Information about prescriptions...

[absinthium]

K, so... My boyfriend is taking a number of prescriptions. I know for sure that he is taking Wellbutrin and Strattera, and there may be something else that I'm unaware of. I am beginning to wonder if they may be having a negative effect on our emotional interaction and/or his sexual performance. I've had friends who have taken meds for depression before (like Zoloft) and it's made them feel very emotinally detached. I'm also concerned (perhaps undully) about the combination of drugs for depression and ADHD.
We haven't been together for too terribly long (creeping up on two months, I reckon,) and I feel strange asking him about them. I feel like it could be seen as an invasion of his privacy. We've spoken briefly before about why he's seeing a psychiatrist in the first place, and he seemed somewhat uncomfortable about the discussion. Mind you, that was a while ago, when we had only first started talking...
ANYHOW... I was wondering if there is a good place that I can get information about the possible side effects of the prescriptions I know he's taking, either via the web, or perhaps a number I can call. Also, is there anyone out there taking either Wellbutrin or Strattera that may be able to shed some light on how they felt before and after being prescribed the drugs? Also, I'd like to get some thoughts on whether it would be prudent of me to just talk to him directly to get more information, or if it truly is none of my business.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hugs'n'kisses,
Julianna

 

[KinkGuy]

First, you might try going directly to the drug manufacturer's web site. Most are readily available and a good source of information about the specific drugs they manufacture.

There are also many websites and medical resources available online....just search the "drug name" and the word "side effects" and you will get shit loads of pages and sites to explore.

Wellbutrin generally has less of a negative impact on a man's sexual drive, performance and desire than many other anti depressants, but reactions are different in everyone.

I know I have serious side effects from Zoloft. I am easily able to achieve and maintain an erection, but an orgasm is virtually impossible. Sounds like fun, but isn't.

Do your research and gently, with general discussion, open a diaglogue with your partner. Believe me, he is FAR more concerned and maybe even ashamed (you know how men are) than is apparent to you. If there are indeed serious effects regarding his performance, be supportive and encourage him to speak openly and honestly with his Physician. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Men are just weird regarding their masculinity.

Your support and kindness...................will be rewarded.

 

[absinthium]

Thanks very much for your input, Kink.
I tried going on sites like WebMD to ask a doctor, but that feature was down.
I would really like to get feedback from patients who have been prescribed the drugs... I'm a bit distrustful of what the various pharmaceutical companies will release regarding their own products... Maybe that's just me.
I try to be very reassuring concerning performance issues. He takes it a lot harder (no pun intended) than he should... I'm more concerned with the emotional stuff... I'm afraid the drugs will make it impossible for him to feel as intensely as he could. I've had a few friends say things about different antidepressants specifically that have me concerned.

But once again, thanks very much for your response. I am going to just have to talk with him and get more specific info on the situation.

 

[Dr Rock]

http://www.crazymeds.org/

there is good information here, if you can tolerate the ugly site layout long enough to find it. of course, personal testimonies should always be taken with a pinch of salt.

 

[Pappy]

Julianna, go to Drugs.com
they have a lot of good info on a lot of drugs, side effect, drug interactions and so forth.

Hope this helps you understand what they're doing to him.

Pappy

 

[absinthium]

Thanks so much, Dr. Rock.
I'm actually looking for personal testimonies. I have the feeling anything written by someone who hasn't actually taken the drug (or stands to gain from its sale, aka doctors of the almighty Pfizer god) will be a bit inaccurate.

 

[absinthium]

Thank you kindly, Pappy. Everyone gets a super special hug from me for putting forth so much effort to help. It's very much appreciated!

 

[DC_DEEP]

Originally posted by absinthium@Jun 3 2005, 01:28 AM
Thanks so much, Dr. Rock.
I'm actually looking for personal testimonies. I have the feeling anything written by someone who hasn't actually taken the drug (or stands to gain from its sale, aka doctors of the almighty Pfizer god) will be a bit inaccurate.

[post=317455]Quoted post[/post]​

Hello, Absinthium. Personal testimonies may be helpful, but probably your best source for information would be to go, physically, to your local library, and ask someone at the circulation desk to help you find a current PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) and show you how to find information in it regarding the specific drugs about which you are curious. You won't be able to check out the book, it will be in the reference section. Amongst all the technobabble, you will find valuable statistics from the clinical studies - especially side-effects.

You also may want to start a conversation with your b/f and begin with something like "We've been seeing each other for about two months. I hope we are at a point where we can start trusting each other enough to talk about important issues, even if they are not comfortable. I want the best for you, and want to understand how to make 'us' work as a couple."

Hope this helps!

 

[madame_zora]

We talked about this a bit when I was there, but I think the type of information she wants won't be found in reference books. She is looking for specific experience-related accounts of emotional responses, such as how a person felt (broad spectrum-wise) before starting a pill regimen and how the use of the drugs affected them emotionally after. We both know a couple people who described feeling less emotional in general, but I don't know if that's a usual reaction or just those certain people's. If mood altering drugs are supposed to iron out the highs and lows, does it then follow that a person who was used to experiencing these would feel deprived in some way when they were no longer so extreme?

