efexor and sex drive.?

Question

my boyfriend is 33, ha has been taking efexor for 2 years, but before that he was on another anti depressant for 5 years.
our sex life started w having sex 2 a week, then 1 a week, and now, after living together for a year, the most i can get is sex 1 a month. could it be the medicine?

Answer 1

Hi. I myself have to use efexor. I use it for just the opposite reason. After trying many different types of a.d. medicines
efexor was th only one that did not affect my libido. All the others I tried, did have negative effects in my sex life. So in my case Efexor helped a lot so I could have normal relations and so I could say that Efexor does not affect negativelly sexual relations. However all these medicines, and many more, act quite differently with different individuals and hence I would not generalize my response and say that efexor is diminishing your b-friend´s libido.

Obviously, if he has been taking it two years and only last year it has become it has become so irregular there might be other reasons. Additionaly if he took another ad for 5 years you have to ask your self why he changed to efexor, maybe, he, like me, was looking for and ad medicine that worked well for him and did not affect his sex drive. In that case, believe men are very sensitive about any sexual prowess issue, ther are a lot of possibilities that in fact he did choose efexor because it was the only medicine, of those he tried, that did not affect his sex drive. Generally, when you have to take such medicines, it is because there is some powerful reason, meaning you broke down so bad that you are ready to be a guinea-pig, you normally have to try several untill you find one that helps you. When you find it first time you tend to take it as to take you out of the darkness and suufering, so you dont give a rats a_ _e if it has any secondary effects.Only after quite loong tyime, when you are better and start recovering, you dare to think about secondary effects like sxdrve. So in my oppinion these all put together is reason enough to think that probably it is not the medicine. You could ask him very specifically if by any chance the old medicine affected his sxdrv - if you asked him about efexor maybe you would not get a franck answer because it would imply that presently he has lost his sxdrv, and that is quite slippery terrain to move about.

Also by what you explain in your question when you started it was 2 a week, might tell you that when you first met, in my case everytime I had a new grlfriend, not that I have had more than any normal bloke, you go pretty wild for a while. With this I mean that you do not start with 2 a week but you get as much as you can, if possible every day and even some days several times. So that maybe supports that he changed medicines, into efexor exacly to improve his sd and it worked for him. You should consider, and hence you can ask any martried woman, or any woman who has had a steady companion, that after a while passion in relationship decreases. Like everything in life doing something every day becomes rutine and that is one of the most important reasons for passion diminishment in extended relationships.

Also it seems that your bfriend had a quite traumatic experience at least 7-8 years ago, and those things leave you very touched and even can never be cured, at least with todays medicines, and if he feels OK it is always possitive. With this I mean that if he has been able to crawl out of the hole he wont be willing to try new medicines and dare to have a refall.

Maybe I am worng but by dates and info you provide I would dare to induce that your bfriend had a big-nasty breakup of a long term relationship, 7- 8 years ago, that really hit hime bad. Some ruptures are different than others and if one of the actors of rupture, the dumper, acts really hiddeously, anyone can break up. So with this I mean that he might have love-sex related issues that make things even more complex.

I would recommend you

a) ask/speak with him
b) ask myself if the most important thing in your relationship is sex, and if you really cant accept the actuall rythm and if sex is worth to loose a good man,something he must have if you moved in with him, than trying to improve situation. Sex too is influenced by social expectations, friends, others etc.
c) if sex is not the most import thing in your relationship then you can try to spice it up. With this I do not mean you get into anything that might deteriorate further your relatioship, like threesoms or group sx (which is also an option for some) but that you try to improve your sexual reationship with him. This might include not pressuring him about the number of times u make love. But try to excite him without him and you having to make a plan going to sex counselling since often just put more pressure and has dysfunctional results. Get a good book on sex, one that addresses long term relatiuonship and sex, and that has a practical side and provides interesting information that you can put to practice and you are willing to try and see how it works.

All couples go through the routine problem at some point and have to address it, or not, and then either they get it somewhere else (which usually leads to rupture) or they find a solution that improves not only their sexual lifee but strngthen the realtionship as well as providing you with the knowledge very usefull to your life.

You are the one who knows. I am just especulating whith quite little information.So you think well all this things and decide what to do. I wish you the best.

S

Answer 2

Not a Dr. but just from experience; low sex drive is one of the side effects when taking Effexor. But if you'd like to confirm what you're thinking go to Web MD or even ask your pharmacist. I no longer use this because of the many side effects it has as with any prescribed medication.

Answer 3

I even have been taking Effexor for some years now and have not had any issues. i think that is going to teach there are a great array of area outcomes in each physique. there are numerous different drugs accessible resembling Effexor. no count number if it relatively is an argument, i'd examine with your well-being practitioner and attempt some thing else.

Answer 4

Yes..a side effect of most anti depressants is decreased libido. Have him talk to his therapist about this, there are some solutions...I think Welbrutrin does not have this effect, but I may be wrong....have him ask a qualified professional..

Answer 5

I'm a nurse. Yes it is the medication it is one of the side effects check the paper you get from the drug store, and you will see it. I'm sorry maybe another medication would be better for your mate to use see the doctor.

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

possibly but get him to a GP