See Things That Kill Libido

• Depression. Clinical depression and all the emotions that go with it can have disastrous effects on anyone’s libido. Not only does depression make everyday activities difficult, but it also alters the levels of dopamine and serotonin and can decrease the libido.

• Antidepressant medication. It is certainly one of life’s cruel ironies that the treatment for depression can also cause low libido. Hmmm!

• Other medications. Sexual side effects of medication are very common. Unfortunately, many health care providers do not discuss this with patients when giving them prescriptions. So, patients are caught off guard when their sex drive takes a dive.

• Stress. Stress is one huge thing that steals the desire for sex. This may be due to all the bad toxins that are released in the body when someone is experiencing stress; or it may be because stress affects our behaviour and causes us often to enter into fight-or-flight mode. We think of pure survival and our sex drive decreases as a measure of self-protection.

• Bad overall health habits. This includes poor diet, obesity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.

• Hormones. Most likely through methods of birth control such as the pill and Depo Provera contraceptive injection, which have been shown to have negative effects on female libido.

• Recreational drugs. Marijuana causes vaginal dryness and is also a depressant. These lower male and female libido. Opiates such as cocaine are known to cause low libido as well as other sexual functions.

• Chronic illness/disability. Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, thyroid disorders and other illnesses and disabilities all cause havoc with the normal balance of our bodies, including sexual desire.

The bottom line: If you continually feel unable to have sex, see your doctor!