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New FDA-approved weight loss device shows promise
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Obesity is a disease that currently affects our population in epidemic proportions, and which has a profound effect on health and quality of life. As a physician dedicated to the prevention and treatment of the medical complications of excess weight, I frequently see patients whose efforts at restricting calories and increasing physical activity are not resulting in sustained weight loss.
When that’s the case, particularly if the excess weight is causing health issues, we can consider adding other treatment tools, which include weight loss medications, or weight loss surgeries. And while these options have increased dramatically over the last one to two decades, we still desperately need more treatments, as neither medications nor surgery are accessible or appropriate for every individual affected by obesity.
What is Plenity?
Gelesis100 (Plenity), just approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April and expected to come on the market later this year, is an exciting recent innovation in weight management. Although Plenity comes in capsule form, it is actually a weight loss device, not a medication. The capsules are filled with hydrogel particles. When taken with a full glass of water before meals, the particles expand in the stomach and take up space, leading to the sensation of fullness. The gel particles eventually move through the intestinal tract, and are broken down by enzymes and excreted.
In the pivotal randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial about 60% of those who followed a diet and exercise plan plus took Plenity lost 5% or more of their initial weight. And about 25% of those who took it were high responders, losing 10% or more of initial weight. Average weight loss was modest: -6.4% for the Plenity group vs -4.4% for the control group. (Of note, the desired endpoint of achieving at least 3% more weight loss in the Plenity group compared to the control group was not met.)
Who might benefit from Plenity?
Given the modest weight loss effects, Plenity will not be the cure to the obesity epidemic. And for people with significant weight to lose, it may not help enough.
Even so, I am enthusiastic about the approval of Plenity as the first treatment of its kind for overweight and obesity, because of how it will fit into the landscape of weight reduction treatments. Plenity is approved for use not only in those with obesity (defined as a body mass index [BMI] above 30) but also in people who are overweight (starting at a BMI of 25). This means that a broader population might be eligible to use Plenity compared to weight loss medications, which are approved for people with a BMI above 30, or a BMI above 27 with certain medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.
Access for those who have overweight, but who would not be eligible for pharmacologic (or surgical) treatments, could be incredibly impactful. Not only is close to 40% of the world population in the overweight range, but weight loss at lower BMI can help prevent future weight-related health problems.
What else do I need to know about this new weight-loss device?
There were few safety concerns in the clinical trial of Plenity; in fact, no treatment-related serious adverse events occurred. In addition, Plenity is not absorbed into the body at all. As a result, there is little reason to worry about pharmacologic side effects, or interactions with other medications, both of which frequently limit people’s ability to use weight-loss drugs.
This treatment approach also holds promise for future incremental innovations. For example, the in-the-pipeline Gelesis200 (not to be confused by Harry Potter fans with the Nimbus 2000), is based on Gelesis100 and is currently being studied for possible effects on coexisting obesity and diabetes. And as further research is conducted, we may gain the ability to predict who will be a high responder, and select those individuals for treatment.
The devil is always in the details, and we still don’t know how much these capsules are going to cost. Those of us who work to help people lose weight — and those of us who need to lose it — stand to be quite disappointed if it’s priced as high as most weight loss medications, or is not covered by insurance.
It is exciting that as we continue to understand more about obesity, we have more medical strategies to help people lose weight. I am cautiously optimistic that Plenity will represent a safe and effective option for a subset of people with overweight and obesity.
The post New FDA-approved weight loss device shows promise appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Podcast: Sexual Side Effects Caused by Psychiatric Medications
It’s common knowledge that psychiatric medications are prone to sexual side effects. It’s often referenced in the advertising. Since most people living with mental illness want to be both happy and have a satisfying sex life, this creates a bit of a quandary
Are the two things mutually exclusive? What does a person on psychiatric medications do when the cure seems worse than the illness? Listen in to find out now!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
“The sexual side effects of [psychiatric] medications are the number one reason people stop taking them.”
