Bipolar and anti-D ?????

I had a similar situation only a couple of months ago. On a blood pressure medicine, I was losing hair. I new my grown son had lost hair on such medicine years ago, so I knew what the deal was, and I attempted to get myself off that b/p medicine and onto another. It wasn't easy. I had to stay positive.

The first couple of doctors I asked about that, no. The third doctor I asked hesitated, but I really, really wanted to get off of that medicine and she changed me. I quit having hair loss.

Some years ago, I had another health ailment and it was explained to me that it was caused by the very medicine that was making me better. Double bind. Inside and out I protested. It didn't do any good. I still had to take the medicine.

So this could be the situation you are in. Yeah, it crushed me. You can search anti-depressants to see if there are any that do not cause lowering of your sex drive, I would suggest that.

You can keep reaching out to see if anyone has taken any anti-depressant that does not lower their sex drive. You can type that into the computer search engine, and see what the responses are. There very well could be some. I might even type that in when I finish typing this.

I would stay positive that you can solve this problem.

By typing into the search engine in the opening page of the browser, "antidepressants that don't cause lowering of sex drive" you can see these same results in the opening 8 or 10 topics that come up.

I think, too, there are other factors which need to be considered by you and your doctor.

What I found was, that the antidepressant Bupropion, sometimes known by its brand name, Wellbutrin, came out at the top in every study.

I even anticipated the next problem of weight gain from various such medications, but it said about Bupropion (Wellbutrin) one of the side effects was: weight loss.

First, webmd.com cautioned,

"Treat the Depression First" in that "Whatever is happening with your sex life, it's important to treat depression first. Address any sexual side effects later."

*One website, in an article written by Jenny Block at www.jennyonthepage.com
said “In fact, antidepressants in the SSRI family (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are known to cause low libido. Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Paxil are all SSRIs and all have been documented as having sexual side effects.”

“Changing to Wellbutrin (another antidepressant that works only on dopamine and norepinephrine receptors) or adding it to an SSRI can help counteract sexual side effects,” he said.

“Wellbutrin has been shown to have no sexual side effects due to its mechanism of action,” Collom said. In fact, “Wellbutrin can actually increase one’s sex drive.”

*www.verywellmind.com suggested 1. Take a Lower Dose and to 2. take the Pill After Sex.

*Health.harvard.edu
More sexual side effects: citalopram (Celexa); fluoxetine (Prozac); paroxetine (Paxil);
sertraline (Zoloft)

less sexual side effects: bupropion (Wellbutrin); duloxetine (Cymbalta); mirtazapine (Remeron)

*psychcentral.com
A 2001 study out of the University of Virginia said "serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as Paxil or Zoloft) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs, such as Effexor and Cymbalta) were associated with a higher rate of sexual dysfunction, other antidepressants were associated with significantly lower rates, namely bupropion (Wellbutrin) and nefazodone (Serzone)."

"Wellbutrin, the brand name of bupropion, had the lowest overall rate of sexual dysfunction. It was associated with a rate of 22% of the overall population."

*psychologytoday.com
Wellbutrin is just as effective as the most popular class of antidepressants, the SSRIs (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox). Its nonsexual side effects are no worse, and it’s unlikely to cause sexual side effects

*Livestrong.com
Bupropion, sometimes known by its brand name, Wellbutrin, is an antidepressant...Side effects relating to sexual dysfunction do not occur; however, headaches, weight loss and nausea may be potential side effects that patients should be aware of when taking this medication.

Mirtazapine is another kind of antidepressant medication...sexual side effects, such as a loss of libido, do not occur while taking this medication, but patients may feel dizzy, anxious or confused. Somnolence, or excessive sleepiness, occurs in more than half of patients taking this medication.

Venlafaxine is known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor--While sexual dysfunction may occur, loss of libido is a rare side effect; according to the medical reference "UpToDate," only about 5 percent of patients will experience this unpleasant effect.