Anti-Depressants And Sexual Side Effects: Things Men Should Know

You are suffering from depression and then you decide to take help for mental illness. What next? Not recovered from depression but experiencing some sexual dysfunctions? 

It is common because many antidepressants have the side effects on sexual activity.

In this article we shall know in brief about what men should know regarding the antidepressant and sexual side effects.

Anti-depressants affect the normal sexual life of men and is said to affect 58% and 70% of men undergoing depression treatment. Healthy sexual function is an important part of married life and also has a positive impact on the quality of life and self-esteem. 

Due to the side effects of sexual dysfunction many men tend to drop the treatment in between. This is the most common cause of men discontinuing the depression treatment.

Antidepressants causes sexual dysfunctions such as low libido, early ejaculation, delayed ejaculation or no ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, pain in the penis during erection and pain during ejaculation are some of the common side effects of antidepressant medicines.

Most of the men are not comfortable in discussing their sexual dysfunctions and at times even the doctors are not comfortable in talking about the sexual functions. These results in suppression of sexual dysfunctions caused from antidepressant medications. 

It is not only the medicines affecting the sexual function in men but depression left untreated also has the same effect as with medicines. 

Sexual dysfunction and depression are highly prevalent and both are not spoken about. The first step towards the solution of both is speaking to someone, your partner or the doctor. Talking to someone is a good start towards finding the solution of both the problems. 

Effect of depression and antidepressant medicines on sexual function

Sexual function is affected in following ways-

Arousal problems

The side effect on sexual function varies from person to person and also on the type of treatment undertaken. As some medicines have a severe effect whereas some have a negligible to mild side effects on sexual activity. 

How to improve sexual functions while undertaking anti-depression medicines

1. While undergoing depression treatment and taking the prescribed pills, there might arise some problems related to sexual activity. Wait for some time as the problem might be a temporary one and go away with time.

2. The side effects of the medicines on the sexual function can be prevented by lowering the dosage but only with advice from the healthcare professional. 

3. There might be cases when medicines show their side effects only during certain periods of the day. This can be managed either by changing the time of the medicine or planning to indulge into the sexual activity when the side effects do not appear. 

4. To eliminate sexual dysfunctions adding certain medicines helps. It simultaneously benefits improving sexual disorders and treating depression. 

There are antidepressants that do not cause much side effects. In such cases adding medicines specifically for sexual dysfunction treatment works in managing the sexual problems.

5.  Alternative therapies is a good idea for people fighting depression and sexual problems. Herbal supplements or herbal approach, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle modification is considered a good management for depression and sexual dysfunction. 

6. Psychotherapy benefits in overcoming depression and helps in healthy sexual activity while keeping depression under control.

7. Talking to your partner makes it easy to deal with sexual dysfunction and depression. Hesitation to talk about the problem will never help and the problem becomes worse with decreasing the limitations of the treatment.

Conclusion

Getting help from the healthcare professional is effective in managing depression and eliminating the sexual side effects. Each body has a different way of reacting to the therapy so trying out and seeking help will help you to know what is best for you. There are various ways through with sexual dysfunction as a side effect of antidepressants can be treated.