– Gabe
Highlights from ‘Medication Sexual Side Effects’ Episode
[1:25] Let’s talk about masturbation.
[4:00] The frustrations of psychiatric medications and our sex lives.
[10:00] How to resolve sexual side effects.
[13:30] Gabe’s unmedicated sex drive versus his current sex drive.
[17:00] Should you talk to your partner about sexual issues caused by medication?
[19:30] Women should not be embarrassed to talk to their doctors about sexual side effects.
[22:00] Women vs. men when it comes to handling sexual issues.
Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Sexual Side Effects Caused by Psychiatric Medications’ Show
Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.
Announcer: For reasons that utterly escape everyone involved, you’re listening to A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. Here are your hosts, Gabe Howard and Michelle Hammer.
Gabe: You are listening to A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast with me, Gabe, who has bipolar.
Michelle: And I’m Michelle and I’m schizophrenic.
Gabe: And we have a new addition to the show, ever since we started, we have had a producer and we make our producers not talk because Michelle and I.
Michelle: We can’t stop talking.
Gabe: I Don’t know. Yeah, we’re control freaks. But apparently there’s like a union she wants to talk. So introducing to the show, I guess to talk now, our producer, Lisa.
Lisa: Hello.
Michelle: Hello, Lisa.
Lisa: I don’t actually want to talk. I just need you all to talk better.
Gabe: We don’t want her to share her opinion or be like a person because it’s really about Gabe and Michelle. But she thinks that she has ideas to make the show better.
Michelle: Yeah. Um-hmm.
Gabe: And, you know, things being what they are.
Michelle: We’re letting her in, just gonna let her.
Gabe: We decided.
Lisa: This is going to be the best show you’ve ever had.
Michelle: We’re trying our best. We’ve got a lot of fun stuff to chat about today, Gabe, don’t we?
Gabe: We do, Michelle. Let’s talk about masturbation.
Michelle: Let’s talk about masturbation, you want me to start with this, Gabe?
Gabe: Well, let’s do just a slight bit of setup so that we don’t whiplash the audience, because I think I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think people who don’t have mental illness also masturbate. I’m not sure because I’ve always been mentally ill and I’ve always masturbated.
Michelle: I think everyone masturbates, Gabe.
Gabe: What did they say, that there was a survey out there and determined there was two types of people, those who masturbate and those who lie about it.
Michelle: Yes, agreed on that one.
Gabe: But what we’re specifically.
Lisa: That was Jocelyn Elders. Sorry, but it was.
Gabe: No, no, say it again.
Lisa: That was Jocelyn Elders. She was the surgeon general at the time.
Gabe: Oh, we are so glad that you have facts. That’s what the show has been missing.
Lisa: I could give you the actual percentages. Or not, whatever.
Gabe: All right. What are they?
Lisa: I think I was 86 and like 92. And the rest lied.
Gabe: Ninety two percent lied?
Lisa: No, 86% of women say that they masturbate and 92% of men. And the rest lie.
Gabe: That is absolutely fascinating.
Lisa: I feel like I really contributed.
Gabe: You know what I like about having Lisa on the show now? Michelle and I, instead of hating each other, we now collectively hate you. Welcome.
Michelle: I don’t hate Lisa. What are you talking about? Why are you dragging me into this?
Gabe: Because you’re supposed to be on my side. Whenever there’s a fight you’re supposed to be.
Michelle: We’re just talking about jerking off. We’re talking about jerking off. You know, wanka this, wanka that, wanka all the time.
Gabe: I now have a better understanding of why you miss so many deadlines. Specifically this show is about the sexual side effects of psychiatric medications. We just tabled it by masturbation because that’s really how people figure it out the most. At least that’s been Gabe and Michelle’s experience. We’ve been fine. We’ve had issues. And we’re working this problem out all by ourselves. But we found out that it was very common. The sexual side effects of medication are really the number one reason that people stopped taking their medication.
