ssri causing asexuality

[Cheshev]

I am asexual since I went through a period in which I took ssri, I took them for 9 months. I already stopped the ssri, but I am still asexual.

pd. I was definitely not asexual before ssri, I was straight and I took them for ocd. I am in my early 20s

[dissolved]

Huh. That's very interesting. How long ago did you stop taking the meds, and if I may ask, which one was it that you were taking?

They treat everyone a little bit differently. I'm probably on a different one to you, but actually noticed a huge increase in my sex drive once I became settled on them.

[Cheshev]

I am male and I took fluoxetine/prozac, and I stopped 5 months ago. Still no changes in my sexuality, I am still asexual. I don't find girls' bodies attractive anymore, when before ssri they drove me crazy.

I took fluoxetine for ocd, anxiety and traumatic experiences, also I was very depressed when I started. fluoxetine cured those problems but now I am asexual.

[Sapphire Rose]

I have taken both lexapro and Zoloft for depression and I can say that it definitely affected my libido and arousal, however I think I was asexual before taking them. Hell if I actually know.

[dissolved]

Have you noticed any other differences in yourself, personality, behaviour etc?

[Sapphire Rose]

You know, I did a quick search on this and although the results were generally inconclusive, there seems to be some research suggesting a link between the two. I wouldn't be surprised in all honesty.

[.lannah.]

SSRI's can cause a decrease in libido, especially the older SSRI's like Prozac. If it is concerning you, perhaps it's a good idea to discuss this with your doctor. Another thing to keep in mind is that depression can also affect an individuals libido.

[Sally]

I am asexual since I went through a period in which I took ssri, I took them for 9 months. I already stopped the ssri, but I am still asexual.

pd. I was definitely not asexual before ssri, I was straight and I took them for ocd. I am in my early 20s

Asexuality is not the same as having no libido. SSRIs can definitely cause low libido; they don't have any effect on orientation.

[AceTrainerSasha]

SSRIs are associated with sexual dysfunction in some people who use them, although, as Sally pointed out, SSRIs do not impact your orientation. If you are distressed by a change in sexual functioning, it might be a good idea to speak with your doctor. :)

[Rising Sun]

I am asexual since I went through a period in which I took ssri, I took them for 9 months. I already stopped the ssri, but I am still asexual.

pd. I was definitely not asexual before ssri, I was straight and I took them for ocd. I am in my early 20s

Asexuality is not the same as having no libido. SSRIs can definitely cause low libido; they don't have any effect on orientation.

Not so sure, their effects can be quite different on an individual scale I think. I'm thinking about Mysticus when they say that SSRIs have made them functionally aromantic. Of course placebo effect can't be excluded, but maybe there is something "real", beyond placebo effect.

[tase]

I've been on just about all of them at one point or another and I will agree it can reduce libido, and it definitely has that effect on me, but I was asexual before then anyway, so I can't blame them for not wanting to have sex with my wife.

[Guest]

Not so sure, their effects can be quite different on an individual scale I think. I'm thinking about Mysticus when they say that SSRIs have made them functionally aromantic. Of course placebo effect can't be excluded, but maybe there is something "real", beyond placebo effect.

Thanks for bringing me up, so I don't have to. :D

From what I've heard, it's pretty unusual to have such a drastic change as I experienced - going from hyper-romantic to effectively aro - but I can attest that it does occur... and I wouldn't rule out that what happened to me under SSRI in regards to romance can well happen to others in regards to sexuality.

[Telecaster68]

My functionally asexual wife is on Citalopram and it's really complicated. According to the manufacturer, there's a small chance libido can be affected, probably downward, but possibly upward. Other research on SSRIs shows the downward affect is more likely and more pronounced, and anecdotal evidence tends to support that.

Then you have to factor in placebo effect. And then that anyone prescribed SSRIs will be depressed, which arguably has more of an effect on libido than drugs (although again, hard to tell). And who could tell if depression causing apathy about low libido is different to a depressed asexual who's fine with the having no interest in sex? There's no distress being caused by lack of sexual drive in either case but people would say they're very different, but they're subjective so who knows?

