How to Avoid the Sexual Side Effects of Psychotropic Medications(Part II)
For those individuals who are severely depressed, sexual arousal actually often improves with treatment of their depression; anorgasmia (the inability to climax) is usually the complaint among most patients who are experiencing sexual dysfunction due to medications. The good news is that all sexual dysfunction side effects are reversible with discontinuation of the offending medication, no matter how severe they are and no matter how long they have been going on. Even after months or years of sexual dysfunction due to treatment with medication, a person will revert to his or her baseline upon discontinuation. Always, always confer with your prescribing physician, however, BEFORE you adjust your psychotropic medication, especially discontinuing it.
All side effects Wellbutrin, Zoloft or Prozac are more-or-less dose-dependent. That is, they are first noticeable when medication levels reach a certain threshold, and then they intensify with increasing doses beyond that. In general, the greater the dosage, the greater the potential for the side effect, and the more intense the side effect is likely to be when it occurs.
For example, in a person taking it for the first time, a very low dose of Prozac may not cause any unpleasant GI effects; a higher dosage may lead to queasiness; a much higher dosage will induce vomiting. One way to avoid vomiting is to begin at a low dose and increase gradually over time. If they continue taking it regularly, eventually most people become more or less immune to the nauseating effect of this drug.
Similarly, we can expect sexual dysfunction to get worse with escalating doses. The difference is that sexual dysfunction often becomes "complete" at fairly low doses: an individual can lose her sex drive altogether or an individual becomes completely anorgasmic sometimes with the very first dose. Lowering the dosage isn't an option, and since the side effects of Wellbutrin, Zoloft or Prozac may not improve appreciably over time, the "start low, go slow" strategy that works so well with other side effects, such as queasiness and diarrhea, just doesn't apply.
If you're on the lowest effective dose and you've waited long enough and your doctor doesn't feel that you can or should avoid an SSRI altogether, know that different SSRIs will tend to cause varying levels of sexual dysfunction among different people, so if one medication is causing severe problems for you in this area, discuss switching to a different medication with your doctor.
Among SSRIs, paroxetine (Paxil) is the most potent inhibitor of serotonin reuptake in vitro, which, milligram- per-milligram, translates into some of the most impressive, and problematic, sexual dysfunction clinically. It's the worst one; Doctors should avoid prescribing it when sexual dysfunction is a key concern. On the other end of the spectrum, citalopram and escitalopram (Celexa and Lexapro) seem to be among the least problematic in this area, which is not to say that they don't generate complaints as well.
Disclaimer: The author is not a doctor, physician or specialist. This article does not attempt to give medical advice since seizure disorder cases may vary for each affected individual. It would still be best to consult your neurologist for the best treatment for your particular case, if any.
About The Author
Luis Garzon. Have You Taken Wellbutrin?..Wellbutrin linked to serious side effects of birth defects and other painful illness. Want to know what is Wellbutrin about? Learn about Wellbutrin Wellbutrin and Wellbutrin adverse effects. Visit Wellbutrin Side Effects Now
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