It might. It certainly won’t aggravate it. But sex and depression make strange … bedfellows. Let me explain.
Loss of libido is a very common symptom of depression. Most people who are seriously depressed aren’t interested in sex, so your question would be moot. Sex wouldn’t help their depression because they wouldn’t have it. In addition, the most popular drugs used to treat depression often have sexual side effects, notably suppression of orgasm and loss of libido. So even if a depressed person would like to have sex, taking antidepressants might eliminate the desire.
But if a depressed person has sex, it’s likely to help their depression. I’m not promising miracles, and I’d never suggest using sex instead of prescribed medication. But sex is mood-elevating. It causes release of endorphins, the body’s own internal antidepressant. So in addition to meds and psychotherapy, I would certainly encourage you to experiment with sex if you feel so inclined.
And if you do, I should also mention the antidepressant that’s LEAST likely to cause sex problems, Wellbutrin. It’s not entirely free of sexual side effects, but it’s the least sex-impairing antidepressant. However, Wellbutrin is not widely prescribed–for two reasons. First, it’s not in the SSRI family of drugs (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, etc.) and the SSRIs currently rule. Second, many years ago when Wellbutrin was first released, it caused more seizures than the FDA could live with, and it got a bad rep as a dirty drug. But the maker reformulated, and today’s Wellbutrin is no more likely to cause seizures than any SSRI, in fact, it’s less likely to cause them than some SSRIs. For more, read the article on sex, depression, and Wellbutrin. You might ask your physician to switch you from whatever you’re taking (probably an SSRI) to Wellbutrin.
And please let me know if sex helps your depression.
My wife is a depressive, and it certainly helps her. Although she doesn’t feel like sex when she’s blue, if we have sex then it often breaks the grip of her depression. Incidentally, she switched from Prozac to Wellbutrin in hopes that her libido would be enhanced. There may be some positive effect, but it’s small.
It might. It certainly won’t aggravate it. But sex and depression make strange … bedfellows. Let me explain.
Loss of libido is a very common symptom of depression. Most people who are seriously depressed aren’t interested in sex, so your question would be moot. Sex wouldn’t help their depression because they wouldn’t have it. In addition, the most popular drugs used to treat depression often have sexual side effects, notably suppression of orgasm and loss of libido. So even if a depressed person would like to have sex, taking antidepressants might eliminate the desire.
But if a depressed person has sex, it’s likely to help their depression. I’m not promising miracles, and I’d never suggest using sex instead of prescribed medication. But sex is mood-elevating. It causes release of endorphins, the body’s own internal antidepressant. So in addition to meds and psychotherapy, I would certainly encourage you to experiment with sex if you feel so inclined.
And if you do, I should also mention the antidepressant that’s LEAST likely to cause sex problems, Wellbutrin. It’s not entirely free of sexual side effects, but it’s the least sex-impairing antidepressant. However, Wellbutrin is not widely prescribed–for two reasons. First, it’s not in the SSRI family of drugs (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, etc.) and the SSRIs currently rule. Second, many years ago when Wellbutrin was first released, it caused more seizures than the FDA could live with, and it got a bad rep as a dirty drug. But the maker reformulated, and today’s Wellbutrin is no more likely to cause seizures than any SSRI, in fact, it’s less likely to cause them than some SSRIs. For more, read the article on sex, depression, and Wellbutrin. You might ask your physician to switch you from whatever you’re taking (probably an SSRI) to Wellbutrin.
And please let me know if sex helps your depression.
My wife is a depressive, and it certainly helps her. Although she doesn’t feel like sex when she’s blue, if we have sex then it often breaks the grip of her depression. Incidentally, she switched from Prozac to Wellbutrin in hopes that her libido would be enhanced. There may be some positive effect, but it’s small.