Citalopram and Loss of Sex Drive

My girlfriend started this medication 4-5 months into our relationship. Let me tell you, within those 4-5 months our relationship was nothing but fantastic, perfect, free-flow loving. Sex every day, sometimes even twice a day.

The day she started taking Citalopram our sex life dropped like a rock. It widdled to every other day.. , after 2-3 days.. to sometimes twice a week. Lots of arguing. Lots of rejection. The day she started it, was the day our relationship started slowly drifting downwards from the high mountain it once was on.

Day and months into the future after that day, we started becoming more unattached, especially her, and allot less sex. Allot less love. A worse relationship.

Fast forward 9 Months into the future -

She has quit about a month ago. Sex, AND affection is still very non existant, and she still bugs me off and tells me not to touch her sometimes/more than half the time. Her sex drive is not like it once was, and also, our relationship and love for each other is not like it once was. Its a one way street. I feel its maybe slightly starting to come back .. but after all this, it has really taken a toll. I miss the love we once had. I miss the relationship we once had.

All I can say is I really despise the mental health system and the drugs they pump out with it, and the mantra they try to force on people to try to make them believe theres nothing else, and they need this. Bunch of evil crooked people. Thanks allot to every mental health professional - You are the reason for my relationship being ruined. You took the most beautiful happy thing in my life, and turned it into a wretched hell. I hope you people are proud of yourselves.

I'm a male who has been taking Citalopram since November and my sex drive has completely gone. For

two weeks I was on a 10mg dosage, which really wasn't having any effect on my depression. It was then

increased to 20 mg. My sex drive vanished almost immediately. At first, I couldn't connect it with the

Citalopram. It just didn't occur to me that it could cause such a sudden change. As the weeks have on gone on, it has become more of a concern, which caused me to look on the web to find out if other people have experienced this same problem. I was both shocked and pleased to see that I'm definitely not alone.

It's very frustrating, simply because my sex drive was always pretty high until I started taking them, and

for it to go completely is worrying. I just don't have any interest in it. Also, and again I'm assuming that it

must be to do with the Citalopram, simply because it started at the same time, I find that my testicles have a dull ache from time to time. Obviously, my initial thought was cancer, but the fact that it started at exactly

the same time, suggests to me that it is a side effect of the Citalopram.

I was reluctant to take any anti-depressants when I was diagnosed with depression, mainly because I've

heard so many horror stories, but was told that they are so much safer now than they used to be.

Admittedly, they have helped with the depression, but I wish to God that I had never touched the things.

Well, further to my last post, the libido's still non existent.

I really feel that Doctors should be discussing this 'potential' side effect with patients - before Citalopram is ever prescribed.

Because while pills (or even pumps) can be prescribed or purchased...............they don't solve the underlying problem of the sex drive and even interest in sex disappearing.

And my Doctor never mentioned this as a potential side effect - ever. It was only reading the patient leaflet and researching online that made me realise what damage these pills can do.

And to be honest that didn't happen for a long time - when you're feeling anxious or depressed, most are happy to just take the pills regardless of any side effects.

For me it seems like a vicious spiral.............Citalopram cures your depression/anxiety..................so you think you've got your life back, then end up sinking back into depression when you realise your sex drive's gone (and any chance of a normal relationship with most women).

My own advice from painful experience.........................before even starting on Citalopram, talk about the potential loss of sex drive with your Doctor.

Don't be fobbed off..................while sex is probably the last thing on your mind when you're depressed/anxious, most people will eventually respond well to treatment.

And when you realise you're over the worst of it, and can get back to coping with life...................finding you've been chemically neutered for want of a better term is devastating.

Now and then I text my partner about feeling amourous and she gets the twinkle. The last time we had sex I'm sure she orgasmed but I did not. This did not bother me, I just enjoyed it.

However, my libido has been up, not sure if it is stress related but I will give her another text on the 14th. It may work.

I started taking 10mg Citalopram in October 2011 after more then 10 years struggling with anxiety amd giving into the GP's nagging to try it. I took it for 14 months. I think as far as my mental health goes, after being on it for 6 months the effects started to plateau but i felt the most content i had in years. I ran around telling everyone how it was the best thing i had ever done and wish i had given in to SSRIs years ago.

I had the total loss of sex drive, the restless legs, grinding teeth, dry mouth and 2 weeks of awful tunnel vision and headaches when i finally weened myself off it at the end of december 2012...not to mention the wierdest, most graphic sex dreams and when hungover i would have thoughts of harming myself in bizaare ways too (but never did)...

