Lexapro sexual side effects

[Curt]

Hello all,

I have been on Lexapro for 3 weeks now. 10 milligrams/day.

I am experiencing extreme difficulty achieving orgasm and also some loss of libido.

The Lexapro website says most side effects will disapear ? Is this one that will go away over time ?

No sex life is depressing in itself. I am not sure if this is worth it. Any advise out there please ?

Any experience to share ? What can I do ?

I am male 45 years old.

Curt

[allen]

Curt, I am also a 45 yr old male on 10mg LP. For the first month or so on LP, it took longer to reach orgasm, but my libido was not effected. Gradually, everything got back to normal. If your problem persists, talk to your doctor.

[Earl]

I experienced difficulty achieving orgasm and loss of libido with every antidepressant I tried. It did not get better over time, it got worse. I was on 40mg to 60mg, though. It took months of being off the medications before thnigs improved. From what I understand, sexual dysfunction is a common side effect of all antidepressants.

[Pete]

Curt wrote:

Hello all,
I have been on Lexapro for 3 weeks now. 10 milligrams/day.
I am experiencing extreme difficulty achieving orgasm and also some loss of libido.
The Lexapro website says most side effects will disapear ? Is this one that will go away over time ?
No sex life is depressing in itself. I am not sure if this is worth it. Any advise out there please ?
Any experience to share ? What can I do ?
I am male 45 years old.
Curt

Curt,
My experience was, the side effects do not go away. After 5 weeks on 10 mg, I started splitting the dosage to 5 mg and the side effects reduced to a tolerable level. Orgasm is still difficult, but achievable which is was not on 10 mg.

[Roz]

Curt,
Initially on 10mg I also had difficulty - I could not reach orgasm period. My doctor told me that that was a symptom that would eventually go away. She was right. I do fine now.

I would assume as the other commentors have said that the length of the disfunction is probably related to dosage as well.

[MARVIN]

I,VE BEEN ON 10MG OF LEXAPRO FOR 4 DAYS AND HAVE NO SEX DRIVE AT ALL. I ALSO CAN NOT GET EXCITED ENOUGH TO REACH ORGASM. THINKING ABOUT CUTTING DOSE IN HALF. DOES ANYONE THINK IT WILL HELP OR SHOULD I ADD ANOTHER DRUG LIKE WELLBUTRIN

[lauren]

i am a 35 year old female..........who happens to be a newlywed!
2 days after i started taking lexapro i noticed my libido changed.......i had no URGE to have sex and when i did.......no orgasm in sight
it sucks~
im going to my dr to go off it this week!

[jj Mclure]

hi, ability to orgasm eventually got tolerable. however, libido is low.

oh woes is me. and i'm such a handsome man to. i hate to waste my good looks and talent.

[Kyle]

I've taken one dosage so far and I have been unable to maintain an erection, let alone reach orgasm. It's only been one day and I'd get rid of the anxiety/depression and be able to sacrifice a little libido loss.

[casp]

Yo.
I felt it all too.
You can get to orgasm if you have alot of patience and willpower and your partner does. For me it was worst t first...then it got a little better. But every other side effect is alot worse. I think lexapro is great in very small doses.

[cold turkey lexapro]

what happens if you just stop taking lexapro?

[Ezin]

You get cold turkey withdrawal.

Some get away with it. Not recommended, unless you've been on it a very, very short time.

[NewToLexapro]

Hi Allen,

Huntsville here too. Recently put on Lexapro and weening off of effexor. Can you share your experience with this drug. Nice to see a local person to maybe start a dialogue with.

Thanks

allen wrote:

Curt, I am also a 45 yr old male on 10mg LP. For the first month or so on LP, it took longer to reach orgasm, but my libido was not effected. Gradually, everything got back to normal. If your problem persists, talk to your doctor.

[cold turkey lexapro]

i was on it for over 6 mos for post partum depression. went cold turkey almost 2 weeks ago and barely get those 'body zaps' now. first week was miserable!! i will never get on these or any kind of antidepressants ever again!!!

[Andrew]

I've been on Lexapro for about a week now. I take a very small dosage (1.25 mg by cutting the pill into eigths) and it was no effect on my libido. At first I started at 2.5 mg and even then it was difficult to be in the mood. Now it's like just before with basically no side effects. The downside is that the positive effects of the Lexipro are minimal, however, it still prevents anxiety and I haven't had a Panic Attack in the last two weeks (I would have at least one bad Panic Attack per day). I can also drive for the first time in a while and I'm so happy about it. I also don't think this is completely a placebo effect because I can definitely feel the effects of it. Very slighty, but its enough to get me to drive on a highway at night.

[David]

I am on 10 mg for the last year it definitely affects libibo and takes ages to get an orgasm ,i told my doctor who didnt believe me it very frustrating ,any ideas or suggestions

[Erica U]

I couldn't have an orgasm while on Lexapro. Unfortunately these medications are trial and error. If your doctor doesn't believe you I'd say it's time to get a new doctor.

[Ezin]

If your doctor is amenable, take along the patient information sheet that came with the drug - you will find the sexual dysfunction clearly listed.

e.g. http://www.drugs.com/cons/lexapro.html

...states quite clearly: "More common - Constipation; decreased interest in sexual intercourse; diarrhea; dizziness; dry mouth; ejaculation delay; gas in stomach; heartburn; inability to have or keep an erection; impotence; increased sweating; loss in sexual ability desire, drive, or performance; nausea; stomach pain; sleeplessness; trouble sleeping; unable to sleep; sleepiness or unusual drowsiness"

Alternatively, print out the following paper:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez...

...and highlight the antidepressant figures. Lexapro is not listed, this is a 2001 study, but it brutally highlights the sexual dysfunction CLASS EFFECT of serotonin boosting antidepressants - of which, people are supposed to be warned, before the drug is prescribed.

For a whole chapter dealing with the sexual dysfunction effects, read Chapter 3 of the side-effect book "Prozac Backlash" by Joseph Glenmullen.

Ask your doctor why you are not believed; particularly in light of the fact that the severity and prevalance of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction has been evident since the mid-1990s. Ten years ago, the incidence of sexual dysfunction was studied, with rates of 54-65% resulting - this was a major study (the Montejo-Gonzalez study) and looked at the patients pre-drug, and at regular intervals on drug.

[Dennis]

I agree with what I have read here. I have gone from 10 mg. daily to 20 mg. daily and have been at this level for about 3-4 months. I feel great mentally!! However, the desire and ability to perform have gone out the window. I have called my doctor and will see him next week to hopefully begin a gradual reduction to a more acceptable level. I am a 55 year old man.

[Dustin]

So I have been on it for a few months. I have had my fair share of various drugs, but i also noticed that it may make me take longer to climax on lexipro, but the anxiety and being as sensitive as i was i was usually at the end of the game early. So now I am late enough to climax for a good show. I also am not horribly worried about climaxing, excpet, i dont know if its just me, but if i dont now and again I am worse off than without meds. And the various positive side effects over the few weeks that it took to get adjusted let me do things that helped me get healtier, actually work out and see results, and I am more active. The side effects have been kinda a juggling act. Someone said that you have to sacrifice your figure for your sanity in another fourm post in here, I think they just dont want to cope with what they have to.