Hey Folks, generic question. Anyone here on Lexapro and experience lack of sensation?
Ive read some online horror stories of women going "numb" sexually.  
But I havn't seen any posts from men so far.  I just started it and I am worried.

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Maybe you should see more providers rather than taking meds with side effects.  Problem solved.

Hello Allbsure,

I had a GF who absolutely could not come while taking this.

If you need to take an antidepressant, ask your doctor for Wellbutrin (bupropion). Very low, if any, incidence of sexual side effects. I have first hand knowledge of this.

Funny comment. Some women can be a little short-tempered while taking this, thus the name BitchButrin. Again, I have first hand knowledge of this.

ATTB

Lexapro makes it difficult to get and stay hard. I wouldn't say it hurts drive or sensitivity but YMMV. It can be countered with Viagra. (Better living through science, right?)

Taking Lexapro *and*  Wellbutrin can also overcome that problem and they're okay to take together.  It might even cause you to stop smoking.

SSRI's in general cause all sorts of zany problems, some transient, some not.
The fact that you're taking it and don't know what it can do to you is a huge problem far larger than just you, it's a near complete lack of informed consent that has propagated itself through the entirety of the medical system.

 
Realistically, I am not, nor is anyone here, your doctor. Even the doctor who gave you that 'scrip isn't *your* doctor, they're just a doctor that you paid. The only way to really survive and thrive in that situation is to become your own doctor, step 1 of that is to not put anything in/on your body without understanding it first. I've linked below the drugs.com page for what you're taking. It's a good reference for this kinda thing.

 
The nice thing about the ultra-formulaic medical system we're subjected to is that 100% of your doctor's decisions can be verified with research of some sort. Some of that research is shoddy to the core, but, it exists and is google-able. You're not just allowed to make up your own mind, you're required to, and they don't tell you that part because it makes them money to gloss over it.  

 
As an aside, these sorts of things are often prescribed without also providing therapy. I think that's criminal, to the point where, it should be a capital offense, because ultimately, it kills people. The drugs are the best band-aid the FDA's approved thusfar, the band-aid doesn't actually heal anything, it prevents you from bleeding out. If you're having trouble, like, I get it, the world is very unkind sometimes, life can be lonely, and it can feel like the whole world is falling in on you specifically, there's a way out through therapy. Find someone you vibe with, find someone who you trust, find someone who you'll listen to. It's worth it.

Also, if you're going to be on an SSRI, don't take recreational drugs at-all. That includes weed, and it especially includes cigarettes/tobacco use. The interactions between those things can be super dangerous, and super unpleasant in ways that are hard to even comprehend. Not worth the risk.

Let your doc know you want an antidepressant with less of a chance to affect your sex drive/performance.

 
Steph XO

Switching antidepressants can be very problematic. If the one you're on is working in other ways you may end up on one that doesn't have a sexual side effect but doesn't solve the fundamental problem. Some people have to try one medication after another and never find one that gives them relief. So my advice would be, assuming the drug he's on works for his core problem, don't switch and instead find the means of dealing with the side-effect. Like Viagra.

Something to consider is that for many, even if they experience  these side effects initially, they may resolve themselves after the body/brain has had time to adjust to its “new normal”. You can’t really know how you will react long term unless you try it out, everyone is different. I am not familiar with lexapro specifically but with other SSRIs such as Zoloft/Sertraline it is not unusual for initial sexual side effects to diminish or disappear entirely with continued use.  

Dosage is also very important - some doctors tend to approach psych meds with a one fits all approach, however the ideal should be to find the least amount of medication needed to treat the condition so as to minimize unwanted effects as much as possible.

Thanks, Mr. Knowledge, for interjecting your uneducated view of SSRIs and their potential side effects.

It's settled science that SSRIs can effect libido, which you refer to as "drive." Strike two: Viagra does absolutely nothing to counter loss of libido.

Maybe do a little reading before spreading misinformation?

I take it daily, have for many years. Hasn't impacted me yet. Hope it stays that way.

That's been my experience.  When I first starting my Zoloft/Sertraline prescription, my libido completely disappeared at the beginning.  Over a period of a few weeks, it slowly came back to the point that it's not appreciably different from where it was before I started taking it, so I guess it was just a questions of my body adjusting to it.

Lexapro and Wellbutrin.  Contrary to medical reports, and some on here, BOTH make it harder to ejaculate, but Wellbutrin less so.

Getting hard isn’t the issue (initially), sensation and ejaculation is the issue.  And once you know you can’t ejaculate, well getting hard then becomes a problem.