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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Anticipating a reward, increases dopamine levels, which causes an individual to act in a way to get the reward. Most addictive drugs increase dopamine neuronal activity.Dopamine’s Effects on LibidoIncreased dopamine levels in the brain correlate to an increased libido. One can increase brain dopamine levels by either increasing the actual levels, through an oral medication, or by preventing the depletion of dopamine by changing behavior.Oral Medications to Increase DopamineThe only medication currently used to increase dopamine to treat depression is bupropion, which is available in the United States generically or branded as Wellbutrin. The mechanism of action of bupropion is not well understood. However, it is thought to inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, thus increasing the amount of dopamine present in the brain.Bupropion is available in three formulations, which differ in how quickly the medication is released.Most practitioners start their patients on the extended release (XL). It is available in 150mg and 300mg tablets. The maximum daily dosage is 450mg.Decreasing Dopamine DepletionPornography is thought to deplete brain dopamine. Men who watch a lot of pornography, particularly hard core pornography, appear to deplete the dopamine levels in their brain. This leads to increasing desire to watch more pornography, and more extreme pornography. Their interest in actual sex will often be significantly diminished.We advise our patients suffering from low libido to significantly decrease the time they spend watching pornography, and limit the pornography that they do watch to scenes which are most like what they would actually be engaged in. Treatment of Depression to Maximize Libido Many men will need to be on a medication to treat depression. Clearly, depression has a significant negative effect on men’s lives, and can be life threatening. Depression also has a significantly negative effect on libido. As partially described above, there are several classes of antidepressants. While serotonin reuptake inhibitors can have a negative effect on libido, bupropion does not.However, not all men with depression respond to bupropion. Also, while SSRIs help manage symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and OCD, bupropion does not.However, sometimes bupropion can be added to an SSRI. This may improve libido. It also
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