Hi everyone im a 31 year old male , so far been on venlafaxine for nearly 3 weeks the dose is 150mg , but my GP wants to up them to 225mg has i still feel so ill , i was on mirtazapine for a while but all they did was make me eat and give me nightmares and before that i was on prozac which helped but messed my sex-life up , my question to anyone who reads this is has any other people that takes venlafaxine had a loss in libido such as cant get a proper erection and/or cant orgasm/ejaculate or anything similar , if so i would like to hear from you , i would especially like to hear from anyone that has any information to correct this side effect , any information is desperately needed weather its herbal medication or conventional medication that will help me and others who read this get there sex-lifes back on track i would like to no if anyone has found anything that helps them to be able to get an erection and to be able to have sex and climax at the end , as i no these tablets are to blame because i was alright on mirtazapine as far as sex goes its just they never worked with my depression , i dont even want or think about sex on these tablets let alone be able to manage it in the first place and then being able to climax , please dont get me wrong i dont claim to ever being a stud or anything im just desperately in need of some helpful advise as my GP dont seem to have any answers for me and im scared my girlfriend of 3 years will leave me because of my insecurities and i feel inadequate , like i said any help and information is very welcomed , thanks everyone for reading , hope you all feel better soon xx
Hi there, I found the first month on venlafaxine very difficult and was very ill with it like yourself. I too suffered with the chemical castration and its effects. What I would say to you is that after you become adjusted to the medication and become assimulated the unpleasant side effects dissolve and go away; Im talking about my own experience here. I understand your GP wants to increase your dossage, personally I would hold off in any increase untill you became used to the dose your on before. I came off of eocitralipram and could only tolerate 75mg venlafaxine for 4 weeks cause I was so ill with it. By week 4 everything settled down and I went up to 150mg and then 225mg without any problems. It was difficult as during the dossage adjustments I became very flat. I just had to say to my partner that I wasnt feeling very sexual and they didnt have a problem with this as they could see how ill I was and that I needed the treatment. At the end of the day they just want me to get better and my health is number one for the moment. Talk to her
thanks iexplore , i will talk to her now i no im not alone in this , thanks again.
this is a female perspective of venlafaxine. i was far mor sexual on chlomipramine but then went onto v. as a result i rarely desire sex and when i do it takes a lot of patience and concentration to climax. it is certainly not as powerful, or as long lasting. sometimes it can even be too sensitive and then i just stick to cuddles etc. my partner understands and is still very affectionate. xmaria
he he he! I'm taking venlafaxine & not lost my libido but my husband has !!!
one of the side effects of venlaflaxine is sexual disfunction I feel for you... I am not in a relationship but am on the drug I suggest you taking to your GP and see if some other drug may reduce your sexual disfunction
I too am experiencing this very unwanted side effect. I only get what I call a \"half-hearted erection\"- no good to anyone!! I am 57 years of age, and my wife tells me that I should not be wanting sex at my age anyway. not the best of things to say, it makes me feel inadequate as it is, without comments like this
I have seen my GP about this problem and he told me to give it a while, if things do not improve he has told me he will prescribe viagra or something of a similar nature. But having read about other peoples experience of this, I am not too sure about it. Unfortunately I find Venlafaxine pretty good for depression but lousy for your sex life!
Iam a 41 year old female and have beem married for several years and enjoyed a great sex life. I too was concerned at the beginning when taking ven. I have now been taking 150mg ven for 6 months and my sex life is back to normal! At the beginning i wasn't interested in sex but after a few months my libido came back(i knew then i was getting better) but when i had sex i couldn't orgasm. I discussed my concern with a psyc and he assure me that once the medication is settled in your system your normal functions will come back-and he was right. Don't put pressure on yourself, you'll know when you're really ready and given time i'm sure you'll be back to normal.
ps my brother suffered like you but returned to normal eventually aswell.
Hope this helps. x
I feel so much relief after reading this thread.
I am engaged with a young woman and we used to have a really active sexual life. Sex would go pretty smoothly between us and we were pretty comfortable with it. She started taking Venlafaxine about 4 months ago and recently had a increase in her dosage. Her libido seemed to disappear and, of course, this caused a lot of stress in our relationship.
The problem is that my own libido is going exactly the other way around: it's been driving me insane... maybe due to anxiety or something. This conflict of sexual interest made me feel undesired by her, which made me feel somewhat hurt. Hearing others reporting the same issues makes me feel more confident and relieved.
I guess I'll just have to go easy with this and wait for her to get used to the drug. And, of course, remind myself that we have sex because we love each other and not the other way around.
Thanks guys!
Yes, I too have experienced loss of libido after being on venaflaxine for two weeks. It's working for my flushes but now have very little sex drive then when I do I can't orgasm!!Help!!
currently going cold turkey so not the best of times, but was on venlafaxain 150mg (modified release) for abt 5 yrs, and can say regarding libido etc, it destroyed it sorry not what you want to hear , the old lad only occassionaly got to attention and if did would las a few minutes certainly not enough to have any woopy do !