# Best SSRI to decrease libido



## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

Yes, you read that correctly. What SSRI has the biggest impact on your libido? I have a high drive and need to chill out.  

I've been on Lexapro for 3 weeks. It hasn't decreased my drive. Will it? This is not the main reason for being on an SSRI. I have anxiety and depression.


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## XxArmyofOnexX (Aug 13, 2007)

It's a SNRI, but Effexor completely killed mine.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

yeah they all have that effect but effexor seems cause the greatest loss of libido of them all.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

I've never been on Effexor. I don't know the difference between SSRI and SNRI. So far Lexapro is not having any negative impact on my libido. I hope it does. I've been on it for 3 weeks. Would it already change my libido if it was going to? or will it take 4 - 6 weeks for it to fully get in my system?


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

Paxil is the worst in regards to anorgasmia, not sure how it rates on libido reduction though. Been to long since I was on it.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> I've never been on Effexor. I don't know the difference between SSRI and SNRI. So far Lexapro is not having any negative impact on my libido. I hope it does. I've been on it for 3 weeks. Would it already change my libido if it was going to? or will it take 4 - 6 weeks for it to fully get in my system?


Do you want to be on an antidepressant just to reduce your libido? I would not recommend that. Antidepressant drugs can cause an awful lot of psychological changes. If you do suffer from anxiety/depression and you want to use an Antidepressant to treat it, why not try to find the drug that is the most effective for you?

geez, kids these days, everything's got to be about sex:clap


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

istayhome said:


> Do you want to be on an antidepressant just to reduce your libido? I would not recommend that. Antidepressant drugs can cause an awful lot of psychological changes. If you do suffer from anxiety/depression and you want to use an Antidepressant to treat it, why not try to find the drug that is the most effective for you?
> 
> geez, kids these days, everything's got to be about sex:clap


No, I don't want it just for that. I have anxiety & depression. I wouldn't get on a med just for that, but if it helps to reduce my libido so be it. :yay I don't like the high drive. I used to be on an SSRI years ago. I hate the way it changes me on a psychological level, but my anxiety is through the roof. I don't have a choice at the moment.

I am not a kid. I wouldn't mind if I was a male teen, but far from it. I am not even a male. :roll


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

a high sex drive can be a symptom of anxiety/depression, at least it was for me at one time. Effexor killed my sex drive so completely that I can't even describe it. Though it was useful for treating my anxiety for about six months I had to keep raising the dose until I go to the highest dose allowable. All the while it had a bunch of side-effects which were worse than any other AD I've been on and even after tapering I had REAL withdrawals from it. Not the nice sounding, "discontinuation syndrome," but withdrawals that were right up there with opiate withdrawals and lasting about three weeks. 

I've been on all the SSRI's/SNRI's at this point and I can't say anything good about any of them. From my experience effexor will cause the greatest loss of libido and anorgasmia but it has also been the absolute worst antidepressant I've been on for treating anxiety/depression. Some people find it very helpful, all get the sexual side effects. It is also very expensive if you don't have insurance.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> I've never been on Effexor. I don't know the difference between SSRI and SNRI. So far Lexapro is not having any negative impact on my libido. I hope it does. I've been on it for 3 weeks. Would it already change my libido if it was going to? or will it take 4 - 6 weeks for it to fully get in my system?


An SNRI inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is not good for relieving anxiety because norepinephtine is one of the neurotransmitters in your brain responsible for the "fight or flight" response, it causes anxiety. So I do not think SNRI's should be used by people who experience anxiety, it can make their anxiety worse.

Lexapro is Escitalopram, the S-isomer of citalopram, celexa. Of all the SSRI's I've been on these seem to have the _*least*_ loss of libido as compared to the others. That is my experience anyways.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

istayhome said:


> An SNRI inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is not good for relieving anxiety because norepinephtine is one of the neurotransmitters in your brain responsible for the "fight or flight" response, it causes anxiety. So I do not think SNRI's should be used by people who experience anxiety, it can make their anxiety worse.
> 
> Lexapro is Escitalopram, the S-isomer of citalopram, celexa. Of all the SSRI's I've been on these seem to have the _*least*_ loss of libido as compared to the others. That is my experience anyways.


