Does anyone have any experience with anti depressants that don't have sexual side effects? I would, of course talk with my Dr. about anything before I took it, but are any better than another for that particular side effect? I plan to talk to my Dr. next week about starting treatment.

By Insaneusmcwife on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 06:00 pm:

I'm on Celexa and have been for almost a year, So far I don't have any side affects to report. Talk to you doctor.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 07:02 pm:

Side effects can differ from person to person. From what I have seen of anti-depressants (my youngest son, who has lived with me for the past year, has been struggling with deep and serious depression for more than 20 years), each person's reaction in every way is very individual and usually there is a "trial" period where you find out what medication and dosage works for you. Most doctors are very aware of this and will ask you to keep careful track of how you are feeling, whether the medication is working for you or not, and any side effects or "strange" results, and ask you to report back on everything - please take this very seriously. You may find your doctor changing your dosage or medication depending on what you report, and this is normal.

By Anonymous on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 07:41 pm:

Thanks! I just have some hormonal problems & a lot of menstural bleeding & I don't want to put any more of a damper on our sex life than there already is!
Thanks for the heads up on that too Ginny!

By Tink on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 07:45 pm:

I know that Wellbutrin (which I take) is supposed to have a lower-than-most occurance of sexual side effects. I have a fairly low sex drive and several others made it even worse but I haven't noticed a dip in my drive with this one. You might at least ask your Dr. about it. My insurance wouldn't cover it until I'd tried a bunch of others, though.

By Texannie on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 07:57 pm:

Hormonal imbalance can mimic depression. Have you had them tested? I have found that the saliva test tends to be more accurate.

By Anonymous on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 08:08 pm:

I haven't had it tested, but I will probably mention it to the Dr. next week. It probably is a hormonal imbalance, but since we can't seem to get my hormones back in balance, I just thought it was depression!

By Emily7 on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 08:21 pm:

Thyroids can also cause mensteral problems, mood swings, hair loss, ect...

By Nicosmom on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 08:39 pm:

I also am on Wellbutrin and have no sexual side effects to report. I once was on Paxil and was not happy with it for that particular reason.

By Christylee on Sunday, June 20, 2004 - 12:06 am:

I took Paxil and experienced that side affect as well as weight gain. I've recently switched to Lexapro and so far haven't have had any side affects.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, June 20, 2004 - 06:42 am:

Definitely seek a hormone test and a thyroid test. I've struggled with depression myself (it doesn't just run in my family - it gallops!) and in all my reading I have never heard of menstrual problems caused by depression. You might have both hormonal problems or thyroid problems and depression, certainly, but I'd be surprised if the one was connected with the other, except that physical problems can, of course, be depressing.

When I think of depression I think first of chronic depression rather than situational depression caused by trauma or other physical problems, because that is what happens in my family. But of course, physical problems can cause you to feel depressed - it's just that that kind of depression is often managed by managing the physical problem.

If you are having hormonal problems, perhaps that should be addressed first, before you begin taking anti-depressant medications (but your doctor will know best about this). My thought is to try one medication or set of medications at a time so that you and your doctor have a better idea of just what is working (and what isn't).

Oh, and whether it is hormonal, thyroid, or chemical depression, there are no instant cures. Usually anti-depressants take a month or more to start having a noticeable effect and I would suspect that hormone treatment and thyroid treatment also take time to kick in. If you are aware of that you will be less frustrated if you don't feel noticeably better in a week.

By Anonymous on Sunday, June 20, 2004 - 10:29 am:

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone! I'll let you know what happens!

By Melissa on Sunday, June 20, 2004 - 03:32 pm:

Annie is right about the saliva test, not all Dr's are up on that, you might have to do some research.

By Anonymous on Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 10:29 pm:

The Dr. gave me Wellbutrin SR. I started yesterday. Hopefully it will do the trick

By Bea on Sunday, June 27, 2004 - 10:36 pm:

Best of luck. Remember that the medication isn't a cure. It just gives you some solid footing to do the work you need to do to get yourself back on the right track.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Monday, June 28, 2004 - 12:47 am:

Bea is correct. And remember that the medication can take weeks before you see any visual changes. And not all medications work for everyone. So if you see a problem or you feel your not getting a noticable difference talk to your doctor. The key to helping yourself is expressing things your doctor has no way of seeing. There are a lot of medications out there now a days. Do what you have to do to help yourself and best of luck.

