Sexual Health - Men Forum - Anti-depressants and PE?

I don't currently take anti-depressants, but I had for about 5 months a few years ago. I had been sick for months, bed-ridden dizzy every night for months and doctors were of no help. Being sick for so long in addition to the extent of my dizziness caused me to develop an anxiety problem. Even after I solved my dizziness problems with USANA supplements I still had anxiety, which actually worsened when I had a panic attack that put me in the ER because I couldn't breathe. After more tests and more hospital stays I was diagnosed with panic attacks and anxiety. I really had no idea, because I didn't know anxiety could have such an effect, I thought it was physical. Anxiety is a vicious circle that only makes your anxiety worse. I was fine and on my way to recovery until that panic attack which pushed me into a near constant state of anxiety.

Anyway, the doc prescribed me Xanax. Took it for a couple months, but since I'm opposed to drugs which do not cure I wanted off. Especially since Xanax is dangerous and people build tolerances to it which causes one to need higher and higher doses with smaller effect. People actually have to go to rehab to get off this stuff. So my doc prescribed me Paxil so I could ween of Xanax. The purpose being that I wanted to take natural supplements, but all of them were listed as interacting with Xanax. While there are a couple that could be taken with anti-depressants. So I figured, switch to an AD, ween of Xanax, then add something natural and ween off the AD.

After a week of taking Paxil I was a mess. Diarhea constantly, nervousness, shaking, just plain crap. So the doc switched me to Effexor XR, extended release. All AD's usually take 6-8 weeks to work and I'd say that's about the time I got optimum results. I was feeling better and weened of Xanax bit by bit, which wasn't too hard but still took determination. After a while I felt better again. No anxiety every night, which I had even when on Xanax, but that could have been due to my reluctance to take it other than when I really needed it.

No bad side effects to speak of. I felt fine, didn't notice any loss of concentration and actually was happy. Probably from being sick for so long, dizziness followed by anxiety, it was a relief to feel normal again. At first I had a lowered libido, but it faded and I had no problems getting erections. The other side effect, anorgasmia, difficulty in reaching orgasm is the side effect you're looking for. At first it was stronger, like the lowered libido. I first noticed it when trying to masturbate one night. It took some real effort. Sort of like trying to reach an orgasm after you've already orgasmed and ejaculated several times recently. To reach orgasm I did what I always did, clench my pelvic floor muscles, except I had to do it harder and longer. Again, it faded a little over time to where I could reach orgasm faster, but it was still a bit of work.

For sex, I could last as long as I wanted. There was no adding a few minutes, it was do it and do it and do it and do it. Which by the way, is not good for the female either. Unless of course she has difficulty reaching orgasm through intercourse, but still possible for her too. The problem comes from the difficulty in moving your body and being able to clench the pelvic muscles strong enough to achieve orgasm. So basically I was a man with a hard on that was tiring myself out having sex without much feeling. I didn't mind though, it was still great sex, and I could get mine at the end through masturbation. One night I didn't orgasm at all. We just had sex and oral for about 3 hours. Her mouth had to have been sore the next day. I finally took off the condom for my first time in life and it felt good. I figured it'd do the trick but after a couple minutes it lost it's fresh appeal and I was back to just going through the motions. She got hers and then some, I was happy, so we called it a night without me masturbating to completion for her.

So do anti-depressants work? Yes. This was full dose however. Smallest daily dose, but full dose nonetheless. For PE you'd probably take a very small dose. Perhaps take it for a while to get it in your system, and then only when you need it for performance or occasional upkeep. So I don't know how long a PE dose would add to your performance, but it should work to some extent. If not, talk to your doctor about trying a different chemical or higher dose. The brands aren't just names, they're completely different chemicals but generally act in the same way, but they have different effects on different people with different levels of side effects. So if one doesn't work for you, maybe another will.

After about 5 months I was good and felt it was time to come off the Effexor. The side effects on the drug were non-existant other than the sexual ones, but the withdrawal effects coming off the drug were hellish. I was anxious, cold, shaky, headaches, dizziness, weak, low appetite, the whole works. This is only after months, some people take this drug for years, and at higher doses.

The worst symptom is what I found on the internet referred to as Brain Zaps. Talking to my doctor about this, he called them Sensory Disturbances. I prefer to call them brain zaps, because that's what they felt like. At random or especially with eye or head movements, I would get an almost electrical zap zoom through my brain. The surprise of it and the pain (not really pain, but definitely discomforting) of it would cause me to jolt my head, causing another one. I was making funny faces every time it zapped me, kind of like a wince. I remember describing it as if being struck in the head with a ghost bat. It was not a good time at all and pretty much caused me to swear off anti-depressants ever again.

