Anyone else unable to orgasm on anti-depressants

I searched but I don't see a thread. My apologies if I've missed one.

I've been on these for about a year now I finally have sexual urges again and I'm finally working on this baby weight instead of eating to feel better. I want to get off them so I can orgasm. At the moment I can orgasm maybe 1/5 and it takes me an hour+

I'm sick of living behind glass and rubbing my magic lantern furiously with no genie in sight!

Anybody else got to this point and got off them?

Nope. I have taken anti depressants for periods of time over the years (I'm currently taking them now) and fortunately, this is a problem I've never encountered. I wonder if your medication could be changed ? Maybe something could work for you without having this side effect ? x

My libido has taken a nose dive. But I can still make myself horny and successfully masturbate. It's mainly willpower for me as I've chosen to not let the pills strip me of my libido. My strength is only 50mg anyway, you may be on stronger stuff. ?

I have friends who have a problem with their sex drive due to SSRIs but never have I heard of them not being able to cum at all?

I would definitely consult your GP / Psychiatrist about this as there are plenty of other options to try when it comes to different anti-depressants. I tried quite a few before I found the one that worked for me.

My family are 70-80% Psychologists or Pyschiatrists so I'll ask them about this too and add another comment if I can get a hold of one of them.

I hope this helped! x

When I was on sertraline it absolutely killed my sex drive to the point where I started to think I was asexual. Thankfully, I have changed medications and have had no issues since then. I think it's worth mentioning to whoever prescribed them to you, not every antidepressant will have this effect on you!

Well, I've been on them for a year now, maybe it's time to come off and if it doesn't work, switch.

Cause it's really bad. Especially now that I want to. Sexuality has always been such an uphill battle for me. I am a survivor, all this progress is hard won and then to be unable to orgasm just feels like a slap in the face.

Thanks so much to everyone who offered advice or their own story.

I'm on a TCA rather than an SSRI, SSRI's are much safer with much fewer side effect, but absolutely useless to me. Sexual issues aren't a side effect i've ever experienced, but i doubt a doc would switch you to a less safe alternative with more dangerous side effects just bcause of sex drive/orgasm issues.

This happened with my wife. She talked to her doctor and changed brand but stayed with SSRI until she found one that worked. The thing is that they are long term meds so it could take 3-6 months to know if a different brand is working for you. On the other hand, if you can get relief from the depression and a healthy sex life, then it's worth investing time into.

HTH

Thanks virgin Angel and anonbloke..

NatandTom I just realised that I am on sertaline.. I've been so brain dead I didn't realise.. 100mg at night.. So I definitely need to change..

The problem is that I've been on so, so many..

I know exactly what you mean sweet cherries, mine did exactly the same to me(different meds) I'd still orgasm but it would take me a lot longer than normal, but the tablets made my sex drive crazy! I'm only taking them every other day which has made a massive difference! I hope you get it sorted soon! x

Ever thought of trying herbal anti-depresssants? such as 5HTP?

Hey! I study psychology at uni and work in a pharmacy. Sertraline works by increasing the amount of seratonin (a neurotransmitter, like a messenger that tells your body to do things) in your brain. This chemical is responsible for things such as mood, memory, appetite (which may also help explain why you are feeling up to eating better again! ![](upload://ez5kOkpKXRZOxjavAURYmQxVTau.gif) ) and of course sexual desire. Being unable to orgasm at all when it sounds like it is lifting your mood and outlook on life is a little unusual, but not unheard of. You are quite within your rights to request to change. I'm sure the doctor would understand as having sexual desire and the ability to orgasm is important and helps to further lift your mood. You may even be able to decrease your dose to 50mg/night if you are wanting to come off them, as it is very difficult to stop altogether (not that people don't do it though!). Your doctor will want to know about the symptoms you're having and will likely look at varying alternatives.

