OP: Prozac?

This applies more to general health than sexual health, but there's certainly a sexual concern involved.

Does Prozac have any sexual side effects? If it isn't prescribed?

Ephemera 04/14/2007

Posted: 23 Sep 06:01

Replies:

It is time to take this discussion to your doctor. This entire class of drugs is sensitive and difficult to titrate for any physician. The advice you get on this Board is mostly well-intentioned and pretty good. There are some things that we should not be advising upon here. My patients on prozac, for instance, were all put on by a consultant (what we call specialists in the UK) and my role is monitoring and adjusting with the advice of the consultant.

Many doctors, even, are not comfortable with these drugs. Their effects vary person to person; are affected by other medications (common with these) and even change in their effects from pre-puberty to adulthood.

Any one who is using them for recreation is risking self-induced psychosis and worse.

Gyre,

It may be possible, with very careful titration that most doctors will not be aware of, to increase the woman's libido this way but Demon states the more common experience that these drugs tend to reduce the libido in men and women. Bear was fortunate in having a doctor who worked with him to find a balance between therapy and quality of life. Seeking simply to improve your sex life would not be acceptable to responsible physicians to mess with any psychotropics - especially these.

Brandye

Posted: 23 Sep 06:01


Agreed. Don't SELF MEDICATE with antidepressants! If you feel you are clinically depressed DO see a doctor or psychiatrist, though. They can test you for it and help you find a proper med (and therapy, goes hand in hand).

I will admit I find your reaction to taking one Prozac odd, though. If that's the first one you took they usually don't start doing anything for several days or even weeks. But everyone's different.

DVDBear

Posted: 23 Sep 06:02


Prozac, generically known as fluoxetine, is the world's most widely prescribed anti-depressant; currently, more than 54 million people all over the globe use this medication to treat depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bulimia nervosa. Fluoxetine works by normalizing the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. This provides freedom from constant negative thoughts, sadness, suicidal thoughts, low energy, negative self-image, pervasive thoughts of needing to perform a specific act, and overwhelming feelings of dread and fear. Contrary to what you've heard, fluoxetine does not increase libido. Actually, it usually reduces sexual desire or drive and inhibits orgasm, or the reflex of a sexual release; as a result, some men use fluoxetine recreationally to delay ejaculation.

However, if someone thinks that he has a problem with premature ejaculation, he may want to see a health care provider, such as a urologist, who can suggest an appropriate treatment regimen. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine and Paxil (generically known as paroxetine), are prescribed by some medical providers for premature ejaculation. These drugs, often used in conjunction with sex therapy, can address this. Some sex therapists also use Eastern disciplines, such as Tantra, for maintaining erections and lasting longer during sex.

From your question, it's not clear if you actually need fluoxetine for use as an anti-depressant, or if you would prefer to have it as a tool in your sexual shed. Based on the info offered here, recreational use of fluoxetine by a man who does not experience premature ejaculation will neither allow for greater ejaculatory control or stamina, nor provide his "partner with the best sex of their relationship." In addition, what one considers the best sex, another may not. Plus, this pressure over pleasure creates an undue expectation, excluding other essentials that enhance sexual experiences. What about the feelings involved in being wanted, desired, lusted after? What about tender touching and caressing? Lasting longer is not the only or primary factor in satisfying a partner sexually.

You can always read books on how to increase sexual pleasure through various exercises and techniques, and can then open the conversations about this topic with your partner more easily. Some books for men that you can check out include Michael Castleman's Great Sex: A Man's Guide to the Secret Principals of Total Body Sex and Bernie Zilbergeld's The New Male Sexuality. Whether you want your sexual desire to increase, or your erections to last longer, fluoxetine plays no part in the solution.

demonbuttercup

Posted: 23 Sep 06:04





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