Michelle: Absolutely, right. Because, as you have said, Gabe, before, dicks a flopping, not a fun time.
Gabe: But what we’re specifically talking about here is not when it’s just gone, you know, obviously if I’m having erectile dysfunction, there’s no attempt to resist. I’m looking down. Nothing’s happening. My mom has now turned this episode off and we can really get into the meat and potatoes pun intended of this conversation. But what happens when it’s when it’s not quite there, it’s not quite gone. You know, so like in male parlance, it’s semi hard.
Michelle: Well, the thing is, before psych meds, things that used to take three minutes, now take 30 minutes and it’s very frustrating and it’s not fun and it’s just not easy. So you have to expand into some sort of vibrational toy. And, Gabe, you
Gabe: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Michelle: You know, I’m just saying I was just saying in a sexual experience, if we’re gonna talk about masturbating, that, you know, with yourself is always quicker. But when you take psych meds, you know, your hands ain’t going to do what they used to do. You have to come in with a vibrational toy, which is gonna be much more handy for yourself. And when you’re with a partner, well, you see what I’m saying, Gabe, because this all came about when I texted Gabe and said, Gabe, I’m going to come out with a vibrator and I’m going to brand it and it’s going to be the best vibrator for everyone who’s on psych meds. And you were like, well, what about the other vibrators that are supposed to be the best?
Gabe: No, no, no, no, you are telling the story way wrong. So first, let’s set the scene.
Michelle: Ok, let’s set the scene, OK? You don’t like how I’m telling the story, Gabe?
Gabe: No, you tell the story God awful. First, let’s set the scene. Focus on the middle aged man in his robe, sitting on his couch watching the People’s Court at like 130 a.m. in the morning. And my phone, it goes off. Bing! And I look down and there’s a text message from Michelle and Michelle says, “I want to invent a vibrator for psychiatric patients.” And I said, What? And she goes, “You know, a vibrator for crazy people.” And I said, What? Why would a vibrator need to be different for crazy people? And Michelle said, “Well, you know, it’s stronger so that you can push through.” And then she tells me how she used to be able to climax. That’s not her word. But again, we’re trying to have some decorum around this subject.
Michelle: Decorum.
Gabe: She used to be able to climax in three minutes. And now it’s taking 30. Now, listen, I have been told all of my life that climaxing quickly is bad. So I’m not understanding what the problem is. But Michelle assures me that this is problematic for her. And she says that she wants to invent a vibrator that is so strong it can help a woman who is on psychiatric medication climax quickly.
Michelle: The best idea ever, is it not the best idea ever? It’s the best idea in the whole world? I think so. I think I should come out with it. But then Gabe tells me what?
Gabe: It’s already been invented. It’s called the magic wand.
Michelle: So what do I do at 130 thirty in the morning? Go on Amazon and buy the magic wand.
Gabe: My favorite part is when you texted me back and said. “This motherfucker plugs in?”
Michelle: Yeah, you got to plug it in to get the most power. What kind of thing
Gabe: Well, yeah.
Michelle: Is that? You can’t use it in the shower or the bath. You gonna get electrocuted
Gabe: What the hell is happening? You wanted this thing to be strong enough to push through the psychiatric medications and you wanted this to be done on, what, a couple of C batteries?
Michelle: You charge it and then it’s good to go. I don’t know why you have to plug it in and then the cord. Hopefully you got like an extension cord or you have a surge protector that’s near the bed. What if the cord is just not long enough? You know what, if the cord isn’t long enough?
Gabe: I don’t know.
Michelle: What if the cord is not long enough? You plug this thing in? And then what do I know? Next week in the mail, this gigantic box comes. This thing is gigantic. I think I should still come out with my own. And it’s gonna be specifically branded for people on psych meds because we spoke about it before. Gabe, when you’re on psych meds, your sex drive is so much harder. Oh, pun intended to make you actually climax. It is way harder. You know, Gabe.
