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Mental health

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Original poster

I think Fluoxetine nearly made me have an affair

18 replies

ThatBucketWoman · 18/12/2009 22:21

I was feeling low about two months ago and went to the GP. I wasn't well but also lots of circumstantial things had happened in my life to make me feel miserable. At the first GP appointment I was told I was feeling rubbish because I had mild flu but to come back in a week to check. When I went back I got a locum who suggested ADs and I was feeling so crap I just thought I'd try anything.

After about 2 weeks of fluoxetine I felt much better but by about a month in I seemed to have lost my 'discretion filter' and got a lot blunter with everyone. This included really directly flirting with someone who I'd previously just mildly fancied. During this time my whole libido seemed to go weird - constantly thinking about sex but unable to orgasm. And I just couldn't get this guy out of my head. I was seriously making eyes at him even when DH was there. Anyway, about a week ago I told someone that I thought another mutual friend of our was gay. I was so shocked at my own indiscretion that I came off the fluoxetine that day (last Saturday). Now I'm looking back on my weird lust for this guy and it is sooo out of character. Luckily, I chose a sensible guy and even though I made it completely clear I was up for it he seems to have had sense enough to ignore it. However, I am a bit haunted by how dangerous a game I was playing and feel a bit embarrassed. Most of all though, I feel scared about how close I came to cheating on DH and I'm sure the drugs were a big part of it.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this on ADs?

OP posts:

Meglet · 18/12/2009 22:29

I had seroxat (paroxetine, also an SSRI) once and ended up a bit of a mess. Won't go into details here, but suffice to say my inhibitions went out of the window for a while. I stopped them after a few months as I was going to end up in serious trouble (or dead) and was much better for it. I could see things were going very badly wrong and I was more depressed while on it. I was lucky and got myself better with lots of exercise and counselling.

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 18/12/2009 22:35

I think the lack-of-inhibitions thing could have had some really horrible consequences for me. I looked down the side-effects on the fluoxetine packet and there wasn't anything about inhibitions on there. (Just something about 'sexual dysfunction'.)

OP posts:

xinxmas · 18/12/2009 22:40

I was on fluoxetine for about 6 months quite a few years ago and also ended up in a pretty awful situation which I suppose was due to disinhibition, and was quite out of character in retrospect. I had never really made the connection with the drugs until seeing your post, but it suddenly seems quite obvious. What I particularly remember about the whole episode was being very disconnected emotionally from everything that was going on.

Have you spoken to your GP since coming off them?

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 18/12/2009 22:49

God, yes, 'disconnected' is the word! Totally calm about it - considering I nearly lit the touch paper under my life. (The guy I was flirting with is professionally connected to me and DH.)

I did tell the GP and she's suggested I try a new drug after Christmas when the fluoxetine has left my system. I think this was more to do with my complaint about orgasming and less to do with the affair. She made it pretty clear she thought that was unconnected but I'm not sure, hence this post. Can I ask hat happened to you?

OP posts:

Kaloki · 18/12/2009 22:56

It shouldn't affect your reasoning, but it will heighten your emotions as it will push your serotonin levels up to max for a while to force the body to normalise it. It also does affect sex drive, both increases and decreases. So it could be that, in a way I'm jealous, it destroyed my sex drive!

Glad to hear you got things under control though, anti-depressants are such weird things.

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 18/12/2009 23:00

Well, I guess I did pick someone quite sexy to fancy so I suppose my reasoning was functioning in that respect! But yes, the whole thing is totally freaky. Oh god, I am embarrassed and grateful to my crush that he has been quite calm but he might not have been and then...

Seriously, I was agonisingly obvious. Argh.

OP posts:

Kaloki · 18/12/2009 23:07

He's probably very flattered I wouldn't worry really

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 18/12/2009 23:09

Yeah, you are right, there are worse things than being fancied.

OP posts:

Kaloki · 18/12/2009 23:16

Definitely

Are you going to try anti-depressants again? (A different kind obviously)

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 20/12/2009 21:33

I'm going to discuss it with my GP but the whole episode has made me very wary. I nearly got a tattoo - full-on, Jack Daniels, devil-plays-poker type fgs!!!

Looking back the whole thing seems so not me.

OP posts:

SleighBelleDameSansMerci · 20/12/2009 21:40

Ooooh, they sound much more exciting than my citalopram... I feel like I've been short changed! Seriously, ADs can make you behave very differently but it may just be that that "strain" isn't for you. Good luck with your GP.

maybebaby23 · 21/12/2009 08:04

My mum took fluoxetine back when i was a teenager and i will never forget it, it was the worst year of my life. She would stay up until 4am speaking to men online and playing soppy music really loud..my dad was out of his mind about the whole thing as we all were. She was just so..disconnected. She didn't even LOOK like my mum, her features changed and she was distant. She went out and bought loads of new clothes that were just "not her" iykwim. Then she kicked my dad out of the house! While he was gone she started meeting men from the internet and she thought this was absolutely fine. One even rang up our house and i, being only 15 and totally disturbed by my mums behaviour, screamed at him and hung up. I later heard my mum telling him that i'll be ok and will accept it soon

She picked arguments with me at every oppertunity and would just go off on one screaming and ranting. She just started living her own life seperate from us all but in the same house. It was AWFUL

She eventually came off it, took my dad back and just gradually got back to normal. She is horrified when we talk about that time and she says its all just a blur, she can't remember playing loud music til 4am but does remember meeting people off the internet. She is very and ashamed This was 9 years ago now.

Very wierd how it changed her. Sorry to hear you have been affected by it as well OP Sorry for going on! Just thought i'd share my mums experience.

maybebaby23 · 21/12/2009 08:06

Oh i forgot to say, my mum actually did get a tattoo whilst on this drug!!

littleboyblue · 21/12/2009 08:11

I've been on fluoxetine for 7 months and haven't noticed any of the things you're all talking about.
Sounds awful!

peacocks · 21/12/2009 08:16

Why don't you try Vitamin B6? All the benefits without the NONSENSE

Skegness · 21/12/2009 09:19

I'm wondering if it's possible that your depression has a bipolar element? Some information here. Certain anti-depressants are known to trigger hypomanic or manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder. That type of uncharacteristic sexual disinhibition is quite a common symptom. Might be worth further discussion with your GP?

Original poster

ThatBucketWoman · 22/12/2009 21:20

Wow, Maybebaby, I'm sure your description of your mum on fluoxentine could have been me had I stuck on it for longer. DH and I were such a team before and the ADs just made me want to be independent and wild. He found the tattoo thing completely bemusing. I'm so sad for you that you had to live with that, and also sad for your mum - it must be awful for her. Thank you so much for posting.

I'm definitely going to look into B6. I had a look at the info on bipolar though I'm not certain that it would apply to me but will discuss it with the GP. The reason I was down in the first place was because my mum has just died and both DSs and I had really horrible colds. I think probably this wouldn't count as a 'low period' but a bit more a 'sad period' and I think that I almost certainly wasn't depressed just unhappy IYKWIM. But will also discuss that with GP as not sure of the distinction myself!

OP posts:

tethersjinglebellend · 22/12/2009 21:35

IME, fluoxetine gets rid of anxiety, completely in some cases.

Problem is, some anxiety is there for a reason- anxiety about breaking up a marriage means you don't start an affair; anxiety about how it will be received may stop you getting a tattoo.

Maybe the drug just can't differentiate? I mean, we all manifest anxiety in different ways...

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