Why do Antidepressants Cause a Low Libido?

Do you have a low libido as a result of taking antidepressant? I bet they didn't tell you that that was a really common side effect when they prescribed you these medications. And so today you're going to learn about what to do about the side effect of a low libido, low sex drive, and other concerns related to that, why that happens and what to do about it. Hi, I'm Dr. Nicole, and my passion is to help you to turn the page on anxiety and depression and bipolar disorder. And one of the big things that is often prescribed when somebody's dealing with anxiety or depression is an antidepressant. The most common type of antidepressant that is prescribed is called an SSRI. Common examples of SSRIs are Zoloft and Lexapro and Prozac. And one of the number one side effects of these medications is a low libido. And this could be anything from a lack of desire to be intimate or even issues achieving orgasm or in men, erections and other concerns like that. And so today you're going to learn the top three most important nutrients for getting your libido back on track. And so when we're thinking about antidepressants, there are some antidepressants that are more at risk of causing libido issues than others. And so if you're on an antidepressant and you're having issues with your libido, if you feel like it's just non existent or there's other concerns surrounding that, then talking with your doctor about other medication alternatives may be a really good option for you. A different type of antidepressant that is less likely to have that side effect may be something like Wellbutrin, which works in a slightly different way. One of the mechanisms by which the antidepressant medications crush your libido is because when they increase serotonin levels, and the goal of increasing serotonin levels is to help reduce your anxiety and lift your mood, is that it actually will reduce your brain's ability to make dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. And these are really important ingredients in having a healthy libido. So think of serotonin and dopamine as a teeter totter when we're depressed or when we're anxious. Oftentimes the standard of care is to go straight for an antidepressant to try to push up that serotonin. But as a result of pushing up that serotonin, your dopamine goes down Think of dopamine as your feel good neurotransmitter that helps you have drive and it helps you feel happy. Those positive feelings that you get coming from dopamine are really important in having a healthy libido. And so when you take your antidepressant, if your dopamine is low, then you may start to suffer from symptoms related to your sex drive and your intimacy. So the other factor that comes into play with antidepressants and your libido is that they deplete certain building blocks that are really important for maintaining energy and motivation and drive. And the most important nutrients that we want to think about with Antidepressants are coenzyme Q10, methylcobalamin and methylfolate. Methylcobalamin and methylfolate are B vitamins. And I want to have us focus on the methylated form because those are the usable forms of the B vitamins. Then coenzyme Q10 is a nutrient that is really important in that it's used by every single cell in your body. And it's consider like the spark plug that helps your cells do their job, it helps them work, it gives you energy, it helps you metabolize, it gives you those feel good hormones, those feel good neurotransmitters. It energizes you and it will spark your libido. If you have healthy levels, if you have depleted levels of CoQ10, then you may feel tired, you may feel a lack of motivation, you may find that your endurance is lower and that your sex drive goes down. B vitamins, on the other hand, are used in lots of cellular processes especially and including making your serotonin and your dopamine. And so if your medication is depleting these, if it's dumping out your reserves, then you won't have as many building blocks. And that can result in you needing more and more and more of the antidepressants and then having more and more side effects as a result. So one of the strategies to talk with your doctor about is a supplement protocol that will help replace those nutrients. And when you replace them, I always recommend giving your brain and body the methylated form so that it's already converted into something that's usable so that you can make your serotonin, make your dopamine and make your norepinephrine and epinephrine. And so there are other things that you can do to support dopamine. And one of my favorite favorite strategies for supporting dopamine is taking L tyrosine, L tyrosine on the pathway is a precursor to dopamine. And so if you're getting the sense that maybe something is out of balance with your serotonin and your dopamine, there are a couple things you can do. One is you can talk to your doctor about starting a little bit of low grade, low dosage of tyrosine, maybe 500 milligrams, and then gently work your way up and see how you feel. If you have any adverse reactions, always report them to your doctor and then obviously stop the medication, the supplement. And the other thing that you can do is you can start to support those neural pathways by giving yourself really good doses of CoQ10 and B vitamins. So the next question that often comes up is, well, where do I get these things? And does the dosage, the quality and the form matter? And so I did all of that legwork for you. And because let's face it, there are tons of brands out there and they're giving all sorts of information and the problem is what's going to be best for you. My favorite solution, what really helped me get out of that feeling of that rock bottom anxiety, depression that helped support my brain in doing what it needed to do was to replace the B vitamins, to replace the CoQ10 and then a fish oil which is healing for the brain and it also reduces inflammation in the brain which is purported to be a cause of anxiety and depress in some people. So I have an Anxiety Breakthrough Wellness Bundle and it is made with physician pharmaceutical grade nutrients that are only available to doctors and I'm making it available to you. And so I'll put the link for that in the show notes and at that link you're going to be able to read about this product. I have a video on there explaining this bundle, what it contains and how it works. And so if you're looking to sell, see if you can work on dealing with some of those side effects from your antidepressant. Try the Anxiety Breakthrough Wellness Bundle. I think it's going to make a huge difference. All right, this has been Dr. Nicole and I'm so happy to get to talk with you today. And if you have any questions, leave a comment, send us a DM and I will see you guys next week. All right, take care of.