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I have been taking citalopram for 2 years. will my libido ever come back?

Posted , 7 users are following.

amber54470
amber54470

I started taking citalopram 2 years ago and it has worked wonderfully. I'm a great mom now, I don't cry and sleep all the time. I enjoy doing things and I love spending time with my family, but my sex drive is completely gone and I have not had an orgasm the entire 2 years. I got married 6 months ago and didn't even want to have sex on my wedding day. I am a newly wed and should be wanting to have sex with my husband every chance I get. But i dont! At first he was really understanding and we tried everything to fix the problem. But nothing worked. I went to the doctor and she gave me 2 options: I could come off of my antidepressant completely, or change my medicine (which could also have the same side effects). My husband wanted me to come off of them completely. So after a couple of months of gradually coming off of them I am finally off of the antidepressants. I have been off of my antidepressant for about 2 months now, my depression is back and worse than ever and my sex drive is still not back. My husband now thinks it was never the medicine to begin with and that I'm just not attracted to him anymore. We have fought everyday for the past few months about this and now it's to the point that he wants a divorce. After 6 months of marriage he wants a divorce because he thinks I don't want him and that he will never have the sex we once had. I love my husband and I don't want to lose him. will I ever get my sex drive back?

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Amberrose
    Amberrose amber54470

    Posted

    Hi Amber

    I have just started on citalopram again after being on them for a few years before.

    Like you, my sex drive became very low last time I was on them but I could still orgasm just the same.

    When I came off the medication a few months ago my sex drive came back big time and I couldn't get enough.

    Unfortunately after a few months off the cit my anxiey and depression returned and I am now back on them.

    Unfortunately low sex drive is a side effect of the meds but your husband should understand this and at least you are happier. The trouble is, if you are depressed without the medication you will have no sex drive anyway so you would be better on the meds.

    Although my drive is low, I do try to make an effort with my hubby and always enjoy it.

    I do hope you can work things out together.

    A x

  • katecogs
    katecogs amber54470

    Posted

    Oh bless you, that's all you need along with depression .... stress in your marriage.

    It is one of the unfortunate side effects on this type of medication.  One thing I found to help is when I recovered on my medication and had felt well for a while, I reduced my meds from 20mg to 10mg and then to 5mg, and found I could maintain my depression and the sex drive came back more.  During the winter months I'd up my meds to 10mg as that's when I'd feel lower.

    Coming off the medication should bring your sex drive back completely, so it may still be early days for it.  Remember how long it took for this medication to get into your system - it'll take just as long to get out of it too.

    If you're staying off the medication, may I recommend a 'natural SSRI' which you can buy over the counter.  When I came off the meds I took it and found I could maintain my well being.  I started back on the meds though only due to a serious illness in my family.

    I used to take 5HTP as well as l-tyrosine.  Both bought over the counter.  Holland & Barrett if you're in the UK.  Have a read up on it, it's very interesting.  There's a book called 5HTP The Natural way to Overcome Depression by Michael T Murray - he explains it really well.

    Don't take it these 2 tablets with prescribed SSRI's though ie Citalopram.  They might be able to help whilst you have a break from Citalopram.

    Im sorry your husband is finding hard to understand too.  Depression is an illness like any other illness, and medication is often needed.  Epilepsy, diabetes, heart problems etc all need medications too and I'm sure they come with their own set of side effects too.

    Stress can also cause a low libido too, and I'd think at he moment it's a combination of that and still the some of the medication still in your body.

    In the meantime, do try 5HTP and l-tyrosine.  You need both, as 5HTP can upset the stomach (I think) and l-tyrosine helps to combat that.

    K xx

    • katecogs
      katecogs

      Posted

      Forgot to say, that after 15 years of taking this medication, my libido came back after I stopped taking them.
    • amber54470
      amber54470 katecogs

      Posted

      Thank you so much. I will definitely give the over the counter meds a try. maybe with the help of these meds my depression will ease some and I can finally get my sex drive back.
    • alex1979
      alex1979 katecogs

      Posted

      Hi,

      How long after stopping them did it come back?

      Thanks

      Alex

    • katecogs
      katecogs alex1979

      Posted

      Hi Alex

      After all medication stopped I noticed it was better after a couple of weeks of being meds free and improved as time went by. confused

      K xx

    • alex1979
      alex1979 katecogs

      Posted

      I appreciate your reply.

      I hope same happens when I finish my taper. Last time I stopped, 3 months into being drug free, I was still basically asexual. But, that was a cold turkey stop with a total relapse of depression.

      Best

      Alex

    • katecogs
      katecogs alex1979

      Posted

      Gosh 3 months ..... mmmm yes could have been going cold turkey and suspect the meds lingered about quite a bit in your system.

      To avoid a relapse when you're off meds, I can thoroughly recommend a natural SSRI called 5-HTP which has no nasty side effects at all and certainly does not affect your sex drive.  They're bought over the counter (Holland & Barrett if you're in the UK) and must be taken with l-tyrosine (also bought over the counter).  You can stop and start these without any tapering and there's no side effects.  You must not take them with Citalopram though as its dangerous to do so.  I take these when I'm not on Citalopram and have found them really good.  They help me to stay afloat.

      K xx :-)

       

  • funkdakarma
    funkdakarma amber54470

    Posted

    Hi Amber,

    Not sure if a man's perspective helps here :-) but loss of sex drive is very common with SSRI's, not only during usage but even for some time after. There's no conclusive information about when the sex drive comes back to normal, but I would try and stay positive, and don't be harsh on yourself and blame yourself. It's a common side-effect that many suffer from.

    As a man, the loss in my sex drive has been ever more challenging, and I lead a healthy lifestyle. I am towards the end stages of coming off Citalopram, and believe that over the next few months things will improve.

    • alex1979
      alex1979 funkdakarma

      Posted

      Hi,

      Did you eventually wean off? Did the libido come back?

      Thanks,

      Alex pssd sufferer of 3 months

  • David_21660
    David_21660 amber54470

    Posted

    Dearest Amber,

    On behalf of all true men everywhere I am sorry that you are being made to feel like this. Your lack of libido is not your fault whether it be due to nature or meds.

    Most if not all the support you need is right here and we are here for you. You are a person and you have every right to live your life the way you want, even if this is only a temporary loss, the last thing you need is more stress.

    It is YOUR body and you have the right to say what happens to it.

    Keep in touch, there are a lot of good people here to help you in every way!

    Best Regards,

    David

    • amber54470
      amber54470 David_21660

      Posted

      Thanks david. That is something I needed to hear. I am always thinking the problem in my marriage is my fault. And it is really nice to hear that it isn't my fault.
    • pat97152
      pat97152 amber54470

      Posted

      Amber ..Mirtazapineine has no effect on libido..it's a good AD ..you might want to ask your GP to try it 
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