The Citalopram was for my wife's depression, but I was tacitly hoping that making her more positive would increase her sex drive (she'd had some, till depression, lupus, and menopause did away with it). It doesn't seem to have changed her being effectively asexual, but she's a bit more engaged with me and that has resulted in a tiny, tiny bit more consciousness that sex might be good for our relationship, and a tiny tiny but more enjoyment, though nothing I'd call actual desire. Turns out she was probably never very sexual to start with, I guess, and her conditions seem to have edged her into being functionally asexual.

[Guest]

My functionally asexual wife is on Citalopram and it's really complicated. According to the manufacturer, there's a small chance libido can be affected, probably downward, but possibly upward. Other research on SSRIs shows the downward affect is more likely and more pronounced, and anecdotal evidence tends to support that.

Then you have to factor in placebo effect. And then that anyone prescribed SSRIs will be depressed, which arguably has more of an effect on libido than drugs (although again, hard to tell). And who could tell if depression causing apathy about low libido is different to a depressed asexual who's fine with the having no interest in sex? There's no distress being caused by lack of sexual drive in either case but people would say they're very different, but they're subjective so who knows?

The Citalopram was for my wife's depression, but I was tacitly hoping that making her more positive would increase her sex drive (she'd had some, till depression, lupus, and menopause did away with it). It doesn't seem to have changed her being effectively asexual, but she's a bit more engaged with me and that has resulted in a tiny, tiny bit more consciousness that sex might be good for our relationship, and a tiny tiny but more enjoyment, though nothing I'd call actual desire. Turns out she was probably never very sexual to start with, I guess, and her conditions seem to have edged her into being functionally asexual.

Oh my god, citalopram was the worst one I have ever been on (and I have been on a lot) .. I have a high libido, no matter how depressed I am I always want sensuality and intimacy if I have an intimate partner at the time, and I have to uuum... ''deal with arousal'' daily....no matter how depressed I am.

Citalopram utterly destroyed my libido... but not only that, any desire I had for intimacy or love towards my partner (who I loved very, very much, still do love even though we are not technically in a relationship now)... I just felt, distant.. no desire for romantic intimacy of any sort...didn't even want to speak to him. Just gamed all day and got super fat >.<

I'll tell you what though, I switched to Welbutrin at some point and it made me almost sexual. It made me happy, motivated, and I couldn't keep my hands off my partner... there were times I would have possibly even happily had sex with him (other than him being asexual too) and no I'm not saying that means asexuality is an illness that can be cured, it's just that certain drugs effect people in certain ways.. one can utterly kill your libido, another can drive it through the roof. And I noticed all the different drugs I was on also changed aspects of my personality in certain ways, and almost all screwed with my libido in very bad ways (like with some, I'd still be horny, but could never orgasm.. so I'd just be stuck with this awful tense arousal that wouldn't go anywhere, it was hell) ... welbutrin was amazing though.

Anyway, a LOT of people have experienced results like mine on Welbutrin, a higher amount of good results than I have seen on any other medication (and I researched A LOT of medications - on drug review sites like drugs.com etc) .. so ah yeah, if your wife ever considers changing meds, I'd definitely recommend Welburtin. It was by far the best one I have ever been on (and my mother too) and I feel it could possibly be helpful in your situation, if it worked for your wife the way it does for so many other people.

