Citalopram and Loss of Sex Drive

My other half has been taking this medicine and since he has started it(about 2 months ago), he has been getting hornier and his erections have lasted longer. he has always had trouble reaching ejaculation and says that now he is feeling closer to achieving it...so its not everyone who suffers adverse affects...im certainly happier

Four months ago I gave in to my doc and decided to give citalopram a go after she looked at me and said, "Well, ya can't go on living like this, can you?" I was sitting there crying my eyes out. She was right. I couldn't go on like that. I started with ten then made it up to twenty and I finally stopped crying. The doc tried to up the dose again to see if it would help with my chronic pain but I refused. I had stopped crying - that was good enough for me. Unfortunately the intimacy stopped with my fiance as well. I couldn't figure out why since I was feeling so much better! Deductive reasoning equaled the citalopram. I started to taper off the drugs last week. About an hour ago I got a 'twang' in my 'musn't-touch-it' (what my grandma used to call it. lol!) and it hit me soooooo hard I had to stop in my tracks! First time since about a week after taking this med that I had any type of urge to attack my man. Finally!

So, this all leads to one thought in my mind - would I rather be down and have an intimate relationship with my fiance (sex is so powerful for the body!) OR do I stop crying and remain numb all over?? I will know the answer when I'm completely off this med in the next couple of weeks and see where my head is at. Does anyone else feel this way? o.O

I am 49 and have always had a high sex drive. I am not in a relashonship now but use vibrators and have no trouble reaching orgasm. I was taking 20 mg citalopram and recently increased to 40 for my depression and anxiety. I can get 'excited" but have trouble reaching orgasm now which is very frustration. I am thinking it could be all in my head.

Hi wantpeace..i dont think its in your mind.My partner was diagnosed with anxiety and depression early on this year...he had been suffering with not being able to ejaculate anyway for some time, but was put on these meds, after they initially made him very sleepy he then began to buck up, (after about 2 weeks), he was getting enormously sexually excited, and i was happily amazed. but then after about 6 weeks on these meds, he started to feel horrible again so the doc put the citalapram dose up and then we started with the lack of sexual feelings in him. He told his counsellor who told his GP and they both agree its the citalopram, so they have raised the dose of his other med..with a view to slowly reducing the Citalapram. sometimes he will get an erection but no matter what we do he loses it anyway. We dont get upset about it, we just accept that for now they are affecting his libido. I would rather see him happy than stop the drug and not feel sexy because he's depressed.

I was on citalopram for 5 years and have been off them for 3 months but my sex drive is non-existent. I don't have a high libido to start with but can anyone shed any light on whether or not this is 'normal' as I feel really guilty not being interested at all.

Hi,

I am thinking about taking Citalopram but I am concerned about the side effects being discussed here - particularly it can affect your libido for life. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks.

My wife and I holidayed for a long weekend in Portugal 5 days after moving on from 10mg to 20mgs.

The morning after arrival I was very sexually excited and was able to orgasm, but the next 2 days whilst able to have lots of penetrative sex with my gorgeous wife, I have not been able to cum.

I am in a state of sexual preparedness, but the orgasm may not be achieved.

Being as sexual as I am my wife actually commented if I was gay? Not nice!

I trust this will change when I feel better?

At first this drug actually INCREASED my sex drive and sexual urges, but with some sexual side effects as described and typical for both male and females (delayed climex, de-sensivity).

However, I noticed after 1 month on 10mg my sex drive (which is usually very high) diminishing.. and now at 15mg, it's just gone.. totally gone. I have no sexual desire _at all_. Unusually though, another "side effect" seems to have manifested as a result of these supressed sexual feelings... in the form of unusual sexual themed dreams... some are not particularly pleasant and quite disturbing too.

I could see this lack of sexual limbo could be a problem for couples, but I'm single, so it's not for me, and is actually a benefit. I still look at women and find them attractive etc, but have no urges or impulse desires to view women sexually. Quite strange for me to feel like this but it doesn't bother me. It might do if I met someone I was really attracted to though on holiday for example and she wanted to take things further.. I'm not sure how I would handle it or explain it!

I just don't feel sexual anymore, that doesn't interest or excite me, the thoughts don't even cross my mind when I see attractive women. Does that make sense to anyone else on this? Does the lack of sex drive go away in time or stay? I've only been on it 2-3 months, and only recently moved to 15mg this week.. I started on a slow "taper-up" dosage over a longer period, from 2.5mg to lessen the side effects..

Another way of looking at the loss of limbo and lack of sexual interest in opposite sex (or same sex if that's your thing)... is that maybe some of us (myself probably) have unusually high sex drives as part of depression/illness, like a craving for feeling good etc.. and once you have that replaced by the med, you no longer seek that or need it.. however in the right loving/caring relationship, I'm sure I could function sexually and enjoy it.. but I just wouldn't need it as often as I have before.

Petgab12001 the delayed orgasm is very common side effect on this med (and SSRI's in general, in both men and women, but often more so in men I believe), due to desensentising of gentils and sexual hormonal chemical response changes I believe..

2-3 months on this med, I have not found it subside, but maybe others have?

There's surely ways to compensate for this though, by using products that increase sensivity of the penis..(Durex make a whole range now, including a novel one that works with a gel you on your partner, so when the two substances mix, the sensivity increases).. it might be worth trying that, or having more direct stimulation from your partner (i.e. oral sex) before penetrative sex if its going too long for her?

Some women seem to like men lasting a lot longer I found and so this side effect is a benefit especially for those men who usually climax too early (like me), but while others who take too long to climax, it can be a drag or even uncomfortable for the woman and they prefer the guy to finish quickly too!

I was on 40mg of Citalopram long term (about 8 years or so, only come off them this year).

And the positive first - they definitely helped overcome my anxiety. Had some of the limited side effects such as nausea, restless legs etc. - but these were short lived.

The big side effect for me though was an almost total lack of sex drive. That has to be weighed up against the depression/anxiety though - for me personally, it was a worthwhile trade off.

Then again, during those years I wasn't in a relationship - can only discuss it with your Doctor if this may cause a problem in your relationship.

But it's still hard getting turned on, or even interested in anything sexual. Even when I do manage it, it isn't something that gives me any great pleasure - more like going through the motions, without a real need there.

Looking around online, that's a fairly common side effect - and one that isn't publicised nearly enough. Because while certain pills can help with physical performance, it seems like a waste of time if there's little or no enjoyment from the act.

But it's only been a few months, so I'm hoping the libido returns soon.