Posted by DirtyLowDown4 on May 7, 2004, at 15:06:58
In reply to Sexual Problems and Mental Illness, posted by bertill33 on May 7, 2004, at 12:04:05
I am a 49 year old married male who has suffered from depression, anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive compulsive since I was an early teen. I sought no psychiatric treatment until six months ago when things got really bad when my physical health started to deteriorate significantly due to stress rather than disease. I finally confided in my doctor and he put me on 150 mg of Effexor XR. My doctor said he chose Effexor because it was his belief that Effexor had the least sexual side effects of any SSRI. I was not aware of the sexual side effects of this drug and other SSRIs in particular until I started reading this bulletin board. After taking the drug for several weeks my labido seemed to increase, contrary to what others have reported as their personal experience. I also noticed that my erections while both asleep and awake seemed to be firmer and more long-lasting which was not undesirable, although I never had problems in that area even with advancing age. The one side effect I did experience which has been widely reported by many other users of Effexor and other SSRIs is difficulty achieving orgasm. However this was also a desirable side effect for me personally since I have suffered from premature ejaculation my entire adult life, which I attribute to performance anxiety. Although I feel my personal crisis has passed and I could probably stop taking this drug, I continue to take it now for two major reasons. The first is that my sexual experience has been greatly enhanced which has made me happier than I have ever been. The second is that I have stopped taking this drug for very brief periods of time in order to determine the severity of the withdrawal side effects for me personally. The side effects are every bit as bad as people have reported on this bulletin board and I don't look forward to the day when I might decide to stop taking the drug permanently. Based on all the comments of those who have recounted their experience on this bulletin board my sexual side effects have been the exception rather than the rule. Good luck with your treament.
poster:DirtyLowDown4
thread:344399
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040505/msgs/344454.html