Posted by bulldog2 on May 19, 2008, at 15:35:29
In reply to SSRI/SNRI and loss of libido and MORE, posted by satsumas on May 18, 2008, at 18:49:29
> Hi. I am a 28 year old male. Is it possible for the libido side effects of an SSRI/SNRI to occur if one is still able to have an orgasm and have an erection? What i'm getting at is that...libido seems to be more than just the physical reaction. It's about desire, pursuit of a girl (in my case), the butterflies in your stomach when you meet someone, the obsessive thoughts in a new relationship, it's the thing that overcomes the fear and anxiety of a first kiss, etc.
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> I have come to the stunning realization recently that the reason I haven't dated, or haven't felt attraction to a girl to a significant enough degree for me to actively "pursue" her is because of the fact that i've been on Cymbalta or Effexor for the past two years. I never considered myself to have the libido side effect because I could always have an orgasm and could have erections. But after a weird non-relationship relationship I just had, where I basically was in love with this girl "intellectually" but never felt enough of the "spark" or dopamine rush to overcome the anxieties about whether she was the right girl for me, and any other reasons I came up with for why I didn't want her, may have been just been rationalizations of a major side effect I didn't see.
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> Does that make sense? Or, if one is able to have an erection and orgasm, does that mean that the "rest" of libido is OK, and in fact there is some other reason for why I don't feel anything or have that fire in my belly desire to date or pursue a relationship.
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> Would love comments or other people's opinions.I think dopamine is the chemical of pleasure. ssri and snris lower dopamine.I've heard some have been able to get that feeling back with a dopamine agonist.
poster:bulldog2
thread:829848
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080519/msgs/829984.html