# Husband's Side Effects from Meds



## kwillis1 (Mar 28, 2012)

Anyone else have a husband that is having ED or other types of complications or side effects from taking Verapamil, Prozac, Zoloft, etc?:scratchhead:


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## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Yes, H. was on Effexor for about 2 years or so and stopped taking them in December...still no sex drive and impotence is still a factor. Last time we had sex was a year ago in May. Even then it was not that great.

Am very concerned about the long lasting effects of these drugs. I am only 43 do not want to spend the rest of my life in a sexless relationship.


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## CandieGirl (Apr 27, 2011)

H is weaning off Paxil. Drive is still an issue; he has a very low one. Also, he now worries about becoming too quick. That hardly happens. In fact, the opposite. He can go forever...sounds better than it is.


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## OhhShiney (Apr 8, 2011)

SSRIs are a mixed blessing, with side effects that can be substantial. I was on SSRIs for three years, and the side effects took more than a year to subside. I'm not entirely sure that they are all gone. I've been prescribed medications to help with parts of the issue. 

SSRIs saved my life. I used SSRIs near the end of my marriage. They allowed me to deal with anxiety and stress from an abusive relationship, and afforded me enough sanity to be realized how bad my marriage was and to get out. 

The side effects were reduced libido, ED, and overall dysfunction. I had trouble achieving orgasm, genital numbness, and odd "misfires." E.g., orgasm without erection, erection and ejaculation without orgasm, and loss of erection right before orgasm should have happened (arrghhh!) SSRIs have been used to cure premature ejaculation (by delaying ejaculation) -- in my case, I never had such a problem, so the effect of delaying ejaculation turned into anorgasmia (no orgasm). 

As I said, I was on a high does of SSRI (celexa) for three years, and it saved my life. The low libido actually helped me by allowing me to step back and see that my life sucked. I ended the marriage and started over. 

I eventually met a wonderful woman who was VERY PATIENT. As I weaned off of the SSRI, I eventually got back to relatively normal functioning. We married. 

I really don't know how much of my remaining issues are tied to my age (55+) or the SSRI. 

If I had known how bad the side effects were, I might not have taken the medication. HOWEVER, I might be dead from issues related to my anxiety and my marriage. My doctor said you HAVE to do something or you will die. I refused to go to a counselor, wanting a quick fix, so took the drugs. The SSRI slowed me down enough to enter counseling, which saved my life.

Again, this is a mixed blessing. The side effects DO go away. I know that ANY impatience on the part of my wife would have been an emotional disaster; as with all men, sexual issues are a HUGE issue, and any pressure regarding performance only makes things worse. The ED medication can help maintain an erection, but it does NOTHING to help the orgasm issues.


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## OhhShiney (Apr 8, 2011)

CandieGirl said:


> H is weaning off Paxil. Drive is still an issue; he has a very low one. Also, he now worries about becoming too quick. That hardly happens. In fact, the opposite. He can go forever...sounds better than it is.


The number of chemicals released by the body during the process are amazing and largely out of control of the conscious mind. The timing and amount of chemicals are critical, and failures of anything to be produced, or imbalances can be disastrous. There are different chemicals involved in every step from initial desire, libido, erection, orgasm, ejaculation, and relaxation. If the chemistry gets out of whack, the process will fail. One reference is at science.howstuffworks.com … HowStuffWorks "The Penis" (not sure if TAM will accept this link, it's innocuous ) 

SSRIs are involved in Serotonin, which is critical to this process.


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## studley (Oct 19, 2011)

OhhShiney said:


> The side effects were reduced libido, ED, and overall dysfunction. I had trouble achieving orgasm, genital numbness


Much the same here when taking Fluoxtene (sp) which is similar to Prozac. I definetly need it for managing stress and temperament issues though and because the wife isn't interested in sex, I deal with it.


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