Prolactin & orgasm in men

UPDATE

I have been on Prozac, 20mg per day, for 6 weeks now.

It is harder to orgasm but I always manage to, it is not that hard. I have also found that I have had more intense orgasms(?)

Before starting the Prozac I was quite depressed, but constantly horny. To a point where it took over my every day life. If my girlfriend had made any plans for us that meant I would not get to have sex, I would get in a very bad mood, and most of the time we would fall out. It put great strain on the relationship and I knew it was my fault.

I was wanting sex 4/5 times a day before, but now once or twice is enough to keep me sane. I still get horny but not to the point where it causes an argument.

I have also been less agressive, as I have a bad temper. I am working on that consciously as well to help improve my relationship. But I think the SSRI has helped.

I feel generally more positive and find talking to people much easier. This was an area that I had problems in. I am a Bouncer, so I can assert myself very well at work and in hostile situations but when it came to making small talk, with nice people, I was
shit.

I am back in college, after a few years break and I am positive about the whole thing. I will stay on for another 3 months or so and the maybe, depending on how I feel come off slowly.

I can live with the side effects, they are not as bad as citalopram, that shit was nasty, chemical castration!

Posted by: headdoc

The majority of sex addicts I treat here in Phoenix have either Catholic or Mormon backgrounds. If you or the others posting on the topic of SSRI sexual se/s come up with anything useful please post it all over this board or Avant so I can share it. The two already mentioned are worth a try. One other possibility would involve titrating the SSRI as the severity of the syx. decline and replaicng it with Buproprion altogether. I also wonder if the high doses (12 gms.) of inositol brings on sexual s/e's?

Buproprion made me severely dizzy, couldn't stay on it.

However, speaking of titrating, I discovered that Effexor can be cycled reasonably easily since it clears my system faster than the other SSRIs. So in 3-4 days, depending on what my peak dosage was, I could be free of the Effexor and fully functional, as they say. Fortunately, I'm somewhat tolerant of the withdrawal effects, making this a possibility.

The only thing that didn't work was trying to make the cycle short,meaning weekly (on during the week, off on weekends). A two week cycle would probably work better.

You might want to try that with any patients who are willing.

Sonic

oh, p.s. I'm not a sex addict (I just read your specialty), nor do I have religious hangups.

I just like sex on a regular basis, that's all.

Sonic

Guns , try yhcl, it works remarkably well for me.

jb

jb i thought yohimbine worked on the vasculature, mainly alpha 2 receptors, there by increasing rigidity of the penis or better erection, how would it work concerning orgasm???

I'm not jb but if you take a look at my post in the thread on SSRI's and libido you'll note that it's thought that SSRI's (many anyway) inhibit orgasm in part by activating the 5-HT2 receptor. Yohimbine has been shown to accelerate the downregulation of this receptor (1). Moreover, besides its familiar action as an alpha2 adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine also increases dopaminergic transmission at the same time it decreases serotonergic transmission and lowers 5-HT levels in certain parts of the brain (2). SSRI's that cause anorgasmia have exactly the opposite effect on dopamine and serotonin, suggesting that this may be another route via which yohimbine promotes orgasm.

(1) Neuropharmacology. 1983 Oct;22(10):1203-9.

Rapid down-regulation of serotonin2 receptor binding during combined administration of tricyclic antidepressant drugs and alpha 2 antagonists.

Crews FT, Scott JA, Shorstein NH.

(2) Synapse. 2000 Feb;35(2):79-95

Agonist and antagonist actions of yohimbine as compared to fluparoxan at alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors (AR)s, serotonin (5-HT)(1A), 5-HT(1B), 5-HT(1D) and dopamine D(2) and D(3) receptors. Significance for the modulation of frontocortical monoaminergic transmission and depressive states.

Millan MJ, Newman-Tancredi A, Audinot V, Cussac D, Lejeune F, Nicolas JP, Coge F, Galizzi JP, Boutin JA, Rivet JM, Dekeyne A, Gobert A.

so yohimbine can increase desire also since it has a positive effect on dopamine levels as well as erection?? also what dosage should men use and the frequency??

5-10 mg, 20 minutes prior to sex works for me. I just take it once before sex at night .

jb

PS: really could not have said it better myself, thanks nandi! Very informative.

jb or nandi is it a prescription drug or OTC (over the counter) i am assuming also u are talking about yohimbine hcl not as the herbal product

Click on 1fast400's icon. That's where I got my last batch. He sells yohimbine HCl in powder form or precapped. I prefer the bulk powder.

Bulk powder is easy to deal with, it is soluble in water @~10mg/ml.

jb

when should vitex be taken ? same as yohimbe 2-min-hour b4 sex? what about taking 5htp b4 to last longer? increased seratonin?

Great thread... any new information/progress, especially concerning the prolactin-male refractory period connection?

Posted by: Nandi

I'm not jb but if you take a look at my post in the thread on SSRI's and libido you'll note that it's thought that SSRI's (many anyway) inhibit orgasm in part by activating the 5-HT2 receptor. Yohimbine has been shown to accelerate the downregulation of this receptor (1). Moreover, besides its familiar action as an alpha2 adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine also increases dopaminergic transmission at the same time it decreases serotonergic transmission and lowers 5-HT levels in certain parts of the brain (2). SSRI's that cause anorgasmia have exactly the opposite effect on dopamine and serotonin, suggesting that this may be another route via which yohimbine promotes orgasm.

This raises an important question for me. Is it likely that taking 5-HTP inhibits orgasm? If so, that would be a big relief for me. I have been taking 50 mgs. of 5-HTP before bed, both to help me sleep and to help me deal with work related and other anxiety.

A few months ago, my relationship with my then fiance ended. We always had incredible sex, but she has many issues that make her incompatable with me as a partner. I have a new girlfriend who is a wonderful person, but isn't as physically attractive. We have just started being intimate and I have had great difficulty reaching orgasm. I had been thinking that being with my ex had made me a bit "shallow" and so focused on looks that I might have to dump the new girl (who I really like) to find someone who looks more like my ex.

If just dropping the 5-HPT would help, I woud be very relieved. I do also have some yohimbine HCL on hand and could try some of that too.

try it and see.

jb