Hey y’all. so today i finally got my vyvanse/elvanse and i’m gonna start tomorrow. I specifically asked my doctor about sexual side effects and she said that it’s well known to be relatively harmless in that regard. now I read the side effects and it says that erectile dysfunction and change of sex drive are “common: 1 in 10 people”. i’m taking wellbutrin too which didn’t harm my sex life. it rather helped a little. i’m really scared because I had some bad experiences with meds and sex in the past. so can we talk about it? how bad is it? does it go away? can you take something to help? thanks
Hey I can speak from experience to try and answer this question.
I’ve been taking lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse/Elvanse) since 2017. It has absolutely impacted my sex drive. Though, not in the way most might expect?
So achieving orgasm is actually easier for me (overall) when I’m medicated, but the drive to have sex as frequently as before has decreased. However, I don’t really think it’s by way of the medication actively depressing my sex drive, but rather because it’s no longer necessary for me to seek stimulation by way of having sex.
So, now, it’s easier to go without sex without feeling ravenous. More specifically, I considered myself to have a fairly insatiable sex drive before, but since becoming medicated I now seek it out about half as much.
My partner and I still engage in sex two or three times a week, and sometimes it’s more, rarely it’s less. For contrast, in a previous relationship (prior to diagnosis) my need was to initiate sex every single day.
If my partner initiates, it can take a little time for me to get into the groove, but the desire for sex is still functioning just fine. Maybe the best way I can put it is: ‘I could still eat, I just don’t feel like I’m starving anymore.’
I hope that gives you some insight. I’m happy to clarify or answer more if needed.
Hey that is so kind of you to offer these insights. They help me a lot. Can I just ask about your gender/body? I am cis male.
I love how you formulate your experience, it really gives a lot of food for thought and hope.
I’m glad my experiences can help!
I’ve no problem sharing gender and body info: I’m cis female.
I definitely went through a bit of a period of questioning when I realised the differences between my pre and post medicated experience. Afaik a lot of newly medicated folk go through a stage of coming to terms with the effects of the medication on their life.
Personally, I felt a lot of grief about ‘what else has changed’ for a little while. Not just in my sexual experiences, but even the need to take medication. There was a lot of internalised able-ism I had to work through as well.
Ultimately, your experience with diagnosis and medication will be your own, but there’s a big community of fellow adhd-ers that can chime in and possibly help support you with whatever you’re experiencing.
There’s always hope. :)