NRI are often used to treat Panic and anxiety disorders though
I don't really know the pharmacology of it all but people do get anxiety relief from NRI monotherapy. Weird huh ?
Because what you said is my understanding of things 2


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

blakeyz said:


> NRI are often used to treat Panic and anxiety disorders though
> I don't really know the pharmacology of it all but people do get anxiety relief from NRI monotherapy. Weird huh ?
> Because what you said is my understanding of things 2


from wikipedia:

for anxiety:

Bupropion has shown some success in treating social anxiety disorder[22] and anxiety combined with depression,[23] but not panic disorder with agoraphobia.[24] Its anxiolytic potential has been compared to that of sertraline[23] and doxepin.[25] However, it can cause agitation in some patients, especially at higher doses, and often increases anxiety, much like methylphenidate.[26]

so basically it is worthless at best for anxiety/panic and in can exacerbate it.
it may help the occasional person.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Bupropion isn't a NRI but I see what your saying


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## harrison (Apr 14, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> No, I don't want it just for that. I have anxiety & depression. I wouldn't get on a med just for that, but if it helps to reduce my libido so be it. :yay I don't like the high drive. I used to be on an SSRI years ago. I hate the way it changes me on a psychological level, but my anxiety is through the roof. I don't have a choice at the moment.
> 
> I am not a kid. I wouldn't mind if I was a male teen, but far from it. I am not even a male. :roll


Hi - I was on Lexapro for a few years and it did definitely reduce my sex drive - maybe the full effect just hasn't kicked in yet if you've only been taking it for 3 weeks? When I was on it I didn't even think about sex that much, which had it's benefits, although can get a bit boring after a while. I noticed that when you do actually climax on Lexapro, the 'experience' is not as intense either. If that's what you want then maybe you should give it a bit longer. All the best anyway.

As has been said here quite a bit already - each person seems to respond quite differently on the antidepressants though, so what happens for me won't necessarily happen for you.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

blakeyz said:


> Bupropion isn't a NRI but I see what your saying


okay, it's not a pure NRI, but wellbutrin is the most commonly used medication of this class though technically being a DNRI. It's a pretty worthless drug no matter what letters you use to describe it.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

anxioustocalm said:


> Yes, you read that correctly. What SSRI has the biggest impact on your libido? I have a high drive and need to chill out.
> 
> I've been on Lexapro for 3 weeks. It hasn't decreased my drive. Will it? This is not the main reason for being on an SSRI. I have anxiety and depression.


high dose paroxetine (40mg), high dose Lyrica.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

istayhome said:


> An SNRI inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is not good for relieving anxiety because norepinephtine is one of the neurotransmitters in your brain responsible for the "fight or flight" response, it causes anxiety. So I do not think SNRI's should be used by people who experience anxiety, it can make their anxiety worse.
> 
> Lexapro is Escitalopram, the S-isomer of citalopram, celexa. Of all the SSRI's I've been on these seem to have the _*least*_ loss of libido as compared to the others. That is my experience anyways.


There seem to be people that are too low in norepinephrine and this causes anxiety just as well. So for them, it might be anxiety reducing.

But in general, most of us have too much of that floating around already and it would be a bad idea idd.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

istayhome said:


> An SNRI inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is not good for relieving anxiety because norepinephtine is one of the neurotransmitters in your brain responsible for the "fight or flight" response, it causes anxiety. So I do not think SNRI's should be used by people who experience anxiety, it can make their anxiety worse.


i was on cymbalta/duloxetine which is an SNRI and indicated/approved for use in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder by the FDA here in the states. it's also used off-label for the treatment of panic disorder.

it worked for me. SNRIs are nothing like NDRIs like wellbutrin/buproprion or NRIs like strattera/atomoxetine.

additionally, the tricyclic pamelor/nortriptyline is used off-label for the treatment of panic disorder and primarily inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine with distant secondary and tertiary reuptake inhibition of serotonin and dopamine, respectively.


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## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

I'm on citalopram; although I don't think there's been much if any change in my libido - it can take 2-3x as long to get a err.. release.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

swim said:


> high dose paroxetine (40mg), high dose Lyrica.


psh, forget the paroxetine - lyrica/pregabalin alone will kill sexuality at nearly any dose.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

You guys are full of knowledge!

Today I found that I had no problem getting turned on, but I had a hard time getting a "release". I want to stop the turn on part. I hope the Lexapro will change that. I've been on for 3 weeks.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

Paper Samurai said:


> I'm on citalopram; although I don't think there's been much if any change in my libido - it can take 2-3x as long to get a err.. release.


 This is what I am experiencing.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

swim said:


> high dose paroxetine (40mg), high dose Lyrica.


Did you like Paroxetine? I've thought about trying it if my current med doesn't work. I've never heard of Lyrica.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> Did you like Paroxetine? I've thought about trying it if my current med doesn't work. I've never heard of Lyrica.


paroxetine worked wonders for my generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder at 40mg/day for ten years before pooping out, fortunately for me i had no side effects on the med, including sexual side effects. it left libido, erection ability, and orgasmic ability untouched. perfect med for me - sad it stopped working.

my experience is not common, though, as most who take paroxetine suffer some pretty severe sexual sides.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> paroxetine worked wonders for my generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder at 40mg/day for ten years before pooping out, fortunately for me i had no side effects on the med, including sexual side effects. it left libido, erection ability, and orgasmic ability untouched. perfect med for me - sad it stopped working.
> 
> my experience is not common, though, as most who take paroxetine suffer some pretty severe sexual sides.


