How Can Depression Make Me Lose My Sex Drive?

You may be wondering "How Can Depression Make Me Lose My Sex Drive?" if you suffer from depression. Depression is treated with antidepressants. These antidepressants can have side effects, one of them being a decrease in sexual desire. Although this may be temporary, any reaction to an antidepressant should be discussed with your doctor.

1. Depression strikes both men and women alike. However, men may show signs of depression differently or not show signs at all for fear of appearing weak. Depression is mostly thought of as a "woman's" disorder mainly because of men's lack of admission to having feelings of depression.
2. The most common symptoms of depression in men include loss of sex drive, low self-esteem, loss of appetite and not wanting to participant in other pleasurable activities. Unfortunately some men may not report the loss in sex drive as he may feel embarrassed in admitting an inability to perform. The stress of this can add to the problem as well as any medication that he may be taking for depression.
3. Certain antidepressants, such as Paxil, are known to cause a decrease in sex drive. Talk with your doctor about switching to another antidepressant that may not cause you to lose your sex drive. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant that is said to control the feelings of depression without side effects related to loss of sex drive. A note of caution is in order when switching from Paxil. it is advised to wean from one medication onto another as to avoid harmful side effects due to a decrease in dosage.

References:

National Institute of Mental Health

MedlinePlus