Any antidepressant/anxiety meds that don't ruin sex drive and gain weight?

I've taken Effexor for several years and it was a great antidepressant/anxiolytic. I never had a problem with weight gain while taking it, but it did have negative effects on my libido.

I also know several other people on Effexor who are generally pleased with it.

That said, I'm less than two weeks away from being antidepressant-free - it's not hyperbole to say that medication saved my life, but I'm really looking forward to being all right without them again. I hope you get there too!

OP, what do your testosterone and thyroid levels look like?

I compete at a very high level and use Wellbutrin XL. I've had zero negative side effects and am now enjoying my best season ever. No sexual effects, one of the positives is decreased appetite if you binge eat when your "down". Look into getting one of the "blue" SAD lights that you can sit in front of in the morning or if you have an hour of the day that you know is most difficult for you.

All of the yoga, meditation clean living is good and does help. I recommend pulling back on the drinking if you go hard with that. I find it helps to keep my emotions more stable and I have more good days than bad.

Therapy is great though, it's just a conversation and employing both therapy and an anti-depressant is the best way of getting back to you. Treat this like it's an illness like the flu/cold and find a few friends to confide in. If you're injured set goals to get yourself back to running. Often with endurance athletes injury and the ensuing poor results is what ends up bringing you down in the first place.

Meditation

Yeah, it's not the "easy way out" but it works and has no side effects. GL

old doc,

Not sure about testosterone levels but thyroid was fine.

I'll keep Wellbutrin and Effexor in mind. Ativan sounds interesting but I don't know about benzos though.

After taking "action" and following the so called "natural protocol" I gave in. (I still love yoga and spin!) Some people are born with chemical imbalances the way others are born left or right handed or blonde or brunette. To me taking something like lexapro for anxiety is like taking Tylenol for a headache. I feel like a normal person afterwards. The issue is gone just like the headache. So nowadays Instead of having downright panic attacks where I genuinely had a hard time breathing and calming myself bc I'd arrived TWO HRS before my scheduled flight for work but at one particular time it was the wrong terminal and I internally panicked going through this oh my gosh I'm missing my flight, I'm gonna be fired, etc. Nowdays I don't have silly meltdowns. In fact, I missed a flight couple months after taking lexapro, and went to the bar and hung out and had no worry... Thank you lexapro. I also don't have to check my curling iron 100x before I leave my house or have this dying urgency in my car once I've left that I didn't check it well enough and MUST go back or my house is going to burn up and my dog will die. Without making the drive back to confirm, my whole day would be consumed with worry. And you know it's absolutely nuts in your head but the anxiety is too much. Thanks to lexapro I don't have that. One check is enough, like a normal person. So, Sorry, but yoga and some organic juice don't really cut it.

Long-term depression cannot be fixed by yoga and organic food any more than cancer. I do believe short-term depression can be.

Here's the list of such antidepressants:

Bupropion (Wellbutrin), Mirtazapine, Venlafaxine - these medications do not affect libido, at least trustworthy medical sources claim this. I guess some of them are available by presciptions only, or at

https://www.canadapharmacy.com/

Canadian Pharmacy Online .

Be careful with any kind of Benzos if you have an addictive personality. They work within minutes (unlike an SSRI’s) but the body quickly develops a tolerance and they are very hard to come off.

Toronto wrote:

I've taken Effexor for several years and it was a great antidepressant/anxiolytic. I never had a problem with weight gain while taking it, but it did have negative effects on my libido.

I also know several other people on Effexor who are generally pleased with it.

That said, I'm less than two weeks away from being antidepressant-free - it's not hyperbole to say that medication saved my life, but I'm really looking forward to being all right without them again. I hope you get there too!

Have you started tapering yet, or are you planning to begin in two weeks?

Power of Now by Eckarte Tolle. Listen to the audio book on amazon for free if you are new to audible

Buspirone makes me horny as a mountain goat, and the only weight gain I have experienced has been due to putting on muscle.

Wellbutrin works well for me.