like to hear more about your experience on Lex, but will respect the others on the site.
>
> > hi guyndenver,
> >
> > and my thanks for covering for us there, theump .. ... .. sorry i'm so late ...
> >
> > guy, i certainly understand your feelings ... frustration can have few sharper definitions ... past posters have shared the misery of the folly of viagra for anorgasmia, the inability to have orgasms ... ... to have endured this as long as you have is infuriating and hardly seems a relief for depression ... all of which you have stated very well.
> >
> > there have been a number of posts about sexual side effects (hardly "side" effects) on this lexapro thread ... many have been prompted by inquiries by me ... .. ... there would seem to me to be a consensus that lex has less sexual SEs than paxil or effexor ... which i would say is damning lex with faint praise due to paxil's and effexor's notorious reputations for sexual dysfunction of many types, notably decreased libido ... the posts to this thread have mentioned almost no lexapro related loss of libido (of those that have mentioned this, almost all were using other meds as well) and there have been no mentions of erectile dysfunction.
> >
> > and all of this information is from my distillation of reading the entire lex thread which extends back more than a year ... not exactly science, especially with my memory for a data base! ... ...
> > ... ... nevertheless, there are consistencies which would suggest some validity to these observations ...
> >
> > my wife was on paxil maybe 15 years ago now and we have regretted it everyday since ... we still struggle to recover her libido, but the greater tragedy was not knowing or ever being told about paxil side effects until very recently ...
> >
> > i have been on lexapro since march ... ... i had some intense SEs the first few days, but by 2 weeks they all went away ... ...
> > ... ... one of my side effects was anorgasmia ... ... frankly it was frightening, but _within_ that first week i went from a total inability to have an orgasm or ejaculate, despite full libido and erectile function ... ... back to orgasmic function.
> > ... ... in total, this lasted less than a week ... ...
> >
> > actually, i have had to restrain myself posting about sexual function here because i am among a (small?) number of lex users who have had beneficial sexual experience since taking lex ... ... on a message board about meds for anxiety and depression, it isn't really considerate to be celebrating sexual benefits from the drugs you're taking too loudly ... ...
> > ... ... since my anorgasmia went away my orgasms have changed for the better, but i am only giving details if requested, out of respect for the folks suffering who don't need to hear this.
> >
> > ... ... so guyndenver, that's my story ... ... after all the studies are done and all the posts posted, there will remain a wide range of possibilities of how lexapro could effect your anorgasmia .... and all of the probabilities won't mean a thing compared to your own, unique, risky experience of trying lexapro for yourself ...
> > ... ... stories i tell don't matter compared to direct experience
> >
> > i have not taken any other ADs ... but i believe the SSRIs are different from each other, even celexa from lexapro by a great deal, i would say, and that each ssri effects the user differently, but individual variation of the users overwhelms any value from the statistics from studies ... stats can kind of guide you before you take, say, an ssri, but you're on your own after you do take an ssri ...
> >
> > ... ... except we have this forum here (Thanks, Dr. Bob!) to share our experiences, offer information, and to support each other ... ... i am indebted to the people who have posted here ... i have benefitted greatly. ... my thanks to every one.
> >
> > i wish you the best and i would hope you would keep posting here whether you take any meds or not ... ... it would be great to hear how you are doing ...
> >
> > ...and as my pal Wayne has taught me, we sign out with, his classic ...
> > TAKE CARE !!!
> > ~ jim
> >
> > p.s. your paxil SEs have endured so long since you quit paxil, i'd wonder if lexapro Could overcome such an established condition ... what does your doc say about your persistent anorgamia?
> > ~ j
> >
> > > Thanks for your input. But, I think I will wait until Lex has been out for a bit longer. I read an interesting article I found on webmd about SSRI's and sexual side effects in general. It states that overall, in men, SSRI's create some sort of sexual side effect, whether it be E.D. or "delayed orgasm" in around 10% of those taking them. But, they are now finding that that 10% number isn't even close to the actual number of those effected. They blame the false findings in the clinical trials and post trials to the fact that most men are uncomfortable discussing these problems with their docs. This is not a direct quote, but the jist of the article. So, if on average, SSRI's in general show 10%, and Lexapro (according to their own documentation) shows 9%, I aint gonna hold my breath.
