Anybody here taking paroxetine??? PROS and CONS

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

Has anybody experienced a loss of sexual drive and difficulties in achieving and mantaining an erection beacuse of a long term assumption of paroxetine?? I have been takin paroxetine since 2007 and the first months I took it my sexual life was AWESOME!!! I mean very hard cock, ease to achieve an erection,long lasting erections,always morning wood,delayed ejaculation (and I suffered from early ejaculation before...) but after 3 years of therapy I had to reduce the dosage beacuse my sexual drive,hardness of erection and an hard time to cum really bothered me... anybody here with a similar experience???

 

[D_Alec_Baldtwins]

Your case sounds very unusual. SSRI's are almost universally known for their side effects of crushing sex drive, as well as inhibiting the ability to achieve orgasm. The only similar cases to yours that I've heard about are occasional cases where the depression itself was causing loss of interest in sex, and where relief from depression provided by the drug, combined with the person not being suceptible to the usual side effects, "gets their regular life back", including their normal sex drive.

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

you are right... but in some cases one could have theese positive side effects... the point is that after three years of taking ssri now I'm experiencing this loss of sex drive,etc.. I now take half the dosage and the things are going better but I want to eventually free myself from paroxetine...

 

[wellhung9]

be careful with paroxetine. i had a roomate who used to take it and he claimed it shrank his penis two inches. I suspect it made i so he couldnt get his normal erection and he got crummy ones that were 2 inches shorter.

 

[FeroxFemina]

I used to take paroxetine... it didn't do much for me so I was taken off it for those reasons. I had no sex drive while I was on it but I don't know if that was down to the drug itself or depression.

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

I used to take paroxetine... it didn't do much for me so I was taken off it for those reasons. I had no sex drive while I was on it but I don't know if that was down to the drug itself or depression.

the loss of sex drive in women has been well studied as a side effect of paroxetine... I think both paroxetine and depression itself was detrimental to it.. can I ask you how have you come back to your sex drive if you?

 

[FeroxFemina]

I have a high sex drive... but I still take anti-depressants.

I'm 26 and started prozac (fluoxetine) at 16. I was rebellious and didn't want to take it and hated therapy. It didn't work and could have been due to my defiance.

I was then put on seroxat (paroxetine) which did nothing for me. I was a zombie.

In January 2003 I started venlafaxine (Effexor) and have been on that ever since. I think my sex drive would be a lot higher without it, but it's already high now so I'm not really affected by it.

I often think that it affects my ability to reach orgasm and when this happens I end up having a mental block during sex and worry about reaching orgasm and hence it doesn't happen... viscious circle!

A friend of mine started venlafaxine recently and her sex drive disappeared. After about 6 weeks it came back.

I think everyone is different.

Ideally I wouldn't take any medication, but it's a small price to pay for being able to function... I have Clinical depression and it's been a part of my life since childhood. One pill a day doesn't bother me too much.

I think it's worse in men. I can be in the mood for sex and can have it with a mid-high sex drive... if a guy takes medication that prevents erection, you can't really do much about it. It's not fair.

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

I have a high sex drive... but I still take anti-depressants.

I'm 26 and started prozac (fluoxetine) at 16. I was rebellious and didn't want to take it and hated therapy. It didn't work and could have been due to my defiance.

I was then put on seroxat (paroxetine) which did nothing for me. I was a zombie.

In January 2003 I started venlafaxine (Effexor) and have been on that ever since. I think my sex drive would be a lot higher without it, but it's already high now so I'm not really affected by it.

I often think that it affects my ability to reach orgasm and when this happens I end up having a mental block during sex and worry about reaching orgasm and hence it doesn't happen... viscious circle!

A friend of mine started venlafaxine recently and her sex drive disappeared. After about 6 weeks it came back.

I think everyone is different.

Ideally I wouldn't take any medication, but it's a small price to pay for being able to function... I have Clinical depression and it's been a part of my life since childhood. One pill a day doesn't bother me too much.

I think it's worse in men. I can be in the mood for sex and can have it with a mid-high sex drive... if a guy takes medication that prevents erection, you can't really do much about it. It's not fair.

thnx for your quick and articulated reply girl... me and you seem to be similar cases.. I suffer from anxiety-depression since I was 16 or so and I took Xanax before but the real improvements I get was when I started taking paroxetine (in europe it's called sereupin..) btw I wanted to take theese pills myself beacuse I knew I would have felt better with medicine..depression is a disease and it has to be treated using medicine... you are rigth when you say that being a boy is worst.. because sometimes ,even if there's the will of fuck,it is impossibile to get a good erection and I am a real fan of fucking with a diamond erection! btw I always thanks paroxetine for allowing me to have a normal and satysfying life

 

[FeroxFemina]

I'm thankful for venlafaxine too. I've tried to come off it 4 times (always the doctors idea, never mine!) and it has never worked. The withdrawal (discontinuation syndrome) is awful.

It helps me function; I'd be lost without it.

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

I'm thankful for venlafaxine too. I've tried to come off it 4 times (always the doctors idea, never mine!) and it has never worked. The withdrawal (discontinuation syndrome) is awful.

