Wellbutrin, Prozac, PMS, and Sex

This question comes about as a result of my wife’s (and my!) problem with PMS. It causes severe fights between us, and as a result, she started taking Prozac several months back, for about 7-10 days per month, when she starts feeling the PMS symptoms.

The Prozac helps tremendously with our relationship. However, it completely kills her desire for sex, and her ability to orgasm. Sex is a very important part of our relationship, and it brings on whole new issues between us, as I fuck her and she acts completely bored, or as if she has been given an anesthetic to numb her from the waist down. It is very frustrating for me, and as a result, we have gone back and forth on which is worse, fighting or lack of orgasms for one week per month. The fights are very severe however, so we both have come to the conclusion that we need this pharmaceutical help for the sake of our kids and our marriage.

I have heard that Wellbutrin is supposed to have less sexual side effects than Prozac, but I don’t know if it is used or effective for PMS. Maybe other SSRI’s are better than Prozac for this. I know some members here are familiar with SSRI’s, and I hope that some of you can lead me to a solution that will keep my wife sane and horny at the same time! Thanks.

I took Wellbutrin for a short time. I don’t recall any major changes in libido or sensation, it just made sleeping more difficult. Now granted I’m male and was 22 when I was taking it, which may or may not play a factor in the symptoms it causes. Only real way of figuring it out though is to talk to the doctor. A different medication or dosage may be all that is necessary.

I was on Prozac for over 10 years. There were times when I actually forgot that I had a dick attached to my body. I wouldn’t say it totally killed my desire; however, it did make desire more difficult to achieve. I still liked having sex; it just wasn’t as automatic or passionate.

For occasional use (7-10 days per month), I think Prozac is probably the worst choice for your wife. It has probably the longest half-life of any SSRI, meaning that it will affect her sexual response for up to several weeks after she stops using it. Zoloft has a much shorter half-live—on the order of many hours to a couple of days. I think that might be a better choice for her.

I have no personal experience with Welbutrin, but I’ve heard others say it does not decrease sex drive. Some say it actually increases it. Welbutrin is not an SSRI, so it’s effect is different from that of Prozac or Zoloft. Maybe it’s worth a try, though.

I know that now they put women on SSRI’s for PMS but I’m not sure why, because they usually have to stay on them long term to get the benefit (correct me if I’m wrong). I used to know a woman who took Valium during her PMS. It seems like a benzadiazapam (sp?) type drug seems like a better short term choice because your wife can take it only during the time of PMS and not the rest of the month. Valium or Ativan or something like that. Of course, I’m not a doctor so you should check with one.

My solution is to make myself scarce during PMS week, which I’ll continue until menopause. Been married decades.

The only explanation I can give you for “why” use SSRI’s for PMS is that it works. It definitely works.
My wife tried Xanax for a while but that doesn’t work unless you have a wife that doesn’t mind 24 hour sedation. That stuff takes all the energy out of you and she is just to busy to be tranquilized during the day.

I hear that! I have a job where I can take a trip when necessary, but it usually turns out that my timing is perfectly off, so that I return to living hell, or I get tormented via the phone the whole time I am gone. There is just no winning.

Thats for that. I’ll have to look into it.

That is the problem. I looked a bit on the internet but couldn’t find anything about using Wellbutrin for PMS.

The good thing about my wife is that she is still willing to have sex with me, and give me blow jobs during her period. But it is so much different than sex without Prozac. It is just like she is doing me a favor to keep me happy, instead of being horny, and it bugs me. Of course, I know there are worse problems.

Bump

My wife and I are both currently prescribed wellbutrin xr.I find that the wellbutrin is very good for my wifes PMS.I also notice stronger orgasms from wellbutrin.We were both taking adderall and we find that the wellbutrin is good for adhd and have stopped taking the adderall.Adderall is not very good for your personality or relationships,and I felt like it made the adhd worse.In my opinion the wellbutrin improves PMS.It will not completely cure PMS but (at least for my wife) improves the mood swings without affecting libido.It may even increase libido.

My wife had been on prozac (complete loss of libido)My wife said it made her numb and dulled to everything not just sex.She was also on Lexapro for a short period of time and it not only got rid of her libido but also made he PMS even worse.As far as benzo’s(valium,ativan,xanax)It never helped her PMS .

I’m so glad you posted Pupper. That is the exact type of “real life experience”, that I was hoping to hear about. I’m going to ask my wife to speak to her doctor about switching from Prozac to Wellbutrin. Your wife’s experiences with prozac and benzo’s, are exactly like my wifes.

When you say “stronger orgasms from Wellbutrin”, are you talking about your own, your wifes, or both?

My own experience being on wellbutrin is stronger orgasms.I think it is probably due to the increased dopamine.

I take Wellbutrin XL 300mg and Lexapro 15mg, and I’ve noticed that since taking them, it’s harder to orgasm more than once per day. It’s easy to have a second erection, but inducing a second orgasm is exhausting, and sometimes I give up.

Both my wife and ex-wife take Lexapro, and the effects are different.

My wife doesn’t get her bouts of depression anymore and hasn’t had any bad mood swings. She loves it. Her sex drive is through the roof (I know I don’t <b>have</b> to, but I take liquid C just to keep up with her). I have to say though, that her horniness isn’t a function of the Lexapro, just evidence that the Lexapro didn’t diminish it.

My ex-wife was originally on Wellbutrin and she couldn’t sleep and got (more) irritable than usual. When she went on Lexapro, her sex drive died. In fact any and all “drive” she had pretty much died. When she wasn’t on it, she was/is a raving lunatic bitch 24/7.

I shunned from posting on this thread for one reason. My ex and I split up because, in a fucked up way, she blamed me for changing her. I was concerned about her emotional state, recommended she see someone for it. She did, lost her drive and what little ambition she had. It stabilized things, but in the process killed the relationship.

Anyways, I’m happy it did.

You did what you had to do Muttley. There is no living with a raving lunatic bitch.

I know that people who need drugs like this often don’t see themselves objectively, and only look at the negative effects of the drug, rather than the negative effects of NOT taking the drug.

Interestingly, I just looked up Lexapro at Medscape drug reference and then looked up drugs for the treatment of PMS. The only drugs listed are a tricyclic antidepressant, (Despiramine), and some tranquilizer drugs. All are “off label” PMS treatment. But no SSRI, and no Wellbutrin listed.

Maybe the website is just not updated. I know one of the SSRI’s even had TV commercials for treating “PMDD”. Or maybe that use was disapproved?

I think the frustrating thing is that doctors don’t take the problem seriously, and even though there are drugs that work for PMS, they often don’t want to give them.

My wife has even gone to female doctors who tell her to take vitamins or some stupid shit.

I read - but have forgotten the details - about SSRIs for depression and postmenopausal depression. Same medicine, but different workings in the body. Seems that for PMS, the SSRI is directly filling a void, whereas for “real” depression, the SSRI is adjusting the antagonistic systems inside our brains to allow the brain to reach a new level - and that takes time.

Thanks, mravg, well put.