# Anyone hear of Buspar added to an SSRI for reducing Sexual Dysfunction?



## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

^

Im curious if this is potentially useful for sexual side effects only with an ssri.

*I dont care how useless the med is for anxiety /depression*.

Anyone have any links or at least how it may work on paper?

Cheers,

ASOP


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

When I was prescribed buspar alongside fluoxetine I still experienced sexual dysfunction. My prescribing psychiatrist said buspar would decrease the likelihood of sexual dysfunction that SSRI's "may" cause, but that was not my experience at all. Same old limp d*ck as always.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

Never heard of it being used for that purpose. I'm on Buspar and Wellbutrin now. First dose made me feel really warm hehe.


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## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

Apparently agonising the 5-HT1A receptor disinhibits dopamine and noradrenaline allowing it to flow more freely and boost desire/sexual functioning.

Thats at least how Stahl describes it


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

Yah but I think you would probably need a high dose given the amount of 5-ht1a receptors in our brain. It's a good theory. I'm hoping it pans out as well. I'm actually reading a lot of experiences on Buspar on crazymed forums and I understand now why people think it doesn't do anything. People with severe anxiety are used to a more sedated feeling like they get with benzos. This basically still lets you have these anxious thoughts but they don't really impact you as much. Say you want to talk to a girl but you're scared because you're thinking she won't like your or this or that, you will just end up going and talking to her anyways. It's like you will have these thoughts but then go "oh well who cares".


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

My brother was on SSRIs for over a decade (for OCD). They always caused him sexual problems and both Buspar & Wellbutrin were added to counteract the SSRIs negatives. Despite using both of them nothing improved and he eventually decided it best to stop SSRIs.

I used Buspar alone and found it to be a sugar pill. I was on Wellbutrin (another sugar pill) when I tried Luvox & Celexa -- and I still had the same sexual side effects as I always have with SSRIs.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

kehcorpz said:


> I'm hoping it pans out as well. I'm actually reading a lot of experiences on Buspar on crazymed forums and I understand now why people think it doesn't do anything. *People with severe anxiety are used to a more sedated feeling like they get with benzos. * This basically still lets you have these anxious thoughts but they don't really impact you as much. Say you want to talk to a girl but you're scared because you're thinking she won't like your or this or that, you will just end up going and talking to her anyways. It's like you will have these thoughts but then go "oh well who cares".


Benzos have never produced a sedating feeling for me.

No drug is going to get me to go over and hit on a girl. That's a mission for guys who don't mind being shot down again & again & again. Logically there's nothing wrong with being shot down, since not trying produces the same result. Though with SA it's still more comfortable to avoid an explicit rejection, instead accepting the passive rejection of never trying.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

UltraShy said:


> Benzos have never produced a sedating feeling for me.
> 
> No drug is going to get me to go over and hit on a girl. That's a mission for guys who don't mind being shot down again & again & again. Logically there's nothing wrong with being shot down, since not trying produces the same result. Though with SA it's still more comfortable to avoid an explicit rejection, instead accepting the passive rejection of never trying.


I'd say that it's almost like you have an issue with absorbing the drugs properly and low bioavailability but then again you do get sexual side effects from SSRIs. Possible that you absorb only a small amount and with SSRIs any amount is going to kill your libido hehe.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

kehcorpz said:


> I'd say that it's almost like you have an issue with absorbing the drugs properly and low bioavailability but then again you do get sexual side effects from SSRIs. Possible that you absorb only a small amount and with SSRIs any amount is going to kill your libido hehe.


Consider that Zoloft was the dead horse I beat the most. Three months on it going up to 300 mg. Sexual side effects were the same whether at 100 or 300.

Just look at clinical trials of SSRIs where they often show the drug "worked" in 2/3 of patients. Though that's not at all accurate since placebo works in 1/3. Once you subtract the response of that control group you find SSRIs only work better than sugar pills even in trials designed & published by drug makers that have every incentive to only publish the most positive studies that have been biased as much as possible.

When even best case scenario studies show them doing no better than placebo for 66% of patients, I'm not impressed.

I also take issue with how double-blind studies are not even close to blind. If you take a gray mystery capsule and ten days in you find that you entirely unable to orgasm the blindness is out the window. You know it's not placebo and the doc running the trial knows it when you report that effect. Yet they still call the trials double blind which is a blatant lie. Unless dealing with things that have basically no side effects there can never be truly blindness and lack of bias. If you get side effects you know it's the real thing and are thus biased to think that it may be working.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

Well, no, these studies take thousands of people into account not a small amount. And they do count placebo to get the total amount of responders, this is where they derive that 60% response rate. Out of thousands of people that's quite good even if a lot do not respond. And it's always worth a try by doctors no doubt. I just don't get how doctors can continue to try 7 different versions of it, that's just a bad doctor in my opinion. My doc changed me up after not responding to lexapro right away. He did switch me to zoloft but added a NaSSA as well instead of just one more ssri. But bioavailability and difference in liver enzymes are huge factors in medicine. You just do not seem to respond to anything. It's usually rare not to respond to benzos. As it's rare not to respond to alcohol. Anyways, these drugs have helped millions of people, so yah you're **** out of luck but don't automatically discredit these drugs because they do not work for you and a bunch of people complaining on forums. Everyone, should try an SSRI because there's a chance it will work. Beating a dead horse, well that's just stupid.