It helps me function; I'd be lost without it.

the discontinuation syndrome is very bad for paroxetine too.. I feel dizziness in my mind and faint feeling and other odd symptoms... btw they pass in two weeks... I tried to quit it a time but after few months I had to take it again because depression was always there...

 

[dude_007]

It sounds like you experience what is known as a paradoxical reaction, which is the opposite side effect of the expected norm, which for ssris is decreased libido.

While it is true depression is a disease, I'm not sure I agree that it has to be treated with medication, especially long term, lifelong treatment. Unless one has bipolar disorder or underlying schizophrenia, the goal of treatment for depression should be cognitive therapy to transform the negative thought patterns so one doesn't need the drug to alter brain chemistry.

 

[FeroxFemina]

the goal of treatment for depression should be cognitive therapy to transform the negative thought patterns so one doesn't need the drug to alter brain chemistry.

I agree, but when your doctor puts you on drugs as well as therapy you enter a vicious cycle.

Ideally, I would have seen a therapist throughout childhood for support and treatment and CBT. This didn't happen. My condition was put down to being a teenager and rebellion. When I was finally treated I was in a deep dark place and didn't want out. I was unreceptive to treatment and any offer of help; therefore I was medicated.

I saw the light eventually and that's when the drug changes occurred. Since taking venlafaxine I've had a lot of time to dwell on my depression but still haven't dealt with a lot of issues because they don't bother me when I'm medicated. The times that I tried to stop taking the meds were the worst periods of depression in my adult life because it's like the pills cause the depressive person inside to simply 'pause' and when I come off the meds, the play button is pushed and that part of me takes over.

Venlafaxine have been known to cause severe discontinuation syndrome lasting months. I lasted 2 months of it and then had to give in. I was a student and could only put up with so much before my studies were affected.

Now, at 26, I am studying for a second degree and don't have the time to be able to focus on coming off the drug. It's a plan for the future, but is not happening now.

I agree that CBT should be the goal of treatment... but it's not always possible and some of us were let down by the system.

I don't take meds because I'm too lazy to deal with my thoughts. Far from it. And I'm not saying that you're having a go at those of us on anti-depressants in any way, I just want to make it clear that therapy over medication is not always an option.

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

It sounds like you experience what is known as a paradoxical reaction, which is the opposite side effect of the expected norm, which for ssris is decreased libido.

While it is true depression is a disease, I'm not sure I agree that it has to be treated with medication, especially long term, lifelong treatment. Unless one has bipolar disorder or underlying schizophrenia, the goal of treatment for depression should be cognitive therapy to transform the negative thought patterns so one doesn't need the drug to alter brain chemistry.

right mate! I had a paradoxical reaction but this kind of effect is well documented even on internet... and you are right again speaking of the long term therapy.. I have bipolar disorder and what works best for me is paroxetine...

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

I agree, but when your doctor puts you on drugs as well as therapy you enter a vicious cycle.

Ideally, I would have seen a therapist throughout childhood for support and treatment and CBT. This didn't happen. My condition was put down to being a teenager and rebellion. When I was finally treated I was in a deep dark place and didn't want out. I was unreceptive to treatment and any offer of help; therefore I was medicated.

I saw the light eventually and that's when the drug changes occurred. Since taking venlafaxine I've had a lot of time to dwell on my depression but still haven't dealt with a lot of issues because they don't bother me when I'm medicated. The times that I tried to stop taking the meds were the worst periods of depression in my adult life because it's like the pills cause the depressive person inside to simply 'pause' and when I come off the meds, the play button is pushed and that part of me takes over.

Venlafaxine have been known to cause severe discontinuation syndrome lasting months. I lasted 2 months of it and then had to give in. I was a student and could only put up with so much before my studies were affected.

Now, at 26, I am studying for a second degree and don't have the time to be able to focus on coming off the drug. It's a plan for the future, but is not happening now.

I agree that CBT should be the goal of treatment... but it's not always possible and some of us were let down by the system.

I don't take meds because I'm too lazy to deal with my thoughts. Far from it. And I'm not saying that you're having a go at those of us on anti-depressants in any way, I just want to make it clear that therapy over medication is not always an option.

Congrats girl!! I'm 28 and studying for my first degree and it's one of the reason I still want to take paroxetine...

 

[FeroxFemina]

Mature students are the best!

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

Mature students are the best!

:biggrin1::You_Rock_Emoticon:

 

[Stephenmass]

My b/f takes paroxetine and I have noticed a little bit that he doesn't have the hardness that he used to have before starting it. The drug is doing what it's supposed to do and for what it was prescribed for. I would take that over a bit of lost hardness anytime if it makes his life easier. It does take him much longer to cum. Because I have been on depression/anxiety type drugs in my past, I know what it is like to go and go and go when having sex but that feeling of churning up a load NEVER arrived in my case many times. I'd be going and going and it just wasn't making my dick begin even after lengthy times what I would need to either orgasm or ejaculate. It drove me crazy and like you (I wasn't on paroxetine) it was great at first because I didn't have the problems, but after being on different type drugs for awhile, it would affect my ability to cum. I had no problems getting hard. It was also frustrating for my partner as he seemed to blame himself and I'd assure him that it wasn't him. I just wasn't "getting there" which further down the line developed into a temporary loss of interest in sex because I knew I wasn't going to cum which depressed ME!!

