Hi all, yes, I have been dignosed with Severe Depression, I scored a 73 on the questions, and put on Zoloft, 25mg the first week, then 50mg the second. I have taken 4 of them so far, for the last four days. I'm hoping to have them take effect soon, as I've been having a very hard time lately. After reading the brochure that came with Zoloft, I have found I most likely have Obsessive/Compulsion disorder as well. I seem to have the same thoughts, alot of them very crazy, going thru my head alot, some I'd very much prefer never to think about again. I have also had suicidal thoughts, tho as I told my doc, I couldnt afford to do that, so its out of the question, LOL. Insurance doesnt cover it, so my family would have to foot the bill, so I just push the thoughts away when they come up, believe me, thats hard to do.
My question is this, are there any serious sexual side effects to Zoloft, and what would they be? You see, this Depression is affecting me in that area too, and I dont need it to be reduced that much more. I know the brochure said there can be, but I need a much more valuable opinion. I asked the doc to give me whatever had the least effects in that area, and he said this was it. Would that be correct?
Thanks for your time!

chris

Though I am not a doctor,I too had some of the same feelings you are having (crazy thoughts, suicide,obsessive/compulsive to some point among others)I was diagnosed as bi-polar.The first doctor I had was treating me for "General depression" and the lesser pills had little effect on me.Then I went to a Psychrist and he correctly diagnosed me. Was it as general doctor who diagnosed you or an psychrist? Lithium was what ended up working for me.I have steady moods all the time now and no more ups and downs.It will get better in time.Yes I do believe that most or all of the depression meds will effect sex drive.The best place I have found to get answers on any medication is on site

quote:

My question is this, are there any serious sexual side effects to Zoloft, and what would they be?

They are considered the "less serious side effects" and they are decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm. If you experience these, still continue to taking sertraline and talk to your doctor.

On a side note, it usually takes about 4 weeks or more before you will start feeling better and you may experience other side effects if you stop taking the drug suddenly.

It was a general doc who diagnosed me, I sincerely hope I dont have to go to a psychiatrist, as I cannot afford it right now anyway. My sex drive is still as strong as ever, just the performance is affected, which of course, as a man, is driving me crazy, LOL. When your wife is entering her sexual peak, you really dont want to be suffering from performance anxiety, LOL.

chris

Chris, there are clinics that will charge you on a sliding scale, depending on your income. I go to one for my depression. It helps.

What Georgia says is correct about the time it takes for meds to work. Read the peper that comes with the meds. Some meds take even longer, and it may take a while to find the right med for you. When you do find it, however, it is worth it.

You should discuss switching from Zoloft to Wellbutrin which has the lowest sexual side effects.


The site listed below has two very informative articles. You are not alone.

See here and here .

Some men do have problems with sexual performance because of both depression and medications used to treat depression. My best suggestion is this:

#1 Continue taking the med for about a month.

#2 If you feel an improvement in your emotional state but are continuing to have troubles sexually, speak to your doctor about maybe trying a different medication.

You do need to give this one a change to get to the right levels before giving up on it. It is a bad idea to start drug hopping without a good idea of what is truely happening.

Also, when you are depressed, you Do get obsessive thoughts and suicidal ideation and of those things. If your emotional state does not improve with this med, ask your doctor to try another.

If you continue to have depression that the treatment isn't helping with at all, see if you can get a referral to the sort of clinic that DG mentioned. Also, many doctors with take payments to pay medical bills. Ask before giving up.

Van, I am sorry you are having such a rough time.

Keep us updated on how you are doing, ok?

Sher

Thanks to you all! I'm starting to feel a little better, but I think thats due more to knowing whats wrong than anything. I've been on the Zoloft 25mg for one week, and start the 50 mg week tomorrow morning. It has been frustrating, thats for sure, I've never had to deal with something like this before, tho I've seen others who have. I'm just glad Tracy, my wife, is here for me to lean on, as I'm not sure how I'd handle this alone. I apreciate the kind words everyone has said here, and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

chris

Van, I am also on depression meds... Prozac. And I will likely be on it for the rest of my life because I have tried to be off it about 4 or 5 times now. Sometimes you just need that extra help, and I am one of those sorts of persons.

I know a lot of people who use these sorts of meds to help them manage their life. There is nothing to be ashamed of as far as I am concerned.

Do keep us in mind and if you need to talk, you can find my email in my profile.

The others have already addressed the medication issue. I think you'd have the best chance of successful depression treatment by combining the medication with counseling/therapy sessions.

I found this community counseling center in Wytheville; their fees are on a sliding scale. If that's not an appropriate place, I'm sure your doctor or county/state health department could refer you to other lower-cost therapy providers in your area.

Chris:
I don't have any advice on this issue, but I just wanted to say that I'm thinking about you and hoping that everything will work out. You were such a big help to me when I was in the hospital last year and continue to be such a big help on the computer section of AnswerPool. I just needed to say "thank you" and let you know that you're not alone...

Dwight

My thanks to you all for the encouragement and kind words! I'm feeling a little better the last day or so, but still have a long way to go. Its so good to know there are people that care outside the home, and in this case, I'm almost overwhelmed at the response to my problem. I can only hope it doesnt take very long to start getting better.
MsSueM, I appreciate you looking up that counseling center, in fact, I've been there with my son before, and may try to go back, although they werent any help with him, and bugged me to death about the bill, LOL.
I'm not really ashamed about this, as much as I'm surprised, I really didnt think that was the problem, I actually thought it was my ex-wife's influence, and continued aggravation that was causing a good part of it.
Dwight, I was more than happy to help you in any way I could, and am extremely gratified to see you doing so well, I have meant to call you many times, but thats another thing about this Depression, my memory is getting so bad at times, I lose a thought moments after it occurs to me.
Thanks again and Bless you all!

chris

"...another thing about this Depression, my memory is getting so bad at times..."

I KNEW that there was something else I meant to say, but I just couldn't quite remember it was.

Yeah, that IS a problem about depression. I find myself not remembering bits and pieces of Trivia that I have known for years.

Well, at this moment, I'm having trouble calming my mind down enough to sleep. Alot of thoughts going thru it constantly, (I over-analyze everything anyway), and it makes it very hard to relax enough for sleep. I've taken a couple of over the counter sleeping aids to see if it will help, maybe it will, we'll see.

chris

Sher,
Tried to email you, but it said the recipient was rejected, and after I wrote out a nice long email too, LOL. Oh well, it should still be in my Outbox.

chris

Van,

Remove the "no_spam" in the address.

It should be just the word then @ptd.net.

quote:

I actually thought it was my ex-wife's influence, and continued aggravation that was causing a good part of it.

Everytime I think about my ex husband I don't want to have sex. I feel your pain.

As the old saying goes: Who would ever think this would happen to me?

I just had a rough night at work dealing with this, frustrated all evening, and pain in the lower left side of my ribs and back. I'm wondering if this pain is part of the frustration? LOL Oh well, I guess there's no quick fix for this, .

chris

I've had it better over the weekend, things went a little better than normal. The wife and I even had some time to ourselves Saturday night, and we took full advantage, LOL. I seem to be feeling somewhat better, and have a better outlook, even if just a little. I havent been having that big knot in my gut, like I had been having alot. Maybe the meds are helping a little? Who knows? Lets just hope so.

chris

Glad to hear it Chris!