That's very unhead of idd but nice for you regardless


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

Inshallah said:


> That's very unhead of idd but nice for you regardless


very unheard of indeed, demonstrating the idiosyncratic response to psychotropic medication.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> very unheard of indeed, demonstrating the idiosyncratic response to psychotropic medication.


Yep, you'll always have outliers. In this case, I would have loved to be one myself!


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

Inshallah said:


> Yep, you'll always have outliers. In this case, I would have loved to be one myself!


if only it still worked! :sigh:


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> paroxetine worked wonders for my generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder at 40mg/day for ten years before pooping out, fortunately for me i had no side effects on the med, including sexual side effects. it left libido, erection ability, and orgasmic ability untouched. perfect med for me - sad it stopped working.
> 
> my experience is not common, though, as most who take paroxetine suffer some pretty severe sexual sides.


yes because in general paroxetine causes anorgasmia or delayed ejaculation - but not ED. oddly, I also found that drinking a lot while on paroxetine boosts libido tremendously. Lyrica makes you feel good and carefree and I didn't care about loss of libido but it worsened my daytime sleepiness so I had to give it up.


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

Omg im actually so happy there is a post for this!  this horny devil really needs to cool off sometimes :evil >< it drives me crazy. Nice to know im not alone with this. The saying don't trust the quiet ones is so true haha I did ask my psych for medication to libidos...I went away feeling slightly wrong when he said they only give them to paedophiles :wtf plus you get leaky boobies  my form of therapy just isn't enough  kinda given up trying really since most guys would kill to have it guess as long as your not doing anything illegal and you have some degree of self control its just a flaw you have to learn to love


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

ShyWolfie said:


> Omg im actually so happy there is a post for this!  this horny devil really needs to cool off sometimes :evil >< it drives me crazy. Nice to know im not alone with this. The saying don't trust the quiet ones is so true haha I did ask my psych for medication to libidos...I went away feeling slightly wrong when he said *they only give them to paedophiles *:wtf plus you get leaky boobies  my form of therapy just isn't enough  kinda given up trying really since most guys would kill to have it guess as long as your not doing anything illegal and you have some degree of self control its just a flaw you have to learn to love


that is fluvoxamine only


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

swim said:


> that is fluvoxamine only


Was a bit annoyed as my psych just had it down to my age which isnt what you want to hear if you feel like your addicted :fall I am on propranolol 80 mg and trazadone 50mg one is supposed to help but doesnt :stu so i guess there is no hope for me


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

ShyWolfie said:


> Was a bit annoyed as my psych just had it down to my age which isnt what you want to hear if you feel like your addicted :fall I am on propranolol 80 mg and trazadone 50mg one is supposed to help but doesnt :stu so i guess there is no hope for me


doesn't propranolol let you down? I once took one 40mg and had one of worst crashes ever, I was so down that I wanted to go to the emergency ward.


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

swim said:


> doesn't propranolol let you down? I once took one 40mg and had one of worst crashes ever, I was so down that I wanted to go to the emergency ward.


I know that this is obviously irrelevant to the thread but yeah sometimes I find myself looking at it for longer than what makes me comfortable :| but it controls my anxiety attacks better so bit of a tough one


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

swim said:


> that is fluvoxamine only


can you cite a source? i take fluvoxamine without problems.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

basuraeuropea said:


> paroxetine worked wonders for my generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder at 40mg/day for ten years before pooping out, fortunately for me i had no side effects on the med, including sexual side effects. it left libido, erection ability, and orgasmic ability untouched. perfect med for me - sad it stopped working.
> 
> my experience is not common, though, as most who take paroxetine suffer some pretty severe sexual sides.


Too bad it stopped working for you. Did you have weight gain while on it?

Have you ever been on Lexapro? If so which one do you like better?


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

ShyWolfie said:


> Omg im actually so happy there is a post for this!  this horny devil really needs to cool off sometimes :evil >< it drives me crazy. Nice to know im not alone with this. The saying don't trust the quiet ones is so true haha I did ask my psych for medication to libidos...I went away feeling slightly wrong when he said they only give them to paedophiles :wtf plus you get leaky boobies  my form of therapy just isn't enough  kinda given up trying really since most guys would kill to have it guess as long as your not doing anything illegal and you have some degree of self control its just a flaw you have to learn to love


I am a female. I have a higher drive than some men. I want to decrease it. Not for any reason other than that.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> Too bad it stopped working for you. Did you have weight gain while on it?
> 
> Have you ever been on Lexapro? If so which one do you like better?


i didn't gain weight on paxil. and i've also been on lexapro - lexapro didn't control my anxiety very well, so i switched directly to luvox after some four or five months of taking lexapro.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> can you cite a source? i take fluvoxamine without problems.