It is a vicious cycle that I understand. I was tapered off my depression drugs as the depression did lift and go away and as soon as I was not taking them anymore my full sexual functioning returned.

 

[D_Twyford Tweenerlegs]

I've been on paroxetine for about 3-4 years now. The first 2 years or so, it was amazing! Great sex drive, orgasms felt better, I had complete control of when I could cum, which was amazing. But, I see it going away in a sense that it's becoming somewhat of a problem. Now I have a problem reaching an orgasm, let alone being able to control over when I can climax. But I've come to the conclusion that it's largly because, though I have a raging sex drive, I just can't be satisfied the same way that I used to, which is largely because of the paxil.

At the same time that I was put on paxil, a good friend was also put on it. He had the same side effects. And experienced the same thing untill he got off of it recently.


But, hey I need the stuff to keep sane anyways, so to speak.

 

[dbjones1969]

Hi - I had a very similar experience to Stephenmass -The main difference is I was taking PAXIL (paroxetene) - I requested my Dr. give me a scrip to try it as a means of controlling mild anxiety issues I was having - I began to have difficulty having orgasm and ejaculation.. I noticed this change almost right away. I normally can control that and cum when I want to finish.. this was very frustrating for both me and my wife The sex was still good, felt great (until the emotional worry of "is that going to happen again" started happening, I could always achieve erections...- I stopped the medication and everything went back to normal.. Was an awful experience for me and our sex life. I had done a little reading that this might be a temporary thing and could go away.. just wasnt worth it to gamble with that part of my life that I find so valuable... But - depending on what the medicataion is needed for, could be a different story for others

 

[D_Crystallized Ginger]

My b/f takes paroxetine and I have noticed a little bit that he doesn't have the hardness that he used to have before starting it. The drug is doing what it's supposed to do and for what it was prescribed for. I would take that over a bit of lost hardness anytime if it makes his life easier. It does take him much longer to cum. Because I have been on depression/anxiety type drugs in my past, I know what it is like to go and go and go when having sex but that feeling of churning up a load NEVER arrived in my case many times. I'd be going and going and it just wasn't making my dick begin even after lengthy times what I would need to either orgasm or ejaculate. It drove me crazy and like you (I wasn't on paroxetine) it was great at first because I didn't have the problems, but after being on different type drugs for awhile, it would affect my ability to cum. I had no problems getting hard. It was also frustrating for my partner as he seemed to blame himself and I'd assure him that it wasn't him. I just wasn't "getting there" which further down the line developed into a temporary loss of interest in sex because I knew I wasn't going to cum which depressed ME!!

It is a vicious cycle that I understand. I was tapered off my depression drugs as the depression did lift and go away and as soon as I was not taking them anymore my full sexual functioning returned.

whats was the drug you used to take my friend??

I've been on paroxetine for about 3-4 years now. The first 2 years or so, it was amazing! Great sex drive, orgasms felt better, I had complete control of when I could cum, which was amazing. But, I see it going away in a sense that it's becoming somewhat of a problem. Now I have a problem reaching an orgasm, let alone being able to control over when I can climax. But I've come to the conclusion that it's largly because, though I have a raging sex drive, I just can't be satisfied the same way that I used to, which is largely because of the paxil.

At the same time that I was put on paxil, a good friend was also put on it. He had the same side effects. And experienced the same thing untill he got off of it recently.


But, hey I need the stuff to keep sane anyways, so to speak.

Paxil is the same as sereupin in Italy where I live.. the first two years were awesome for me!!! my cock was steel hard beacuse the dealy in ejaculation worked as a constant edging... and that was amazing! but after two years or so I started to not enjoy sex as before (probably because of the difficulty in reaching the pleasure of orgasm...) and then my erection became softer and lasted less time...

Hi - I had a very similar experience to Stephenmass -The main difference is I was taking PAXIL (paroxetene) - I requested my Dr. give me a scrip to try it as a means of controlling mild anxiety issues I was having - I began to have difficulty having orgasm and ejaculation.. I noticed this change almost right away. I normally can control that and cum when I want to finish.. this was very frustrating for both me and my wife The sex was still good, felt great (until the emotional worry of "is that going to happen again" started happening, I could always achieve erections...- I stopped the medication and everything went back to normal.. Was an awful experience for me and our sex life. I had done a little reading that this might be a temporary thing and could go away.. just wasnt worth it to gamble with that part of my life that I find so valuable... But - depending on what the medicataion is needed for, could be a different story for others

Stephenmass claims to have taken Paxil too... btw it seems like many people taking paroxetine enjoyed its ejaculation delaying side effect for two years or so and after this time the problems begin to set... From all these experiences we could say that people claiming paroxetine is detrimental for sex drive are wrong... it's a kind of elisir for the first two years or so and after this period you can't enjoy no more your sex life...