Hello! So I have been taking am anti depressant for a while and didn't really have any side effects..but now that I've been depressed again, my doctors prescribed a new one...I know am side effect can be a lack of a sex drive...idk if this will happen for me, but will I still be attracted to people..like I don't want to lose headway in accepting I'm gay if I start to feel no attractions....but then again I could start to feel tons of attractions from being less depressed or whatever!
Hey, thought I would reply as I know a little about anti depressants. I am currently on Citalopram which is an SSRI. Basically there are two types of anti depressants, SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - basically increase the levels of one molecule) or TCA (tricyclic anti depressants). In the UK, doctors rather prescribe SSRI's as first line due to less side effects than TCAs which tend to have a broad range of side effects. However, SSRIs do have two main side effects, firstly tummy upsets, I had this for the first two weeks of taking them but am now fine. Secondly, sexual dysfunction. This varies from person to person, personally I have no sex drive at all and no sexual attraction to anything. I happen to like this side effect as it means I can be happy (from the anti depressants) and not need to come out, as I dont feel any attraction to anyone. This is a little odd but I am more than happy with it. Many people stop taking them due to this side effect. I would advise you to talk to your doctor about this, explain your worries, and then he/she will probably want to "trial" you on a certain anti depressant for 4-6 weeks to see how it is and if you notice side effects. I would say, depending on your level of depression (mine was very severe) then the benefits outweigh the side effects, but this is dependant on you. Remember, healthcare is your choice and make sure your doctor is aware of your concerns.
I used to take Citolopram....and didn't have those effects...I was very attracted to men lol....my doctor said I should be ok with this new one, but I will just have to wait n see I guess
I decided to lower my dosage and see what happens...I got really worried that an antidepressant would mess with my sex drive n attractions so I'm going to try the lower dosage since I haven't been feeling depressed and exercise, eat healthy, and take vitamins as well....I was on the citalapram for OCD years ago...and I think recently I have been confusing my doubts about being gay with OCD symptoms..like questioning my sexuality n wondering if I'm attracted to girls, etc....which I'm sure we all go through when accepting ourselves...am I right?! Lol. My therapist said a new medicine might make things clearer, but I don't think Meds make your doubts or questions go away..they just give you the ability to be ok with them and not obsess over them, which I think I have been doing very well. Thanks for listening!
Hey, I made a post about antidepressants in [thread=64449]this thread[/thread], which I think you may be interested in:
Interesting! I decided to try a lower dosage of citalaopram...I had been on 60 for a few years, went down to 40 n was fine...now I'm trying twenty ...I feel a bit anxious but I've heard that normal and it takes sometime for the brain to adjust..so I'm gonna stick with 20 n see
I, personally, don't exactly have the best anxiety coping methods. Lately, though, I tend to talk a lot about what I'm thinking to my friends who live back in Virginia, and that usually helps. I guess just talking to someone is the best advice I could give
Like you I'm on an antidepressant. When I first started my current one a few years ago I had a real hard time getting off. Especially during sex. Would take hours.. and sometimes I just didn't even want to have sex. Now I'm hornier than ever I think.. lol. So if that's a side effect it probably won't last very long. At least until your body is used to what you're taking.
Well, just like PandaCakes, I don't exactly have the healthiest coping mechanisms either, to put it lightly. But he's definitely right about talking to other people; that really helps best. Whenever I do, it reduces the anxiety sooooo much. So if you have someone you can talk to, I'd say make use of it! Also, if it ever gets real bad, there are some great breathing exercises; they're amazingly helpful. If you're interested in those, ask Chip on here, he knows all about it.
