The quest to manage depression & anxiety WITHOUT erectile dysfunction!

[robotmeds]

Hello!
 
Erectile, libido, and orgasm disorders are very common when taking SSRI or SSNI drugs. This reduces quality of life, and can cause secondary depression.
 
I wish to find a way to manage my psychological ailments, while retaining normal sexual function. 
 
Background: I have anxiety disorder and mild depression. My first SSRI/SSNI was Cymbalta. It worked very well. However, after a few years, I realized I had erectile dysfunction. I am no longer on Cymbalta.
 
Why is there hope? There is anecdotal evidence from various sources, which state at least limited success with various drugs, herbal supplements, or combinations of both. For example, Wellbutrin is reported to ease depression symptoms without causing ED (erectile dysfunction).  
 
Plan: I intend to try various solutions, and report success or failure in this thread. Also, everyone is more than welcome to post their own experiences, both male and female. (While women don't suffer from 'ED', they do experience delayed orgasm, no orgasm, and reduced libido).
 
Baseline: I am currently on 10MG of Brintellix. This is the highest dose I have found that keeps me from experiencing ED.  Note: This is a "half dose". The usual Brintellix dose is 20MG. Because I am on a half-dose, my anxiety/depression feels "half managed". I need something more to fully treat my psychological conditions. This is the purpose of adding supplementary drugs or herbs to my regimen. 
 
Methodology: I will try various substances, in combination with the baseline dose of Brintellix. I will weigh 'morning erections' more heavily than other erections, to rule out the possibility of psychological issues affecting ED. (This concept is supported by my Psychiatrist). 
 
Tried so far:
 
For ED:

Horny Goat Weed
Viagra (This of course works very well for ED. It is also insanely expensive, it requires pre-planning because it takes at least 30 minutes to work, and it can wear off in as little as four hours.)

 

For Depression/Anxiety:

Magnesium
 
Currently Trying:
 

For ED:
Yohimbe (Click for Wikipedia article)
L-arginine & Pycnogenol (Click for clinical study)

Exercise

 

For ED & Depression/Anxiety:
Trazodone (Click for clinical study)

 
I am very tired right now, so I will fill in more information tomorrow about the things I have tried, and the things I am currently on.

Edited April 15, 2015 by robotmeds

[Velvet Elvis]

Try oral and not making such a big deal about your penis.

 

I've been on meds with sexual side effects since I was 16 and I'm nearly 40 now.  

 

Unless you think having a hard cock is more important than being mentally healthy, figure out ways to work around it.  

[Chickenlips]

 

 

Plan: I intend to try various solutions, and report success or failure in this thread. Also, everyone is more than welcome to post their own experiences, both male and female. (While women don't suffer from 'ED', they do experience delayed orgasm, no orgasm, and reduced libido).

 

Baseline: I am currently on 10MG of Brintellix. This is the highest dose I have found that keeps me from experiencing ED.  Note: This is a "half dose". The usual Brintellix dose is 20MG. Because I am on a half-dose, my anxiety/depression feels "half managed". I need something more to fully treat my psychological conditions. This is the purpose of adding supplementary drugs or herbs to my regimen. 

 

Methodology: I will try various substances, in combination with the baseline dose of Brintellix. I will weigh 'morning erections' more heavily than other erections, to rule out the possibility of psychological issues affecting ED. (This concept is supported by my Psychiatrist). 

 

 

Great! I think its a good thing to talk about... my orgasm intensity has diminished on SSRI's... and sometimes I have ED... so yeah bring it on..... lets see what we can see..... I would LOVE my old orgasm back!!! I have tried half a tab of valium before and I think it helped.... 

[Southern Discomfort]

Good luck trying to find something that works for you. I'm not so sure if it's as black and white as Velvet Elvis has said, I know for some people sexual functions and the like play a big part in their lives, more so than others, which is fine if it helps relieve daily stress and also makes relationships possible. Personally I'm of the same preference as him though, I would pick stability with anxiety and/or depression over ED or delayed orgasm but everyone's life is different; what's best for me might not be best for you.