If anyone has taken these kinds of drugs and has experiences to recount, I'm sure Julianna would be very grateful to learn your take on the issue of emotional responses before and after, even if you prefer to pm her rather than relay your thoughts publicly.
I hadn't thought of asking here, but good call baby- we do talk about everything here.

 

[ashlar]

Ask and ye shall recieve ... or some shit ..

http://www.livejournal.com/community/wellbutrinusers/

I couldnt find any Strattera specific communities but this one had some information.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/adhd_n00bs/

One of the posts from this community reads ...

methylphenidate-wellbutrin interaction?
I finally made an appointment with my pdoc (well, PNP) about the possibility of going off Paxil due to sexual side effects and starting Wellbutrin. I'm currently on Paxil and methylphenidate SR (the scrip was written for Ritalin SA, I think) and both work well, but I'll be seeing my sweetheart in a month and still have reduced sexual response at most. Obviously this is a problem. Other than that, Paxil has worked well. I did hours of research, however, and found that Wellbutrin is used for adult ADD and that it affects one of the neurotransmitters that Strattera affects as well. Strattera worked for me, but not enough.

Anyway, he didn't want to take me off Paxil and said that Wellbutrin and methylphenidate don't play well together in the brain. I've found some info about that combo being used in patients and haven't really seen any major contraindications about this mix. I know he wouldn't try to 'trick' me per se, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder if his reasoning has more to do with a reticence to switch from something that is working (e.g., Paxil) to something that would probably work (in my view) but isn't guaranteed.

Any ideas?

Other communities include...
http://www.livejournal.com/community/adults_add/

you may have to actually have a livejournal account to read this. I did not check and I was logged in when I searched. I hope they help you out.

Love N' stuff.

 

[coolioc]

There are quite a few resources available with information both on Strattera and Wellbutrin. I really like RX List for basic, nitty-gritty info. They also have patient info for many drugs there as well in plain English. For talking to someone fairly knowledgeable about drugs and who isn't swayed by the drug companies, why don't you talk to a pharmacist? The vast majority are Doctors of Pharmacy, even at Rite Aid, Safeway, Eckerdt, etc (especially on the West Coast), and are experts at explaining drug interactions, side effects, mechanisms of action, etc. You wouldn't know it because they are the most unassuming and least imposing of all doctors out there. They get 4 years of drugs compared to physicians who get 2 weeks of pharmacology in med school and sound bites from the drug companies who are taking them out to steak dinners.

Anyway, here's my take...

Wellbutrin has been out for many years and information on the web is generally rich with content. However, please consider that Strattera has only been out for roughly 2 years, and was originally intended only for ADHD in children. Only recently has it been used in adult ADHD, and only within the last 3 or 4 months has it become known that there is a serious risk of liver toxicity associated with Strattera use.

ADHD in adults has only recently become a recognized and accepted diagnosis, and treatment modalities that have been used in children for years are being adopted in adults. As such, there is still quite a dearth of information for consumers regarding Strattera and other stimulants and their psychiatric/sexual consequences in adults.

At the same time, you probably know from all the press lately that many drugs have been released where all of the major side effects are not being discovered until months to years after introduction to the public. Drug companies are generally in good faith trying to list all adverse effects discovered to date in their patient info sheets and package inserts, but so-called "Phase IV" trials are continually changing what we know about how a drug works even after it is on the market... remember Vioxx and Bextra? Remember Naproxen? Especially with drugs like Strattera that work on the brain's chemistry, even the drug insert says something to the effect that "...the exact mechanism of action for atomoxetine [Strattera] is unknown, however, it is believed that it acts by..."

In regards to Absinthium's original question, it is such a difficult process to try to distill a few personal experiences down into a common denominator answer that will fit the situation with your boyfriend. I have had many patients describe to me different feelings/effects while on these drugs compared to before they had started. Some people have problems with ejaculation (called anorgasmia) with SSRIs (paxil, prozac, zoloft, etc) but not everyone. Some people say they are just fine. Strattera may cause the same problem, but may ALSO decrease libido (up to 6%). In addition, mood lability has also been attributed to Strattera use. Wellbutrin, though NOT implicated in anorgasmia/loss of libido, has ALSO been associated with mood lability and agitation (up to 10%). Considering that wellbutrin and strattera partially have the same mechanism of action (norepinephrine reuptake and uptake inhibition) it is possible that the combination may be causing additive sexual/mood-altering effects.

Sorry for the long wordy shpiel. I hope I may have helped a little bit!

 

[absinthium]

Thanks to everyone for posting such helpful and informative links. I did decide to bite the bullet and speak with him directly, and I'm feeling much better about everything.
I'll still go through and do my own research, because I really care about this person and want him to be happy.

Once again, thanks a million, cast and crew of LPSG!