> > >
> > > My doc tried the viagra route with me and thus the other issue. I can now go for 4 hours straight and no orgasm. Might sound great to some, but, trust me, it is pure hell! If any company out there actually ever is successfull in figuring this one out, I hope I know someone on the inside because I will mortgage my home to buy their stock! It will out sell all other SSRI's out there.
> > >my reply:
.... .... i had gotten a mistaken impression that you'd been quit from paxil longer .... .... making the transition has hardly ever been reported as easy
... ... i'd have to say, especially for our anxiety sufferers ... many times the initial start up lex SEs include making our anxiety symptoms worse ... some folks have been medicated for 2 weeks with anti-anxiety med before beginning lexapro ...
i thought this post by Larry Hoover would be valuable info for all of our anxiety disorder folks ... (Lar is another of our valuable resources here at pBab, along with JB (jrbecker) and Ron Hill):http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030728/msgs/247337.html
and this is a great link , which my brother-in-lexapro, Wayne has offered here more than once :
http://panicdisorder.about.com/features/blmed1.htmthe shortest version of the rest of my story ... (because you asked) is that my orgasms have improved, dramatically, since i have recovered from my initial lex-induced anorgasmia ... dramatically ...
... long version ... i didn't need any improvement(s) in my sexual function and certainly didn't expect any ... ... my wife's experience with paxil made me leery when my doctor said there might be some sexual side effects ... ... i feared the threat to libido the most, of course, from my wife's experience... ....
..
... so going from no orgasmic, erectile, libido dysfunction before lexapro, ... by the second day, orgasm became impossible ... surprisingly i was not alarmed as much as amazed by such total orgasm dysfunction, while having complete libido drive and erectile function ... it quickly became apparent to me that there was an impenetrable biochemical barrier between me and orgasm ... it struck me as bizarre that libido, erectile and orgasm functions were so distinct and separable ... ...
... about this time, among my other SEs (sweating spells, depersonalization, fatigue, panic attack(s), vivid dreams, some deal with my appetite), i had this new challenge to urinating ... it took a focused deliberate approach to do what was an autonomic response before, but i also noticed this tingling sensation at the end of my penis ... a not-quite-numbness ... that i also noticed some at the tips of my fingers and toes and my nose ... and this seemed more salient when i would have an anorgasmic episode
... ... while it lasted, one is in unrelieved auto-foreplay ... ...
... ... five days later i recovered ...
... however, lexapro had brought me a hyperawareness of many aspects of my experience: my feelings; my appetite; my sleep; my perceptions, sharpness of vision, vividness of color; acuteness of sound, especially music, taste of food ... ... this included a fuller perception of my anorgasmia and a heighten awareness as it went away ... ... by the seventh day after beginning lexapro i had recovered more than my former full orgasmic response ... .. .... build up is more dramatic ...
... anticipation, more intense, more confidence inspiring, more enjoyable ... ...
... and orgasm has become much more intense, longer in duration, multifaceted, more deeply satisfying ... ... this is a situation which went from just sensational before to stunningly spectacular now ... ...... ... then all my other SEs went away
... my first day of lex i took 10 mg
... second day i decreased to 5 mg, where i stayed for a month, then i went back to 10 mg ... .. ... my anorgasmia returned for anther 5 days ... then faded back into the new specatular state i have described ... ... i continue to take 10 mg a day ... ...i would only hope lexapro could help you as much as it has benefited me .. ... .. or even half as much ... ... but we all know that there can be no guarantees ...
good luck to you ... do keep on touch .. ... we are grateful for everyone's posts ... ... please let us have your updates here ... i'd like to know how you're doing ... ... and ...
TAKE CARE !!!
~ jim
poster:lil' jimi
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030802/msgs/247703.html