I have to say though that I think your findings are probably going to be virtually useless to anyone else since it's very improbable that you'll stumble upon someone else who experiences the exact same results. Maybe I'm missing the point though, maybe the idea alone would be enough to give others inspiration to try and to hope.

[Sync]

Hmm. You mentioned your psychiatrist's approval, have you/they talked about trying different meds? This is a really common concern for folks on SSRIs so it's not uncharted territory.

FWIW, when I was on nortriptyline, which is an older-school tricyclic AD, sexual side effects were not listed as a possibility, and indeed I had none. The other side effects were pretty intense though. I'm not an expert on tricyclics, but I know some of them can be used fot anxiety as well as depression, have you and your pdoc talked about that at all?

[Fluffypinkbunny]

SSRI's killed my sex drive and ability to climax.

Now that I'm off, I feel more like a teenager:)

Edited April 14, 2015 by Fluffypinkbunny

[kateislate]

You don't mention therapy in your post, which is a really obvious, effective approach to treating both anxiety disorders and depression. Which is unlikely to cause ED.

The right therapy can really do wonders.

[robotmeds]

Unless you think having a hard cock is more important than being mentally healthy, figure out ways to work around it.

I may have to just go back to full SSRI/SSNI. However, I would like to try this first.

 

 

I have to say though that I think your findings are probably going to be virtually useless to anyone else since it's very improbable that you'll stumble upon someone else who experiences the exact same results. Maybe I'm missing the point though, maybe the idea alone would be enough to give others inspiration to try and to hope.

 

You may be right, regarding no "one size fits all" solution. However, if I can find something that does seem to work, then it seems likely that it works for someone else as well. (Or it may offer hope for others to try.) This thread doesn't have to be all about 'me' either. I would LOVE to hear about the experiments of others.

 

Hmm. You mentioned your psychiatrist's approval, have you/they talked about trying different meds?

Yes. This is why I am on Brintillex at the moment. According to the FDA clinical study, the incidence of ED is supposedly very low, so she was quite hopeful. However, I went back and looked at the Cymbalta FDA trial results, and the ED reporting was only about 6%, and Cymbalta is definitely a bedroom-kill-joy. Also, the reason that I am trying Trazodone as one of my experimental substances, is because of my Psych doctor.

FWIW, when I was on nortriptyline, which is an older-school tricyclic AD, sexual side effects were not listed as a possibility, and indeed I had none. The other side effects were pretty intense though. I'm not an expert on tricyclics, but I know some of them can be used fot anxiety as well as depression.

 

THANK YOU! I had not yet heard of this one. Would you mind sharing the side effect(s) that made you stop taking it?

 

You don't mention therapy in your post, which is a really obvious, effective approach to treating both anxiety disorders and depression. Which is unlikely to cause ED.

The right therapy can really do wonders.

Excellent suggestion, friend. Yes, I also plan to begin talk therapy in the next week or so.

[Sync]

 FWIW, when I was on nortriptyline, which is an older-school tricyclic AD, sexual side effects were not listed as a possibility, and indeed I had none. The other side effects were pretty intense though. I'm not an expert on tricyclics, but I know some of them can be used fot anxiety as well as depression.

 

THANK YOU! I had not yet heard of this one. Would you mind sharing the side effect(s) that made you stop taking it?

 

I actually didn't stop taking it because of side effects. I took it for migraines rather than depression (which means I was on a lower dose than is normally used for depression, so keep that in mind). I stopped taking it because I lost health insurance and couldn't afford it, and my abnormal migraine disorder started to resolve around the same time, so it kind of stopped being necessary. 

 

The main side effects I had were intense dry mouth (significant pain from my mouth being so dry, although I did learn how to manage that over time), weight gain, bizarre nightmares, excessive sweating, and I got quite dizzy when I stood up from sitting down or sat up from lying down. 

 

Some discomfort, but nothing unbearable. But keep in mind that was a low dose. They did tell me the side-effects were dose-dependent, so I imagine they would be worse at a therapeutic dose for psych stuff.