Prozac and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 2)

• RFa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 7, 2018

For Anxiety and Stress "So far, I’m about 2 months into using Prozac, and I must say it’s done wonders for me. I want to let people know that the first few weeks I had some stomach issues (slight loose stools), which subsided around week 3. After that, my mood has been better, my attitude and relationship have flourished. Also, an odd side effect for me is having an increased libido (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Also, taking longer for orgasms (again, probably isn’t a bad thing). If anxiety and depression rule your life, give Prozac a try."

• Pet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "33 yr old woman. I was in a really bad state of anxiousness, depression, and burn-out. Started on 20 mg, after about 10 days, one day realized I was actually enjoying a sunny day in the park, without constantly checking my surroundings and having all my muscles in ‘standby to run-mode.’ Since then, I became less and less stressed, depressed, and anxious. Side effects for me are a bit of a ‘speedy’ feeling in my body and almost complete loss of libido. Prozac helps me a lot in daily life, gives me time and peace to recover from my burn-out, and gives me room in my head and emotions for good therapy sessions. However, I would not ‘recommend’ any medicine (not a doctor), especially because Prozac clearly affects everybody in such different ways."

• BSt...
• May 27, 2011

For Anxiety and Stress "This is my second day on Prozac to treat my post-traumatic stress disorder. I've had a little trouble sleeping, some dry mouth, and a definite drop in libido. But you know what? I will take these any day over screaming at my family like a lunatic and feeling completely out of control. These 2 days have been uneventful in that regard, and I give my thanks to Prozac."

• Jin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2021

For Panic Disorder "So happy on Prozac. I was on Effexor 150 mg for a few months until I had had enough of the sexual dysfunction and the awful other side effects it was giving me. Taking Prozac has not only helped with my panic disorder, but also it causes no sexual side effects for me. I’ve been taking 40 mg since September 2020, it is now February 2021. I’m happier than ever!"

• Jin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2021

For Panic Disorder "So happy on Prozac. I was on Effexor 150 mg for a few months until I had had enough of the sexual dysfunction and the awful other side effects it was giving me. Taking Prozac has not only helped with my panic disorder, but also it causes no sexual side effects for me. I’ve been taking 40 mg since September 2020, it is now February 2021. I’m happier than ever!"

• All...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2020

For Anxiety and Stress "This medication definitely helped with my anxiety over the years. However, the sexual side effects eventually became unbearable. I attempted to wean off but ended up restarting again after a few months. The low/nonexistent libido became too much to deal with. I finally opened up to my doctor and switched to a different class of medication. The side effects went away almost immediately. It seemed to me that at low doses, the side effects were less prevalent. This medication was extremely helpful, but most SSRIs seem to have this same side effect."

• Jak...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 30, 2018

For Depression "I started Prozac for depression when I was 16 years old, and I'm now 18 and a half, so I've been on it for around 2 years at this point. Any benefits this drug provided in terms of my mood were minimal. I started on 10 mg, then 20 mg, then 40 mg. When the dose increased to 40 mg, my life became a foggy haze. I felt like a zombie, I had no emotions, I forgot what happiness or sadness actually felt like, and I felt so dark. Suicidal thoughts, and life lost all meaning. I frequently put myself in dangerous situations, began smoking cigarettes, and nearly attempted suicide 2-3 times. Additionally, my sex drive is a thing of the past, and maintaining a full erection during sex isn't possible. I am seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow, and I will discontinue this med."

• mus...
• March 26, 2013

For Depression "I was on Prozac for 6 weeks, and it made me gain weight and feel numb and apathetic about every aspect of my life. I stopped caring about my work performance, stopped wanting to see friends, had low energy yet trouble falling asleep, and had no sex drive whatsoever. The side effects were more depressing than my life was before."

• Mov...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 28, 2013

For Anxiety and Stress "I took 20 mg of Prozac from age 16 to 27 to make sure my anxiety and depression didn't interfere with being successful in high school and college. The 20 mg completely got rid of my anxiety and depression. This dose, however, was too stimulating, causing loopiness, decreased concentration in conversations, hyperactivity, and extended laughing spells over silly things. This dose also made it very difficult to orgasm and numbed my emotions, making it difficult to feel whether I was in love with someone or not when dating. I did not realize these side effects until I finally got off Prozac at age 27, could feel my emotions, and discovered my true personality off meds. Orgasms are great now."

• Mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 13, 2019

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I’ve been taking Prozac for 1 year now. I started with 20 mg. The anxiety and obsessive thoughts were still there. My doctor decided I should go up in the dosage to 40 mg. And it helped tremendously. I would say the side effects while being on the medicine were weight gain and inability to orgasm. After 8 months of being on 40 mg, she suggested trying 30 mg, and that was definitely a game changer. I am now able to reach orgasm normally. The first three weeks, my sleep was still disrupted, so she prescribed me trazodone 25 mg. I took that for the first two months, and it helped me. I don’t need it anymore."

• Jef...
• March 24, 2015

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Prozac really saved my life 6 years ago when I was suffering from major obsessive compulsive disorder and insomnia related to it. Tried to stop it a few times but always had to come back. No sexual side effects even at 40 mg/day. Unfortunately, it seemed that the medicine had pooped out on me after 5 years, and I currently started taking Paxil."

• zzr...
• June 26, 2015

For Depression "I'm in my late 40s and have always had anxiety spikes, but in the last 10 years, my job has become overwhelming to me, and I would wake up vomiting and in anxiety attacks. I had always gone to therapists who would give me exercises which would work at first, but after a while, I could not handle it. Found a doctor who gave me 20 mg, and I cannot tell you how much it has helped. Almost from the get-go, my spikes have calmed down, and I can control my feelings. I haven't really had any stress lately at work, so I haven't tested that out, but just in my everyday working, where I would just feel anxiety, it has helped. The one problem is that my sex drive is very low-not gone-but low."

• Zen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 28, 2022

For Panic Disorder "Absolutely a zero for me. I wish I could give it a negative rating. This drug is an absolute poison. I had it for 6 weeks, and I had all the worst side effects possible. It gave me panic attacks. It made me get OCD, rumination, confusion. I was literally questioning everything that I was doing. Something as simple as choosing a dress to wear was confusing to me. Concentration difficulties and sexual dysfunction. It is a horrible drug. I have lost my faith in psychiatrists. I was dealing with my own problems much better before trying out this drug. My opinion is: Never take any psychiatric pills unless you are completely unable to function or get out of bed. Mild to moderate problems should be dealt with by you."

• Anonymous
• October 5, 2009

For Depression "I have taken Prozac for about fifteen years. No more cyclical valleys of depression followed by highs. Capable of handling extreme stress, exercising, weekly sex - reduced libido. My weight has stayed the same. The two to three times of exercising a week is all it takes to be healthy. Only downside is acting out dreams 3-4 times a year and kicking legs while sleeping. The dreams I can't predict. The kicking legs can be sensed in early evening and I just take two liquid Advils to subdue them. Life is good!"

• MRN...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 4, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "Has its ups and downs like all medications. Causes some insomnia, more than normal but still bearable. Only been on it for a week and I’m noticing a slight difference in mood. First few days I was shaking, small tremors. Still pushing on because it’ll help in the long run. And on an added note: decreased sex drive is not happening for me. It’s almost an out-of-body experience! Might change soon, who knows. Stick with the meds with me, we’ll beat this illness together!"

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 26, 2014

For Depression "It works. It wasn't the magic bullet for me (Wellbutrin was it for me), but I still take this in a 20 mg dose to help with things. Mainly still taking it because I was tapered down from 40 mg, which was giving me sexual side effects, while simultaneously upping the Wellbutrin, and have been stable ever since, so Dr. just wants to let it be because it's working. Going to ask for a reduction in this next time, though, as I feel that the Wellbutrin is most likely enough on its own at the high dose I am currently on (600 mg). This medicine is definitely worth trying and works for lots of people, just wasn't the end-all be-all for me personally."

• Aun...
• November 18, 2014

For Depression "I've taken Prozac a few times starting at 22. That 1st time was a nightmare! I literally lost time-only remember crying all the time... I don't even remember how long I took it! But that was 25 yrs ago. So I was deathly afraid to try it again until about 6 yrs ago. That time it was a lifesaver! I felt my mood lift a lot after a week, then even more after a month. These results lasted for several yrs with some sexual side effects, but less than with Zoloft and Lexapro (which also caused waking wired every 4 hrs). After a few yrs, it felt like I was on nothing at all, so I switched to Pristiq, which again, saved my life. Now I'm back to Prozac. But I'm sure it's more about what's going on in my life. Nothing works without situations improving as well."

