Cymbalta and decreased sex drive?
I was recently put on Cymbalta for depression and fibromyalgia. On day one of taking it, my sex drive went from full to nothing. It stayed that way for the next few days until I missed a dose, and on the day I missed, my sex drive went right back up. While I don't like being in pain, not being able to have or enjoy sex is just as bad as the fibro pain, if not worse. I don't want to give up on this medicine right away as it did help a lot with the pain, but I just can't live with no sex drive. Right now I'm taking it in the morning, will taking it at night help reduce its effect on my libido?
Also, I just switched from Prozac to Cymbalta. Could the reduced sex drive be caused by the switch in medication?
Public Comments
1. unfortunately antidepressants decrease your sex drive no matter when you take them. sucks2. if you take an ssri or ssni, it will wreck your sex life, end of story. antidepressants turn out to act primarily by placebo effect - for each antidepressant approved by the FDA, the drug companies would have to do about a dozen studies to get 2 studies to submit to the FDA showing any benefit of the drug. the other studies were buried - never published. A guy named irving kirsch used the freedom of information act to gain access to these studies also, and it turns out - antidepressants don't work. If you look at the detailed prescribing information, even the drug companies' info shows that the drugs help only say 10% more than placebo, and that was based on the studies that were published. Placebo effect is powerful, no question about that, but these drugs cause harm, so they aren't harmless placebos. withdrawal is hell for some, there is a question that some people are coming down with bipolar as a result of taking antidepressants, and bipolar is a lot worse than major depression, on average. also look into "anatomy of an epidemic" by robert whitaker, then be more careful about which drugs you will put into your body. the FDA is NOT protecting us! (witness avandia, the diabetes drug - not pulled off the market. . .)
you're better off getting counseling. I'll give you some depression tips, also.
Depression tips (PRINT THEM OUT):
Could a prescribed or over the counter medication be causing or worsening your depression? Many meds are culprits, including birth control pills, blood pressure, pain meds, etc. Alcohol and illicit drugs can cause serious problems too.
Get your thyroid levels checked – hypothyroidism is a depression mimic.
If your depression is worse in winter, try to get more sun. You may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or your depression could be partly seasonal. Use a light box (10,000 Lux (light intensity) at about 20” - about $300 online, don't get locally, they charge more, you don't need full spectrum, it needs a UV filter, the Sunray is a good brand). I have extra windows, painted the walls peach & yellow & have a skylight. There's a link to a cheaper lightbox at psycheducation.org. Also take 1000 to 2000 IU of Vitamin D in winter – if you live in the north, you are deficient in this vitamin & need the supplement anyhow, so you may as well see if it helps the depression.
Try meditation like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. See The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne for examples. Free 15 minute guided imagery download at healthjourneys.com.
Go out with friends, & if you don't have any, join a club & MAKE yourself go until you look forward to it. “Isolating” makes depression worse!
Exercise 1/2 hour a day, & anytime you feel depressed. Exercise is a great mood stabilizer & reduces anxiety. LOTS OF RESEARCH SUPPORTS THIS.
Insomnia?: Go to bed & get up the same time each day, even weekends. Don't use your bedroom to watch TV, read or use the computer. Don't do stuff that revs you up before bed, like exercising & using the computer. Light from computer screens & TV wakes you up. Use that last hour to wind down-take a bath? Make the bedroom very dark, even cover up the alarm clock. Use a noise machine (makes wave sounds etc.) to cover up disturbing sounds. Avoid caffeine in afternoon & evening. Try soundsleeping.com for free relaxing sounds downloads.
Put colorful, happy things around the house. Do nice things for yourself. Make a list of things that make you happy, like: bread fresh from the oven, the scent of Jergen's cherry almond lotion, the crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, standing in the boat flicking topwater lures onto the water, etc. Use all your senses & read that list when you are breaking down
Work on time management if you are overwhelmed. Cut back on other responsibilities so you can spend more restorative time with friends & family. Ask for help if depression makes it hard to keep up with chores.
Spend more time with your pet, if you have one. Both of you will appreciate the time.
DON'T listen to sad music! It makes things worse! Listen to upbeat stuff- same with movies & novels.
DISTRACT yourself when you are hurting. Read a novel, watch a comedy, go out with friends, play cards or a video game, whatever is mentally all-consuming. This is VERY helpful in a crisis!!
Volunteer. Helping others makes you feel better about yourself. It also keeps you more involved in the community. Many people find comfort being involved in religion.
Put a half-smile on your face. Changing your expression is proven to help change mood.
Cognitive Behavioral therapy is the most effective kind of counseling. Try free computerized CBT at moodgym.anu.edu.au. Computerized therapy appears to be almost as effective as counseling, research shows.
PS your doc may try to tell you that you will get used to the drug and this problem will go away - that is a lie. only 5% to at most 10% of people get used to the medication in this way. adding viagra or a stimulant medication didn't help me one bit - probably another mis-truth there. You may have been on a lower dose of prozac, so it didn't affect you as much. Also, good luck getting off cymbalta if you want to stop it after a long time - you can't split capsules. so you pretty much have to cold turkey off it, isn't that special? cymbalta has worse withdrawal effects than most other antidepressants, I was told. too short a half-life, i expect.
3. I took cymbalta almost 3 years (my 1st antidepressant). I never had a sex drive. I'm taking wellbutrin now and it seems to be coming back a bit. The cymbalta quit working for the depression and had to be changed.
If you can't live with the side effects, ask your doctor or therapist for a change. IT seems wellbutrin may not have this side with me.
I'm 47 and have bipolar.
Debbie