...a year on and i am still sexless so to speak. No anxiety, which is great, but absolutely no sex drive. I am a 32 year old woman who used to find sex very enjoyable. I am reluctant to speak to my GP about it for obvious reasons. Now, what i want to know is when will my sex drive return? I feel like i have been massively screwed over. I am so livid. And not horny.

this medicine is evil .. my doctor gave me it as i have a low mood after a biking crash many years ago that left me in pain so i wasnt the happiest of people ... but i still had a sex drive and the only highlight of the day was a good climax......YOUR ORGASMS ARE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN ..its rubbish medicine it makes you numb i feel less alive than i ever did .......take somthing else if you can ...i think i was given the totally wrong advive by my doctor who didnt explain the side efects ....AT ALL..

after reading all the comments on here i now realise that it was also due to this so called medicine that my wife of 25 years of a very happy marriage totally changed ... DONT TOUCH THIS PRODUCT DONT LET ANYONE YOU KNOW TOUCH IT AND CHEMICALY NUTERED IS WHAT IT DOES BEST .>>>>>>>>>>..AVOID AT ALL COSTS YOUVE BEEN WARNED

I just got my prescription today. I have been very very angry lately and not ever wanting to do anything, especially sex. So I suppose the doctor gave me what he thought was best. I am hoping this will increase my sex drive though as my hubby is not happy about the decrease in sex in our marriage. I hope I get happier with a side of alot of sex...

I'm not quite sure if my latest post belongs here...or as the start to a new discussion, with it's different take on Citalopram and it's affect on sexual desire?

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/citalopram-withdrawal-and-sexual-issues-103824

I was initially prescribed Cit back in November 2013, starting off on 10 mg once a day, before increasing to 20 mg once a day. From having no effect whatsoever on the lower dosage, things changed almost immediately on the higher dosage. Complete loss of any sexual interest was the most obvious change, but I was also aware that my day to day existence remained on one level. I was neither up nor down and felt as if nothing mattered one way or another. Very hard to explain, but I'm sure other Cit takers will know exactly what I mean. I decided to look into Cit after using it for several weeks and was shocked by what I discovered. I immediately made the decision to get off it as soon as possible, feeling that I wanted to take control of my life again. It is now the end of February 2014 and I've now got myself down to taking 10 mg every third day. My initial intention had been to stop taking it immediately, but I discovered that it's not particularly sensible to do so. Compared to other people, I have only been taking Cit for a relatively short period, but I'm so pleased that I found out about it's negative effects when I did. I really sympathise with people who have been on it for years. Getting off of it completely must be almost impossible. I feel so much better in myself. I suppose it did help in some way with my anxiety attacks. I was also prescribed it for depression, even though I told my GP that I wasn't suffering with depression. A couple of more weeks to go and hopefully I will never have to take the stuff ever again.

Hi there

Im not too sure why im writing on this site im kind of new to this kind of thing I suppose im hoping that there

Is someone out there that understands what I'm going through and can give me a little hope or reassurance??

Basically my "partner" has been struggling for years with depression, before we met and formed a friendship he pushed me away and treated me like rubbish however I started to realise that he did what I have always done and kept people at arms length for fear of being hurt as always I decided that I was going to stick by him and support him through thick and thin.

Anyway finally he began to realise I wasn't going anywhere no matter how much he tried to push me away (fyi the push away thing was part of his condition, he can't bare people he cares about being close to him)

He said I can see how bad I treat you and I think your right I need to see a doctor?? Which I said ok I will be there by your side and we will go through this together, I suppose it helped that I finally sought help after struggling with depression for years so I could see the signs.

Now he has been on a few different anti depressants and he has decided to stick with citalapram whitch is what im on but since taking the tabs we haven't had sex or any sexual contact for over 6 months???? He has completely shut down and I am obviously very understanding!!!! But I am now feeling that its me???? I know it sounds so selfish but really is it me??????*?*

Hi Charliesammi,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a difficult time.

I'm not a relationship expert but I'd just like to say that there's two people in a relationship: your partner and yourself. Both have to try and make a relationship work, it's not just one person, it's give and take, and from what you write it sounds like you've done most of the work in your relationship. Have you spoken to your partner about how you feel? Trying to find out where your relationship is at by talking to each other about your feelings and your needs should help. Saying that, my own relationship broke up due to my lack of sexual desire, and I only later found out it was the Citalopram.

So your partner's lack of sexual interest may well be be due to Citalopram, as it is known to have this side effect, and unfortunately, from my own experience and many others' on this thread, it can be long term. (But I suppose it could also be caused by the depression itself?) If it is due to Citalopram he needs to go back to his doctor and review his medication. You could also try and see a relationship counsellor?

Hope this helps.