By Hol on Thursday, July 1, 2004 - 06:13 pm:

DEFINITELY have your thyroid checked!!! I cannot stress that enough. It can cause severe menstrual bleeding, and cause depression. It can also cause low libido (sex drive).

Hypothyroidism is VERY common in women. I have an excellent endocrinologist. She not only worked to get the right dosage of Synthroid (T4), but she also discovered that my body does not convert T4 to T3, so she put me on Cytomel (T3). Though the symptoms that brought me to her were not depression related, she said that endocrinologists often use Cytomel to treat depression.

By Momaroze on Friday, July 2, 2004 - 06:03 pm:

Hol, how did your endoc. discover that your body does not converty T4 to T3? What kind of symptoms were you having?

By Anonymous on Friday, July 2, 2004 - 09:55 pm:

I have been on anti-depressants since my last child was born. (Post partum)... I have never been able to get off of them since, but the benefits far outway the effects of not taking them. I have taken several kinds and every one had sexual side effects. I now take Lexapro, which is a form of Celexa. Supposedly it is more of a pure form of Celexa. I have had no negative side effects from it, including no sexual problems. Wellbutrin made me very mean!!!

Good luck...if the Wellbutrin doesn't work, try Lexapro.

By Hol on Friday, July 9, 2004 - 01:45 am:

That is interesting, Anon, about the Wellbutrin making you 'mean'. It did the same to my DH. He went into such a DEEP depression after the death of our DS, that the psychiatrist was afraid that he was suicidal. He gave him Prozac AND Wellbutrin. Not only did it NOT help, but he got LOUD and MEAN and very argumentative.

Lynn, my thyroid problems started in a weird way. I started the classic weight gain (thirty pounds in eighteen months). No matter what I ate, or didn't eat, my weight kept going UP! I also developed terrible aching joints. My body would ache so badly some days that I would be exhausted. I also developed neuropathy in my feet. They felt like they were burning. Then, I would get a "pulling" pain in the sole of my right foot. If I climbed stairs, which would 'stretch' my ligament on the sole of my foot, it felt like a hot poker going through my foot. I went to see an orthopedist, who sent me for physical therapy, and suggested that I be checked for diabetes and hypo-thyroid. There is an endocrinologist in the same practice with my internist, so I made an appointment. She did a lot of blood work, including TSH, T4, free T4, T3, free T3, cortisol levels, etc. Through trial and error, she came up with the right dose of Synthroid (ALWAYS get the BRAND name Synthroid, NOT generic). Then because my T3 levels were off (AND, I wasn't feeling any better on just the T4 (Synthroid), she prescribed Cytomel, one tablet AM, and one at 2:00PM. It made all the difference. There is a GREAT book called The Thyroid Solution" by Ridha Arem, MD.. You can get it anywhere (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.). It is the BEST book I have ever read on thyroid. My son-in-law has thyroid cancer, and I bought him a copy, too. My 84 y/o Mom is just now starting to have the same symptoms that I had, so I have made her an appointment to see my endochrinologist, too. The book explains a lot.

Feel free to ask me anything. I will help you if I can.

By Hol on Friday, July 9, 2004 - 01:58 am:

Lynn, the other thing that you want to check is your B12 level. It can be done with a blood test. Frequently, B12 deficiency and hypothyroid go hand in hand. I take 1.5 cc of B12, by injection, once a month. My dr gives me a prescription for the serum and needles, and my daughter, who is an RN, gives me the shots.

The symptoms of B12 deficiency are: easy bruising, fatigue, swollen tongue, joint pain, and especially aching in the long bones of your body (arms and legs). B12 cannot be metabolized in oral form. The stomach acid destroys it. It has to be given by injection, intra-muscularly. It is a water soluable vitamin, so whatever your body doesn't use, it excretes. You cannot "OD" on vitamin B12.

I am a vegetarian, so I am really deficient in B12 in my diet, but I also lack "intrinsic factor" in my stomach, so I cannot process any B12 that I would get from food.