Question:

Hi Group, I have been on lithium off and on for 15 years.  It destroyed my thyroid. Next would be my liver/kidneys.  I finally got a doctor to prescribe Valproic acid. On Lithium my sex drive was still very high, in fact I thought that the Lithium did not control my manic episodes. The therapeutic level was apparently correct.  Now I’m on 1,000 milligrams of both!  I have next to no sex drive.  When I do get an erection it does not last.  Needless to say my girlfriend (who says its OK) is not getting it like she used to.  I’m really depressed over this drug side effect.  My Physiatrist says that’s the way it is.  The meds make me tired all the time and all I want to do is sleep.  I tried stop taking the Lithium and now am getting angry more quickly and feel that the manic episodes are coming back, but seem to a lessor degree. Is there any type of natural herbs that may help in getting back my sex drive and staying power.  I really don’t want to take any more prescribed meds that will have me sleeping 16 hours a day. Help… Mike

Response:

Hello MViger,     Have you considered some of the Depokane analogs such a Tegretol?  The side effects are different for this drug than for Depokane and it might provide you with satisfaction.  Could the problems you are experiencing be related to your thyroid problem?  It would be advisable to have your thyroid checked.  And appropriate treatment administered if necessary.     I couldn’t help noticing the username for your account is froglure.  Do they work?  Perhaps some fish will try to bite into a nice juicey frog at the end of your fishing line.  Up there in a nice cool Canadian lake.  Are some of the old crochety fish too smart to get hooked?  Do they play with you and then let go the of froglure?  Do they maybe have a sympatico with the environment that lets them take froglure away?  Well I don’t know.  But with a heavy lure like a froglure don’t you have to be in a boat and hang the lure from the back?  You know?  Troll?     Well happy trolling my Canadian friend.  I hope you catch a big fat fish. Peter et al

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Group, > I have been on lithium off and on for 15 years.  It destroyed my thyroid. > Next would be my liver/kidneys.  I finally got a doctor to prescribe > Valproic acid. > On Lithium my sex drive was still very high, in fact I thought that the > Lithium did not control my manic episodes. The therapeutic level was > apparently correct.  Now I’m on 1,000 milligrams of both!  I have next to no > sex drive.  When I do get an erection it does not last.  Needless to say my > girlfriend (who says its OK) is not getting it like she used to.  I’m really > depressed over this drug side effect.  My Physiatrist says that’s the way it > is.  The meds make me tired all the time and all I want to do is sleep.  I > tried stop taking the Lithium and now am getting angry more quickly and feel > that the manic episodes are coming back, but seem to a lessor degree. > Is there any type of natural herbs that may help in getting back my sex > drive and staying power.  I really don’t want to take any more prescribed > meds that will have me sleeping 16 hours a day. > Help… > Mike

Response:

Hi and Welcome to the ng,  Here is some info but check with your doctor before taking any OTC supplements: > Is there any type of natural herbs that may help in getting back my sex > drive and staying power.  I really don’t want to take any more prescribed > meds that will have me sleeping 16 hours a day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1565000/1565110.stm Drug tackles Prozac libido loss Loss of libido is a distressing side effect for people on antidepressants Patients on antidepressants who suffer a loss of libido could be offered hope with a treatment to combat the side effect. At least a third of people who take the class of antidepressants, which includes Prozac, have problems with sexual arousal. But now, a Reading-based company is developing a drug with Prozac’s manufacturers, Eli Lilly, which could boost patients’ sex drive. The company, Vernalis, is developing a drug codenamed VML 670, which is thought to act on one of the receptors in the brain that reacts to serotonin. It would be better if we had medication which didn’t produce these side effects Professor Allan Young, University of Newcastle But the manufacturers say it could be up to five years before the drug is available to patients. The work is featured in the magazine New Scientist. Mood alteration Serotonin is a chemical which influences mood in many different ways. Prozac belongs to a group of antidepressants called SSRIs, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, which increase the amount of serotonin available to act on receptors. That helps tackle the depressive symptoms, but can also affect sexual arousal. One the sexual side effects caused by antidepressants is anorgasmia – a difficulty in reaching orgasm. Patients can also simply lose interest in sex. John Hutchison, senior vice president for development at Vernalis, told BBC News Online: "For the patients that develop new sexual problems while taking antidepressants, we would like this new drug to reverse these problems, and put them back to where they were before." He said there were 15 subtypes of serotonin receptor, and it was hoped to affect the one which controlled sexual response. "SSRIs will act indiscriminately across the whole 15, but we do know that one of the effects of SSRIs is they turn of this particular receptor. We’re trying to turn it on again." He added that Viagra had been considered as a solution to the side effect, but added that although it can increase blood flow, it does not change desire or arousal. He said tests on rats had shown VML 670 increased the animals’ sex drive. Males mounted receptive females more quickly, and ejaculated more quickly. Tests of VML 670 on healthy people have been completed safely. Studies are due to be carried out on people taking SSRIs. But Mr Hutchison warned the drug would not raise the sex drive of people who were not taking antidepressants, and said they should not try it. "Our healthy volunteers reported no difference in arousal. That’s good news, because we don’t want to alter normal sex drive," he said. ‘Drawback’ Allan Young, professor of general psychiatry at the University of Newcastle, told BBC News Online: "It would be better if we had medication which didn’t produce these side effects." "The sexual-side effects of antidepressants do represent a significant draw-back of these treatments for many people. "Depression is a common illness and SSRI antidepressants are widely used and should be taken for prolonged periods. "Development of new treatments to reduce the side effect burden and therefore increase compliance are to be welcomed. "The proposed drug seems to be likely to help, but the proof will be shown in clinical trials." http://www.sexual-enhancement-gingko.com/sexual-enhancement.htm Increased Libido with Gingko Biloba