Amy's Robot

SSRI's and sexual side effects

If you have a doctor's appointment coming up, and you're considering which prescription psychotropic drug to abuse, I suggest you consider Wellbutrin. The NY Times has a charming anecdote about a woman who was prescribed Zoloft for her depression, which worked on the depression, but also destroyed her sex drive. In an attempt to counteract the sexual side effect, her doctor prescribed Wellbutrin, a wacky drug that has done all kinds of unpredictable and sometimes unpleasant things to those who take it. (You might have heard of people taking Wellbutrin as a part of an effort to quit smoking. Someone I know who did this had to go off it when she started experiencing psychotic breaks and minor hallucinations at work, so, you know, watch out.)

Anyway, the woman in the story starts taking her Wellbutrin as well as her Zoloft, and the next thing she knows, she's doing some shopping, and "spontaneously had an orgasm that had lasted on and off for nearly two hours."

The article goes on to point out that other drugs also mimic Wellbutrin's effects by increasing dopamine levels: "In fact, drugs of abuse, like cocaine, alcohol and opiates, release dopamine in this circuit - and so does sex." Considering that your insurance plan is more likely to cover Wellbutrin than cocaine, I'd probably stick with that.

categories: Health
posted by amy at 1:51 PM | #