I had bought a book to help me get off the drug, but I express ordered it pretty much the day I began taking the half-dose to ween off. I was getting samples from my doc, so it was a starter pack which contained a weeks worth of half doses. The book involved some supplements, which I took, and gradually reducing the dose. Since I was already off of it and it was an extended release drug I didn't get to do that, so I just toughed it out. Which I almost didn't do, because after about a week I called my doc and asked for another drug. I was hoping for something that would be easier to come off of, as I knew if I went back on to Effexor I'd just be postponing another withdrawal. I wasn't looking forward to it, because Paxil made me sick, so who knows what another drug will do. He suggested Wellbutrin which people often have easier time with in terms of side effects and withdrawals. He set up to have some samples for me to pick up.

But I never picked them up. The symptoms were fading, I was feeling better, and the brain zaps were getting fewer and lesser. Still had minor zaps for about a month or so.

And that's my story about anti-depressants. I know you just wanted to know if they worked and how well, but you should know what you're getting into. Not all people have the same effects, and not all drugs would even effect me the same. And since you'd be taking it for PE you'd be taking a smaller and less frequent dose.

I don't remember who, but someone on here brought up a company once that treated ED and PE with prescription drugs. It was similar to Boston Medical Group. They made it sound like they had a drug that's purpose was for PE. But that doesn't exist yet, so I called and asked some questions. They want you in the system and sell you, but I refused and eventually got through to people who could answer. The drug was Clomipramine. The dose was small, but I don't know what. I think that drug is sold as small as 10mg, but who knows they might have given more.

The system was to take the drug for a few weeks and then after that only when needed, about an hour or so before performance. For single men, the plan was to take it for a few weeks and then take a maintenance dose. Details I do not know. They'd also work with you to help, and perhaps adjust dosage. They said most people stop after 6 months and are cured. How, I don't know. Perhaps they train you to do other things along with the drug, or maybe some people just needed to relax and have confidence. To find out, maybe you could do their program just to get their support and find what the program and dosage entails. Otherwise, the cost ($175 per month) is about what it would cost for 6 months of the drug itself.

But talk to your doctor or urologist or maybe even a sex therapist has some word on what drugs and what doses seem to work the best. I researched Clomipramine after talking with that company and I remember finding some studies as to which drugs worked best. I think Clomipramine was one of the better ones, but don't remember much detail. Do some googling of Clomipramine (might have check the spelling) and premature ejaculation.

Crap, I almost forgot a very important part...

After Effexor, my orgasm were back to normal. I was really enjoying masturbation after coming off of it because they were easier and had feeling the whole time as opposed to just at orgasm. Orgasms might have been stronger too.

Sex? Well that's the surprising part. I hadn't had sex for a couple months after coming off Effexor. I went to bed with a new girl one night. Everything was fine, had some foreplay, confident, and gave her a couple orgasms before it was even time for sex with dry humping and fingering. Which is a good thing, because I threw on the condom and entered her missionary position, started thrusting and within 30 seconds I was done. Came as a complete shock to me and since this girl didn't know of my previous abilities, I wasn't happy. If she had been with me before, she'd probably be surprised too, and we'd laugh. But no, new girl, no idea what I could do before.

So when I said, "I swear to god, that has never happened to me before." I was telling the truth and she was probably thinking, "yeah right." Even when I was saying it I was thinking to myself, "I can't believe I'm actually saying this. It's like a line out of a movie. I'm telling the truth, but she's going to think I'm lying because when guys say this, they're lying."

But she didn't blow me off or anything. I talked about it on the phone when we set up another meeting, saying something like I'm surprised you'd want to do it again since I came so fast. She said, no, you're good. Which goes to show that women are understanding and as long as you please them in other ways, you can still be a good lover. Though, it'd still be nice and I'm sure women would like it to.

Then I realized what had happened. It was the Effexor. I had to really clench my pelvic muscles to achieve orgasm while on it. After months of masturbation and sex using this technique, my muscles became very strong and almost automatic. Coming off the Effexor I no longer had the delay of the drug, but still had the muscles contracting to achieve orgasm, causing PE. I didn't have PE before Effexor. I didn't even have PE when I lost my virginity. So now I have to get control of these muscles, because they contract involuntarily from stimulation now.