• Jac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2018

For Anxiety and Stress "I was prescribed 20 mg Prozac by my doctor when I was diagnosed with social anxiety, and it helped me a lot. It made me more confident, my anxiety symptoms subsided drastically, and I was in a better mood. However, the one and only issue I had with this medicine was its side effect, which was low libido. My doctor recommended I take a lower dosage, 10 mg, to see if it changes. I should say it did increase my libido a bit, but not significantly. However, I started taking Maca supplement for a couple of weeks, which helped me a lot with my sex drive. It does not have any interaction with Prozac, and it's deemed to be safe by experts."

• blu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 22, 2015

For Depression "I have been battling severe depression for most of my life, and at 30 years old, I finally decided to seek help. I was prescribed 10 mg at first, and it has been gradually increased at different increments over the last year and a half. I am currently taking 60 mg Prozac daily. Taking Prozac has definitely helped my moods, but no pill is a fix-all. I recommend counseling also. I have had some issues with weight gain and loss of libido. I've noticed that once I have been on a stable dosage for a while, the libido does come back."

• sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2018

For Depression "Look, this drug has worked amazingly for me. I finally saw clarity in a long time. It really helped with my mood, and I felt happy again. It’s a shame to say that it has completely killed my sex drive, and it has persisted even after months of stopping it. I hate admitting that, but it has been a bad side effect. I don’t recommend this, and I’ve never had that problem before. My family members had the same problem on this drug, so I guess it made me susceptible. I’m hoping to God this will change for me, to not continue as a problem, and I guess I’ve realized I have to accept and let it go if it is. Good luck, guys."

• edd...
• August 25, 2015

For Panic Disorder "Cured my panic disorder, which was huge. Also leveled me off emotionally. But... sexual dysfunction is definitely an issue. I also seem to have a lack of empathy for others that I don't like. Overall, though, I've been helped by this med."

• Teb...
• April 23, 2012

For Anxiety and Stress "7 months on this for anxiety and overall has been very effective. Significant insomnia, obvious decrease in libido. Back and forth on 10 mg, then 20 mg, and back to 10 mg. I think 20 mg is the best for me, though. Recommend it, but it does take a few weeks to level out and kick in for sure."

• Val...
• February 20, 2019

For Depression "Prozac levels have to build up in your body, so real effects don't show up for over 4 weeks. Of course, that doesn't mean it will agree with every body. The only relatively fast effect I had with this med was improvement in my ability to fall asleep, and the quality of the sleep I got also improved within 2 weeks. Early side effects were appetite loss, a slight increase in breakouts (face), excessive yawning, desire for alcohol decreased but increased interest in recreational marijuana, stomach upset, and headaches. Sounds like a lot, but every med has its acclimation period. This one is just particularly long. After about 2 months, it helped me recognize and face my depression, and manage my anxiety really well. But latent side effects for me were increased appetite, decreased libido, worsening brain fog, and stomach upset. Prozac did what it was supposed to do, and I would try it again, but for now, I'm testing the waters with other meds to lessen SEs."

• Haz...
• October 3, 2010

For Anxiety and Stress "Started taking Prozac about 6 months ago. I'm taking care of my 82-year-old mother who has dementia, and I found my stress and anxiety going through the roof, many sleepless nights too. The positives are that I sleep much better, my anxiety is pretty much gone, and I'm much calmer, and I'm handling my mother so much better. The negatives are: no motivation at all - photography is my passion, but I have not picked up a camera since I started this medicine. I find myself grinding my teeth all the time. Loss of libido, the worst thing out of it, though, was that I lost weight, I weighed 98 pounds but lost 13 pounds within the first month and can't seem to get it back. I'm now at 89 pounds and look terrible! I'm going back to the doctor next week."

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2012

For Depression "I started taking 20 mg/day exactly 1 week ago, and I already feel a startling difference-like night and day. I had been seriously depressed for about 5 months, crying every day, not sleeping, and having nightmares when I did, gradually feeling worse. When I could no longer focus enough to get my schoolwork done (I'm a college student), I finally asked my doctor for help. Now I can focus, I don't feel sad, I can smile, I'm less paranoid, and I can sleep through the night. My doctor discussed Zoloft and Paxil initially, but I chose Prozac due to the side-effect profile and easy withdrawal, as well as the fact it works for my mom for her fibromyalgia. I do have some of the sexual side effects, but I'd rather feel happy. So worth it!"