UltraShy said:


> Consider that Zoloft was the dead horse I beat the most. Three months on it going up to 300 mg. Sexual side effects were the same whether at 100 or 300.
> 
> Just look at clinical trials of SSRIs where they often show the drug "worked" in 2/3 of patients. Though that's not at all accurate since placebo works in 1/3. Once you subtract the response of that control group you find SSRIs only work better than sugar pills even in trials designed & published by drug makers that have every incentive to only publish the most positive studies that have been biased as much as possible.
> 
> ...


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

kehcorpz said:


> I'd say that it's almost like you have an issue with absorbing the drugs properly and low bioavailability but then again you do get sexual side effects from SSRIs. Possible that you absorb only a small amount and with SSRIs any amount is going to kill your libido hehe.


Though this response was directed to UltraShy, I just want to add that I have taken just as many ssri's and the only effect I usually get is sexual dysfunction. Some SSRI's have increased anxiety level's. From also taking TCA's And talking with my psychiatrist it seems like most serotonergic drugs tend to increase anxiety levels for me. But a lot of SSRI's have been unnoticeable except for that lovely sexual dysfunction; which quite frankly I would be happy to live with if they were actually useful drugs.

Effexor XR helped me quite a bit for six months or so though.

Some Benzos do work well for me.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

istayhome said:


> Though this response was directed to UltraShy, I just want to add that I have taken just as many ssri's and the only effect I usually get is sexual dysfunction. Some SSRI's have increased anxiety level's. From also taking TCA's And talking with my psychiatrist it seems like most serotonergic drugs tend to increase anxiety levels for me. But a lot of SSRI's have been unnoticeable except for that lovely sexual dysfunction; which quite frankly I would be happy to live with if they were actually useful drugs.
> 
> Effexor XR helped me quite a bit for six months or so though.
> 
> Some Benzos do work well for me.


Yah my only point is that a lot of people do respond yet he comes in here bad mouthing drugs because they didn't work for him and a bunch of people on the net. These people don't need the extra anxiety of taking a medication but should try it and see for themselves as we all know how different drugs work on different people. Case in point, you get anxiety from SSRIs while they remove anxiety completely for me.

Although I rather have anxiety than anhedonia so I don't take SSRIs anymore and try to take activating stuff. Anxiety is too easy to control for me, anhedonia is impossible.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

kehcorpz said:


> Yah my only point is that a lot of people do respond yet he comes in here bad mouthing drugs because they didn't work for him and a bunch of people on the net. These people don't need the extra anxiety of taking a medication but should try it and see for themselves as we all know how different drugs work on different people. Case in point, you get anxiety from SSRIs while they remove anxiety completely for me.
> 
> Although I rather have anxiety than anhedonia so I don't take SSRIs anymore and try to take activating stuff. Anxiety is too easy to control for me, anhedonia is impossible.


Yeah, I agree. Anyone suffering should try every available option until they find something that works, regardless of what others say. I gave Buspar a shot, even though everyone says it is useless. It was useless for me but whatever.

Yeah, my anxiety is under control just with benzos, and they have been working without raising the dose for a couple years, so that is nice but like you anhedonia is still a huge battle that I am trying to overcome. I'm working like Macgyver to find something that helps. Glad Wellbutrin is helping you.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

kehcorpz said:


> You just do not seem to respond to anything. It's usually rare not to respond to benzos. As it's rare not to respond to alcohol.


1. I do respond to alcohol. In fact, I've often read posts by folks who consume staggering amounts of alcohol that I simply can't imagine ever being able to drink.

2. I respond to amphetamines & ritalin.

I've never suggested that anyone shouldn't try SSRIs. They might help & they're worth a try. I simply try to add some balance to the ridiculously rosy view presented by big pharma which lives in a magical land where SSRIs are wonder drugs that work for everyone & work wonderfully. Reality is that they fail for most & they have side effects for many. That's not the negative opinion of some cranky old guy; those are the facts found in their own clinical trials available for all to view.

When you say I don't respond to anything, you're really saying I don't respond to the vast majority of the drugs pdocs are able & willing to prescribe. The DEA puts many drugs off limits, and other are legally available, though hell would have to freeze over before a pdoc would dare to think outside the SSRI box.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

UltraShy said:


> 1. I do respond to alcohol. In fact, I've often read posts by folks who consume staggering amounts of alcohol that I simply can't imagine ever being able to drink.
> 
> 2. I respond to amphetamines & ritalin.
> 
> ...


Well you should have jumped in on the Ketamine trials they did recently. Apparently it can reverse depression instantly. It actually creates neurons on the fly, crazy stuff.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

kehcorpz said:


> Well you should have jumped in on the Ketamine trials they did recently. Apparently it can reverse depression instantly. It actually creates neurons on the fly, crazy stuff.


I self-trialed Ketamine, wasn't scientific and wasn't successful. I used it pretty much the same way it is described being used in clinical trials. But I'd give it a go in a legitimate medical setting as results have been very promising. And the Synapsogenisis you mention is undeniable.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I was on Buspar for anxiety and I actually felt pretty darn zen! The trouble was my body adjusted really quickly and the next dose up was wayyyy too much to handle.


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