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/health/a1631/the-happy-sexy-skinny-pill/

Also, maybe the OP could consider something like this in the hopes of bringing their libido back? though the damaging sexual effects of SSRI's have been proven in some cases to be permanent, which they often fail to mention when they hand you the meds <_<

[Telecaster68]

My wife was even less sexual (if that's possible) pre-Citalopram, which was definitely down to the effects of menopause, lupus, endometriosis and some situational depression on her already very grey-ish sexuality. Citalopram didn't kill her libido as she didn't have one to kill. She wasn't distressed about it either, which is why it always seems to me more akin to asexuality than just losing libido, and she's a lot perkier now but still utterly uninterested in sex. It's a bunch of different things, but I suspect menopause was the definitive one. About half of post menopausal women pretty much lose their libido (the rah-rah menopausal cheerleading sites brush over this, but it is in fact the case if you dig a little. The only advice is 'your partner may have trouble coping with this' - yah think? - 'so communication is key'). Different people react differently to drugs, I guess.

I'm in the UK and Wellbutrin isn't licensed over here for depression treatment - doctors just won't prescribe it, as being off label means they have no legal cover if anything goes wrong - and its only used as a temporary thing to help with giving up smoking (like for a couple of months...).

[andreas1033]

I understand you may be affected by those, but its not the case in those whom never took those meds.

Asexuality probably comes about in many ways.

I doubt if you have a real strong sex drive, they can diminish it with drugs, or they would be able to stop sex offenders and they cannot totally.

So although op it may of had an affect on you, i doubt its truly the cause of you now having no sex drive.

[Busrider]

Hm, yes I had been on Zoloft 15 years ago and am here now.

But what does it matter or proof? - Indifferent asexuals can play along. - The only challenge is to attract them in a non sexual way.

[Telecaster68]

Indifferent asexuals can play along

There's a difference between 'playing along' and 'desiring' as far as a sexual partner's concerned. And we can (mostly) tell which we're getting.

'Playing along' feels like being tolerated or humoured. 'Desired' feels like being loved and wanted.

Guess which one isn't sustainable, on either side?

[Tarfeather]

I tried citalopram once, it didn't have any effect besides of making me stupid (no, really).

I can totally see this kind of medication affecting orientation. It's kind of the brute force approach. Change random stuff around in the brain, maybe things will get better?

[Telecaster68]

It's kind of the brute force approach.

Yeah, like all neuro medication because we don't understand enough about what's going on, let alone have the control over how to change any of it selectively. SSRIs are a bit less bad than most in that regard though.

[nanogretchen4]

SSRI's weren't in widespread use until my late teens when I was already improving on my own. Between the ages of ten and seventeen I was under a dark cloud pretty much constantly. If someone had told me then that there was a pill that would make me not depressed, I would have taken the pill, no question. Currently my depression is mild and intermittent. It makes sense to me to tough out a few weeks of depression a few times a year in order to feel normal and side effect free the rest of the year. Actually many doctors don't think SSRI's are warranted for mild and/or situational depression anyway. By now I've adapted to my depression by learning some mental and behavioral techniques that mitigate the symptoms. I still think SSRI's are a boon for people with more severe depression.

My sister is in her psychiatry residency right now. She often complains that psychiatrists are now expected to fix depression and anxiety instantly by writing a prescription, without enough patient contacts to develop a relationship with the patient. Talk therapy is pretty much all there was when I was severely depressed, and actually the success rates for talk therapy and early generation SSRI's were comparable. The SSRI's were probably faster, but talk therapy had no side effects. I think a combination approach would probably be the most effective treatment. If self defeating thought patterns and relationship problems didn't cause the depression they probably resulted from it, so counseling makes sense either way. If you give a patient a drug intended to change their brain chemistry in complex ways a few minutes of questioning a couple times a year is not enough monitoring of the effectiveness and side effects. Also, I would think that in many cases treatment with SSRI's should have an actual endpoint in the foreseeable future. But since SSRI's are habit forming and withdrawal can be difficult, the patient often tries to avoid being cut off. Any reasonably intelligent person can exaggerate their depression in a brief conversation with a doctor who doesn't know them well on order to get another refill. My sister is pretty opposed to some psychiatric drugs in common use because they are so habit forming and she thinks they are really over prescribed.

[WhenSummersGone]

I wasn't ever sexual but I've tried 2 different antidepressants (I'm on Prozac now) and for me my libido/sex drive either stayed the same or got higher. I haven't noticed any other changes. I would definitely talk to your doctor if this is a problem for you.