Gabe: The pun is wrong, though, it’s not so much harder. It’s so much softer,
Michelle: Oh, yes.
Gabe: Which is the problem.
Michelle: Well, that was a bad pun on my thing, but I mean, I tested this. I used it. It’s good, but there can be a better one and I’m gonna make it.
Gabe: Wait. Ok. All right. OK, so. So wait a minute, you get the vibrator. It’s gigantic in a box. You open it up. You take off all the packing material. Do you do an unboxing video?
Michelle: I didn’t do an unboxing video. No, not for that. No, I
Gabe: You might lose your millennial card.
Michelle: I might.
Gabe: But anyways, you take it out of the box, you plug it in?
Michelle: Ta-da!
Gabe: So it worked?
Michelle: Well, they all eventually work. It’s just how well do they work? They all vibrate. All vibrators do vibrate. But how well do they vibrate?
Gabe: How well did it vibrate?
Michelle: I’ve used better.
Gabe & Lisa: Really?
Michelle: Yes.
Lisa: What kind? Do you have a brand name for that one?
Michelle: I don’t know the brand.
Lisa: Then how good could it be?
Michelle: I was with somebody else.
Gabe: Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. You had a vibrator that wasn’t doing the job, you bought a different vibrator. You’re saying that that one doesn’t do the job,
Michelle: No.
Gabe: But then you say that you know of this magical vibrator that’s better, but yet you were using the one that you didn’t think was better.
Michelle: Because that vibrator.
Gabe: There’s only two choices here.
Michelle: The one that I used that was better, was not my vibrator.
Gabe: Ok. That’s just disgusting.
Lisa: No it’s not.
Michelle: So I was in it. I was in a situation.
Gabe: You were in a situation?
Michelle: I wasn’t, I was in a situation, you know, so now you know, you’re here, you’re there, you’re with this, you’re with that. Hey, look what I got here. Brrrrrrr. Brrrrrr. You know?
Lisa: I know exactly what you’re saying.
Michelle: I’m saying I was in a situation and, you know, and that one was better. Whatever it was, it was smaller too. Dude, this thing, looks like it came from like, who know is this this thing of the land looks like a back massager, motherfucker.
Gabe: Michelle, sincerely, all joking aside, this is a concern. This is a legitimate concern where people who are on psychiatric medications to stay well, because listen, living with schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, psychosis, that is shit. But you know what else is shit? Not being
Michelle: Right.
Gabe: Able to have an orgasm. And I wish that we could just solve the problem. All joking aside, by buying magic wands off Amazon, I wish that we could say to all people who are having sexual side effects because of psychiatric medications. Hey, just buy a magic wand and you’ll be fine. But that was probably ridiculous and hopeful thinking from the get go as fun as this story has been.
Michelle: I agree. At one point I was put on an antidepressant generic and I couldn’t arrive at all. I told my doctor and you said, oh, well, take this one, it’s the same one, but it’s not the generic. I said, is it really going to be different? He goes, Well, they’re not the same. So I switched to the name brand and then I could arrive. So there are a little tweaks you can make, but I would like to say that even though it takes me a much longer time, I’d much rather be on my psych meds than to not be on psych meds and have three minutes.
Gabe: It is kind of like a shitty choice that people have to make because we’re dealing with our sex lives and many of us are young. And when I say young, I don’t mean 20. I mean young 30, 40, 50. We’re sexual creatures. We want to have sex. Sex is fun. We should have as much sex as humanly possible, whether it’s by ourselves or with a partner. And it’s good. It’s good.
Michelle: It’s good. Yeah, yeah.
Gabe: And then this medicine comes and takes it away.
Michelle: I like good sex. I like good sex. You like sex. Everybody likes good sex. So if you need a little help, you need a little help. What’s wrong with that? That’s why I’m going to make the best vibrator there ever was for psych meds. Just wait for it. What should I name it, Gabe?