I was taking about fluvoxamine to treat paedophilia, there must be something about on wikipedia.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

swim said:


> I was taking about fluvoxamine to treat paedophilia, there must be something about on wikipedia.


right - i'm assuming that the method in which you purport it treats deviant paedophilic impulses/actions is by reducing greatly or eliminating sexual drive/sexual functioning.

nothing on wikipedia (which isn't the greatest of sources) nor anything on pubmed indicates the use of fluvoxamine given to paedophiles, and i don't see how, given the individualized response to ssris (thus my response re: me taking fluvoxamine without sexual side effects), how fluvoxamine would be targeted as a method of treating the inappropriate sexual response paedophiles possess over any of the other ssris - that and there's the issue of med compliance.

there are much more foolproof ways to chemically castrate an individual, e.g. injections of anti-androgenergics, estrogenerics, or progesteronergics.

fallacy.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

basuraeuropea said:


> i didn't gain weight on paxil. and i've also been on lexapro - lexapro didn't control my anxiety very well, so i switched directly to luvox after some four or five months of taking lexapro.


never heard of Luvox. Which one do you like better Luvox or Paxil? Is Luvox stimulating or sedating?


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

i think i like luvox better, although they feel pretty similar to me. i liked paxil the best, but it stopped working . luvox has been the closest thing to paxil and i think i may even like it a bit better.

it's a sedating ssri, not an activating one.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

basuraeuropea said:


> i think i like luvox better, although they feel pretty similar to me. i liked paxil the best, but it stopped working . luvox has been the closest thing to paxil and i think i may even like it a bit better.
> 
> it's a sedating ssri, not an activating one.


Why do you like it better? Is it more sedating than Paxil?


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

because i think it controls my anxiety symptoms slightly better than paxil did.

for me both paxil and luvox have been equally sedating.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

For me it was Zoloft by far. My natural state is hypersexual. When I was on high dose Zoloft I hardly ever thought about sex and I couldn't count the number of times I passed up opportunities while on it.

225mg-300mg Effexor was at the opposite end of the scale for me. It made me even more hypersexual than normal.


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> I am a female. I have a higher drive than some men. I want to decrease it. Not for any reason other than that.


Oh no absolutely I understand how difficult it can be I'm sorry if thats how you read it I'm just talking from personal experience


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

ShyWolfie said:


> Oh no absolutely I understand how difficult it can be I'm sorry if thats how you read it I'm just talking from personal experience


I just wanted to clarify my high drive. I didn't think anything about the way you posted the comment.


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

beaches09 said:


> For me it was Zoloft by far. My natural state is hypersexual. When I was on high dose Zoloft I hardly ever thought about sex and I couldn't count the number of times I passed up opportunities while on it.
> 
> 225mg-300mg Effexor was at the opposite end of the scale for me. It made me even more hypersexual than normal.


I used to take Zoloft & it took care of my high libido. I tried to go back on but couldn't handle the side effects the second time around. I noticed your comment on my other thread about Paxil. Did it decrease your libido?


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## anxioustocalm (Jun 21, 2012)

basuraeuropea said:


> because i think it controls my anxiety symptoms slightly better than paxil did.
> 
> for me both paxil and luvox have been equally sedating.


Thank you for your knowledgeable advice!


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)




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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

anxioustocalm said:


> I used to take Zoloft & it took care of my high libido. I tried to go back on but couldn't handle the side effects the second time around. I noticed your comment on my other thread about Paxil. Did it decrease your libido?


Paxil came with the typical SSRI physical side effects like delayed ejac and partial numbness in the entire region. Other than the physical side effects I was still mentally hypersexual and full of zest, even at high dose.

Everyone is diff though.

The center body numbness is kind of brutal though, it kills the passion in the heat of the moment.

I've previously found that 600mg of Oxcarbazepine had the side effect of lowering my libido (mentally) significantly, without any numbing, etc. It won't do anything for depression in general, but it's great for general anxiety and it helps put you to sleep at night. Just another idea as a possible augment to your preferred antidepressant, if ever needed.


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

anxioustocalm said:


> I just wanted to clarify my high drive. I didn't think anything about the way you posted the comment.


Ah *phew* thought i put my foot in it somewhere along the line  i know it can be a sensitive subject


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