p.s. trying to increase the amount of dopamine and seratonin in your brain naturally sounds like it would be a good option for you if wanting to come off sertraline or decrease the dose. Dopamine is a sort of "happy chemical". You'll find these in foods like bananas, dairy products (especially cheese!) and watermelon. You could also try taking a vitamin B6 a day, as the body uses this to make dopamine and seratonin. Good luck! ![](upload://l9s9e23YKLHpoOzgGVeUkhZGcEr.gif)

A few years ago I was on a antidepressant called seroxat, after a while I was unable to ejaculate, thinking it was something physical I went to the doctors, he informed me that one of the side affects of this tablet was it can make you suffer from premature ejaculation or stop you from coming, great a first but the novelty soon wore off with the wife lol

Just gonna throw this out there, are you also on hormonal birth control pills or the like? I found once I got off the pill I got my sex drive back and it helped my mood improve.

I am on fluoxetine and it takes some very powerful toys and a lot of hard work to get an orgasm. My sex drive is pathetic, it's seems nothing really arouses me. It's very frustrating.
I want to say please be careful changing your medication though. I have had anti depressants make me substantially worse in the past. I even ended up hospitalised when I took sertraline. Sometimes it's better the devil you know. I won't change my meds again no matter what they are doing to my sex drive. I should add though that I take them for bpd so it's possibly not the same when they are taken for depression.

Thanks everyone,

Katiiee24, are those anti depressants?

More_Matters, I suffer from clinical depression, I've been hospitalised etc, so I kinda need the industrial strength if you see what I mean. When I'm well enough to come off I might look into them as a bridge however. Thanks a lot..

Kam55, thank you honey, I know all that stuff. My ex partner was a pharmacist, plus I am big believer in research, hence all the threads and love of Lovehoney with their bottomless pit of information..

Scubaman, I can imagine! You have to finish at some point!!

(loving your new avi and pics You have such perfect, porcelain, unblemished skin) I'm not on hormonal anythings for that very reason. Nonetheless there has to be something wrong with my hormones though, I can count my under arm hairs, 5 & 3 respectively, and I barely have any pubic hair either.

I've always been very hairless, natural bikini line, very short hair but it's really accelerated. So I think maybe my hormones are weird.

Vanilla_Kink, yes, I will be very careful, thanks. Unfortunately I have a long sordid history with anti-depressants.. I've tried a lot.

Thanks for your concern, it's really lovely and kind of you..

This is very common with SSRI and is the principal cause of people deciding to stop the treatement. They are very widely used and have a bounch of secondary effects like making it hard to acheive orgasm. The right serotonin plays a role in the trigger to orgasm and the SSRIs inscreases the amount of serotonin in the synaptic cleft.

common SSRI are: fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, citalopram (don't know if I translated them right)

Some also act on other neurotransmitters (like sertraline acts on dopamine) so they can have other effects.

I would suggest to speak to your doctor. This is very common. Maybe they will try other types of SSRI of another type of anti-depressant (which also have unwanted effects but one may be more suitable for you)

This info may not be 100% exact, it is only my interpretation based on some knowledge aquired recently.

I hope you get better

I was on sertraline (zoloft) SSRI's for a while and whilst I could get an erection etc there was no way that I could cum. Luckily I wasnt on them for long (6 months or so) but I never did find any way of cumming.

The closest I got was with a Hitachi wand and although I ejaculated I didn't feel as though I had orgasmed.

You are far from alone. I never was in the situation, but there were people previously mentioning this and saying that it did happen to them.

The best option would be talking to your doctor to see if maybe he can prescribe you something else which may not have this effect on you.

Thanks mamz, LouthCouple and Laveila.

I'm on 100mg and I do think it may be time to go back down to 50gm again. I feel like it's having a negative impact and that isn't good. I'll have to make an appointment to see her on Sat..

I'm about to take my son in for conjunctivitis but I don't want to discuss the tablets in front of him. He's extremely sensitive and it would be very bad for him to hear about.

I think dropping down slowly would help though. I have an impulse to just to start myself, I've done it so often in the past, but I won't. I know it's dangerous. I'll wait until Saturday and get it done the right way.

Thanks guys, you're all so lovely and supportive and it helps a lot. 💖