Gabe: Bullshit 101? I don’t know. There’s no such thing as a magic vibrator that can fix sexual dysfunction caused by psychiatric medications.
Michelle: But I can try my best.
Gabe: You could try your best.
Michelle: Is this an irrational thought that I’m having right now? Because I think it’s necessary. I do think it’s necessary.
Gabe: I don’t know that it’s an irrational thought as much as I think that it’s wishful thinking. Here’s what you want. Don’t don’t try to make a joke. Be honest. You want your psychiatric medications to keep you mentally well and healthy and you want to have a great sex life.
Michelle: Yes.
Gabe: And you think the solution to that is the magical vibrator that you were going to invent?
Michelle: Yes.
Gabe: That’s the part that’s batshit crazy. There is no such thing as a magical vibrator that’s going to fix this. We’ve got to look for other ways to solve this problem.
Michelle: What are the other ways, Gabe? Teach me, teach me the ways.
Gabe: Michelle, I don’t really think of you that way, I think of you more as a friend.
Michelle: Oh, I see. OK. OK. I need a better lover. Is that what you’re saying?
Gabe: No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I mean, maybe, maybe, but
Lisa: Elaborate on that at length.
Michelle: Yeah, elaborate on that, Gabe. What do I need, Gabe?
Gabe: We’ll be right back after we hear from our sponsor.
Announcer: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counselling. All counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist, whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face to face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counselling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.
Michelle: And we’re back having a chit chat about sexual side effects.
Gabe: Look. But before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, when I was 16, 17, 18, 19 years old, I could have sex in under three minutes with multiple partners and with myself constantly. No problem. A brisk wind would allow me to arrive.
Michelle: What kind of man wants to have sex in three minutes? Men aren’t supposed to have sex in three minutes.
Gabe: I’m not saying that we should or should not. I’m just saying that when I was younger, I could get an erection quickly, I could arrive quickly, and I had a really quick refractory period where I could then have sex again quickly. None of these things exist now that I’m 43. Some of that some of that is because of the psychiatric medications. But some of it is also because I’m 43. So when I say get a better lover, I’m not insulting any of the people who you are having sex with. I’m saying that as we age, we have to adjust the ways in which we have sex again. The way that I had sex at 20, while hypersexual, basically was just I don’t even know it was it was a thing of magic. Didn’t even have to get undressed. It was so quick. And now there’s like some work. You know, foreplay is important.
Michelle: Are you saying that I’m not doing any foreplay?
Gabe: Once again, nobody is insulting you. I’m curious as to why you are taking this so personally. It’s almost like you know that you’re selfish in bed.
Michelle: I’m not selfish in bed. What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with me and my sexual functioning. Me doing any foreplay on anybody else. So you’re saying like I’m a selfish lover and it’s all about me. I’m just trying to make a great experience for everyone involved, including myself. And I want the world, I want the world to have a great experience. The world’s.
Lisa: Okay, wait, I have an idea. Let’s turn this question over to the listeners. If you are sitting out there listening to this show, and you have had sex with Michelle, email us at show@PsychCentral.com and tell us how she did. Maybe throw in a numerical rating and any feedback you might have.
Gabe: That’s cruel. That is just so cruel.
Michelle: Please do. That would be great because I’ve never handed out any comment cards with a one through five rating or a little section for additional comments, so I would love to know what other people think I do in bed and how it really, really is. So let me know. Email show@PsychCentra.com. Am I good in bed or am I bad?
Gabe: This is terrible because I’m the one that checks that email address.
Lisa: I desperately want to read these emails.
Michelle: Listen here, people. And if you have had sex with me, was it before or after psych meds?
Lisa: Oh, that’s a good one. That’s a good one.
Gabe: How would they know?
Lisa: Well, they could give approximate dates.
Michelle: Approximate. Include approximate dates.
Gabe: Like you’d remember.
