If one SSRI diminishes your libido/ability to climax, will all SSRIs negatively impact your libido/ability to climax?
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No, there’s wildly different properties between all the SSRIs. Even something as simple as how much quicker A metabolizes compared to B will have a big impact on what the side effects are.
Not necessarily. Just like some SSRIs won’t work for some people and do for others, it’s the same with the sexual side effects. I’ve taken one that made me almost unable to orgasm at all but I still had a high sex drive. The one I’m on now doesn’t impact my ability to orgasm but it does affect my drive somewhat. It’s really a trial and error situation.
given the range of them, I think its fairly safe to say that the answer is generally no, but that everyone responds a little differently to these meds. And there is a broader range beyond the SSRIs that can work well if you try every sub type of SSRI and they are not improving your symptoms or are causing unacceptable side effects.
What sucks is the amount of time it takes to find the right medication and dosing for anyone who doesnt immediately benefit from a first line drug like prozac.
When I was on Paxil, I would still get horny all of the time but I just couldn’t ejaculate easily . You’d think lasting longer would be cool but it wasn’t like that.
Paxil helped me for a few months and transitioning off sucked, but I will never take one again
No, to the direct question but I don’t think there’s an ELI5 answer for WHY because I’m not sure sciences even know why some SSRIs behave on certain people in different ways.
Therapist here, and someone who has had this experience.
Some medications will impact libido/climax, and another, even if in the same class, may not. The mechanism of how different SSRIs do their thing can vary.
I had a medication that caused inorgasmia and effectively “reverse” ejaculation (it would go into my bladder, then get peed out later). It was the weirdest experience. Switched to a different SSRI and it completely went away. No issues on the new medication.
It can also be a psychosomatic experience related to being depressed, exacerbated by an SSRI.
Working with a psychiatrist or ARNP trained in psychiatric medication may be the best route if you’re just going to your primary care currently.
I’ve been lucky. At different points have taken Viibryd, Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac and never had an issue .
Can only speak to my personal experience but I recently started on Sertraline and found climax almost impossible for around 2 weeks. Was tempted to ask to change but all of a sudden there was no problem.
I guess my body just got used to it. So it can be worth sticking with it if it’s working.
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