Citalopram and sexual dysfunction

[Qualified_Survivor]

have been taking 20mg citalopram for 11 days now. First few days were crap but things seemed to have settled down with only a few hours of feeling spaced after I take the medication first thing in the morning which eventually goes away. Loss of appetite too but nothing I can't live with.
What I am becoming concerned about is a seemingly lack of ability to reach orgasm. OK at first it was funny but the novelty is fast beginning to wear off.
I've read that citalopram is sometimes used to treat men suffering from premature ejaculation which might just explain the effect it's having on me. Have tried taking ginko biloba as suggested on this site but after 4 days it's not working.
Anyone have a remedy for this?
I'm due to meet up with my GP in a few days and might discuss lowering the dose? I'm loathe to stop taking citalopram altogether has the benefits are markedly apparent, especially to those close to me.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Who has suggested you take Gingko Biloba on NMP? That has a Moderate interaction warning with many antidepressants so please ensure you check it out when deciding to combine. If the thread you saw that on didn't mention this I wouldn't mind seeing it to post about safety on it for others.

In this case it's a risk to people with pre existing risks of seizures such as epilepsy sufferers. A pharmacist will always be able to advise on it.

It's early days for you on Cit yet but if it continues after the side effect window (often considered 4-6 weeks) your GP will likely switch you. There are also meds like Welbutrin but it's licenced for smoking cessation in the UK so GP's won't prescribe it but psychiatrists could.

[Qualified_Survivor]

Ginko is referred to on the "sticky" on the citalopram sub forum?

[MyNameIsTerry]

It has a disclaimer about checking with a GP. GP's can be poor when you veer outside of their narrow meds knowledge which is where pharmacists are best utilised.

Please bear in mind that guide was by one person based on their own research and it has errors e.g. the advice about half life is incorrect (should be 35 hours), it reaches peak 80% at 4 hours after taking hence why side effects intensify over time but the medical profession do know it is being absorbed earlier than this and that it is known to aggravate a certain gut receptor (quite quickly) when starting out hence the advice to take with food if so, etc.

I can't see a doctor ever recommending use of a herbal with little understanding and the recorded risk. They will just switch or add a med to compensate.

You are very early into the Cit. It was week 3 when mine started easing off and week 5 when they seemed to go. Unless a side effect is intolerable, pushing through its best because a switch can mean side effects too. Plus this side effect can occur with other antidepressants and if you are passing through the side effect window, I think if you can hang on it's better than starting again.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This is a good site for supplement advice since it also quotes the studies:

https://examine.com/supplements/ginkgo-biloba/

I suggest you have a look at that as it tells you the dosages used in such trials. Gingko Biloba isn't very clear in combating SSRI-induced sexual function problems but some people are noted to respond hence it may help.

What I have an additional concern about is the enzyme interaction element. I need to check which enzymes Cit uses but if it's the ones mentioned here, it will alter how the Cit is being absorbed. I know from researching other natural products that they can increase the strength of drugs but in the case of Gingko Biloba it seems to be saying it speeds up absorption so the drugs using those enzymes will become less powerful.

However I know with some meds that they are flexible in using other enzymes too so it can be for pharmacists to advise. If Cit doesn't use the quoted enzymes, it won't be an issue but I can't say without checking that out first.

[Qualified_Survivor]

thanks for taking the time to compile such a detailed reply. Much appreciated. I'll ditch the ginko and continue on with Cit.

[Bike Rider]

Hi Q.S. I had the same as you, couldn't ejaculate. I found it took 3 "attempts" to happen, by that I mean if we did it once a week, then on the 3rd week I would ejaculate.