[TeddyMiller]

I've been on Lexapro for quite a while now, for anxiety. It lowered my libido, in terms of how often I masturbate, but I was asexual long before that (although I didn't know the term); I never had any interest in a sexual involvement with anyone.

[SMW22792]

I had the same thing happen to me. It wasn't the Zoloft on its own, but a second anti-depressant was prescribed at the same time, and that temporally lowered my libido. I feel like I was still asexual before that happened. Once I got off that medication, my libido returned to normal.

[Hooded_Crow]

I am on Escitalopram, 10mg a day. My libido isn't what it used to be but I don't think it's the meds. Dates don't coincide. What definitely did lower my libido was depression. It lowered my everything. Started taking the meds: libido came back. But now it's much lower as it was before everything.

Main side effect I noticed: weird-ass vivid dreams. Both completely bonkers and super real at the same time.

Honestly, it's tiring. Keeps me from truly resting at night.

[Guest]

My wife was even less sexual (if that's possible) pre-Citalopram, which was definitely down to the effects of menopause, lupus, endometriosis and some situational depression on her already very grey-ish sexuality. Citalopram didn't kill her libido as she didn't have one to kill. She wasn't distressed about it either, which is why it always seems to me more akin to asexuality than just losing libido, and she's a lot perkier now but still utterly uninterested in sex. It's a bunch of different things, but I suspect menopause was the definitive one. About half of post menopausal women pretty much lose their libido (the rah-rah menopausal cheerleading sites brush over this, but it is in fact the case if you dig a little. The only advice is 'your partner may have trouble coping with this' - yah think? - 'so communication is key'). Different people react differently to drugs, I guess.

I'm in the UK and Wellbutrin isn't licensed over here for depression treatment - doctors just won't prescribe it, as being off label means they have no legal cover if anything goes wrong - and its only used as a temporary thing to help with giving up smoking (like for a couple of months...).

yeah I got mine for smoking (I don't smoke but wanted to try it as I had heard such good things about it)..my mum also got hers for smoking. .. it's super fucked up that what seems to be one of the best treatments for depression AND libido issues (based on the experience of the majority of people who use it) is only allowed to be used for a few months to give up smoking in so many places. As a libido treatment alone I would say it's aaaah... very good, ahem.

[Velma]

I had a friend who wasn't sure whether or not she was asexual because she was so hyper anxious by nature that she couldn't remotely deal with the idea of sex enough to decide whether or not she might want it if she weren't freaked out about everything all the time.

She started taking lexapro and calmed down enough to feel comfortable enough around people that she started to enjoy it instead of dreading it. With really close friends, she mistook comfort and satisfaction for sexual attraction. Apparently, there were many extremely awkward moments where she would just casually start trying to make out with someone out of the blue while watching a movie. No matter what your sexual orientation is, most people aren't comfortable with a long time close platonic friend suddenly climbing all over you with no warning. I got some interesting phone calls from very upset people for a few months.

Finally she got an appropriate opportunity to experiment. She decided that sex wasn't as horrible as she used to think it was, but it wasn't for her. She was still firmly asexual.

My point is, I think however high or low your libido is, you're probably still pointing in the same direction. You just have more or less desire to go very far in that direction.

[Cheshev]

I want to bump this thread, in case there are people out there who are asexual since they took ssri antidepressants.

[Busrider]

Thanks for the bump. - Buproprion prescriptions seem interesting to get and try (if local pharmacies match Walmart's pricing).

[Sally]

I want to bump this thread, in case there are people out there who are asexual since they took ssri antidepressants.

SSRI antidepressants don't cause asexuality. They usually lower libido. Asexuality is defined by not (ever) wanting sex with other people, and it isn't changed by use or non-use of medication. Some asexuals actually have normal/high libido, but they don't want to satisfy it by having sex with people -- if they want to pay attention to it, they masturbate.