Lisa: And then you could do a side by side of which one is better. I love this plan. This is a good experiment; I love this experiment.
Michelle: And then I will rate the person who rated me, you know?
Lisa: I like it. It’s like eBay back in the day where you wouldn’t leave feedback unless someone left you feedback first. I get that.
Gabe: I like having Lisa on the show because she references things that are long gone that nobody will understand.
Lisa: I loved eBay. It was so much better before it went corporate.
Michelle: I’m proud.
Gabe: Obviously, I don’t think a whole bunch of people are going to e-mail us, but it illustrates the point that I’m trying to make, which is that you have to talk to your partner. I don’t think you should hand out comment cards, but the way that we have sex evolves, just like the way that we do, everything evolves. And often we’re not talking to our partners. I have had to talk to my partners because of the change in medications, because of my age. And as funny as it is to think about all these people out there e-mailing the show and giving you some sort of like, I don’t know, evaluation that actually needs to look like two people having a conversation about how their body is changing or how their medications are affecting their body changes so that that way you can have the best sex possible. And it also needs to involve a conversation with your doctor. I would love to say that you can listen to a podcast and solve your sexual problems, but that’s ridiculous. You’ve got to talk to the people you’re having sex with, even if that’s you.
Michelle: I completely agree. You do have to have good communication. However, if we do get any e-mails, they’re all gonna say that I was amazing and I do talk to my partner. We’re on the same medication that does affect our sex drives, which is convenient because it both takes us, you know, a really long time.
Gabe: It’s easy to think that you’re doing something wrong sexually and feeling guilty about it, but oftentimes the other person doesn’t care. They’re into it. They’re happy. So the way that you find out whether or not your your sex life is good, is based on your happiness and your partner’s happiness. And a lot of times we psych ourselves out because we think that our partner is unhappy. Just ask.
Michelle: Boring but necessary.
Gabe: Boring but necessary.
Michelle: Communicate.
Gabe: Don’t walk around thinking that something is wrong. Ask your partner if something is wrong and if it is. Don’t assume it’s because you’re bad. This is when you need to involve your doctor or find other ways. These are easy problems to solve. If everybody is talking about it openly, that’s what I’m trying to say. I’m not saying that anybody is bad in bed.
Michelle: Communication is important in a relationship. If it’s taking you very frustrating time to arrive and you think it’s causing a schism in your relationship, you really need to communicate and explain why that’s happening. If it’s happening because you’re taking psych meds and your partner doesn’t know, that’s why it’s happening, they might think that they’re not pleasing you properly. But if you need to talk to them and actually explain why that’s going on, that’s way more important. Otherwise, they’re going to think they’re doing something wrong.
Gabe: I completely agree with you, Michelle. I think that there are so many people that have problems with their sex life because they’re just assuming what their partner is thinking or they do have a legitimate problem in their sex life caused by psychiatric medications and they’re too embarrassed to talk to a doctor. The one that I hear all of the time is that young women. And when I say young women, I’m talking 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds are having sexual side effects and they’re unmarried and they have to go to the student health center or to the doctor they’ve seen since they were kids. And they want to tell the doctor that their sex life went to hell because of the medication that they’re on. And they feel really embarrassed and they feel shameful, like they shouldn’t be having sex because they’re not married or because it’s against God or religion. And and they’re really just so embarrassed to have this conversation that they just quit the medication, cold turkey to get their sex life back. And then, of course, that brings other problems. Michelle, you’re the resident young woman. What advice do you have to women who are afraid to have this conversation with their doctor?
Michelle: It’s really important to have that conversation with your doctor. You don’t want to live your life being frustrated and not understanding why your body works. If you want to find out why you want to know if it’s from medication. You should find out. And maybe your doctor will give you some tips or hints to try to help you. Or maybe you need to change medication. Don’t just stop your medication. Try to adjust your medication. You don’t want to be, you know, all out of sorts and crazy and horny. Or would you rather be stable and, you know, just a little subdued down there? Most doctors are men, which can make it kind of uncomfortable. But you really have to advocate for yourself and stand up for yourself and find out what you need to do to take care of yourself the right way.
Gabe: Michelle, what do you think about the advice of talking to a female doctor or a female specialist?
Michelle: I think talking to a female doctor or female specialist is probably a better idea than talking to a male doctor because a female has the female anatomy and they also know what it’s like to have sex being a female. So they really have the most knowledge on the topic. When I was having issues, once I went to a gynecologist, she kind of just told me that I was depressed at that moment. That wasn’t the most helpful thing. So yeah, whatever, doctor you can’t go to, maybe you can talk to some peers or anyone that can really help you try to understand what’s going on or maybe your peers have the same issue as well?
Gabe: And maybe they can recommend a doctor that they’ve had good luck with?
Michelle: Exactly. Because you are definitely not alone in this situation. Trust me, we are making a podcast about this because it’s a really big situation and a big deal that happens to a lot of people. You are not alone in this.
Gabe: And it seems to happen to women a lot more often. And I think it’s because women have been trained from such a young age. Not to fight really, really hard to be able to have sex. I was embarrassed at 25 as a man when I had erectile dysfunction, but I wasn’t worried that the doctor was going to shame me. I talked to a lot of women who are having sexual side effects with their medication because they’re trying to find out what to do and they feel way more comfortable e-mailing a non doctor, a stranger. A guy that they just have heard from online than they do having this conversation live. And it really does always seem to come down to they’re afraid that somebody is going to tell them that they’re bad for wanting to have sex. Dispel that Michelle. Dispel it.
Michelle: I think it’s easier for men to realize they’re having sexual dysfunction because they’re either getting a boner or they’re losing their boner, therefore they know when they’re having sexual dysfunction. A woman sometimes doesn’t realize sometimes they’ve been having good sex and then all the sudden sex isn’t as good anymore. And they start blaming themselves and they don’t realize that it’s psychiatric medication. So they don’t know what’s going on with their sex drive. They don’t understand why when it’s so much easier for a man to realize what’s happening. So it’s harder to talk to a doctor about it because they don’t know why they think it’s other reasons, because they don’t want to go into a doctor’s office and say, I have no sex drive. I don’t know why I’m taking these meds. Is anything combined? I don’t really know. They don’t want to be looked at like they’re just don’t have a big sex drive. That’s the answer. They want to look for a bigger answer.
Gabe: Do you think that a lot of women blame themselves?
Michelle: Absolutely.
Gabe: Do you think that men blame themselves?
Michelle: No.
Gabe: Yeah, I kind of agree. I I think that men are embarrassed when our bodies fail because it means that we’re not macho, but we don’t think it’s our fault. We think it’s embarrassing and that we’re less of a man, but we don’t think it’s our fault. I do get the feeling from what you’re saying, Michelle, that that women kind of internalize this maybe in a different way. But anyway, you slice it male or female. The goal is to be mentally healthy and have the sex life that you want.
Michelle: Absolutely. They go together perfectly. Being comfortable with your sexuality is the most important thing. And you have to be able to communicate with both your partner and your doctor.
Gabe: I completely agree. Michelle, do you have any other last words on your vibration experience?
Michelle: Go on Amazon. Read some reviews. Find the best one. Test it out and have a good day.
Gabe: You owe it to yourself to have a great sex life and great emotional well-being.
Michelle: That’s right. You hit the nail on the head.
Gabe: Ha-ha.
Michelle: You nailed it.
Gabe: Thank you, everybody, for tuning in to this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. Wherever you downloaded this episode, leave us as many stars as humanly possible, but more importantly, use your words. Gabe and Michelle read them all and they make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And we would take it as a personal favor if you share this on social media and go ahead and tag us. You can tag schizophrenic.NYC, Michelle Hammer, or Gabe Howard, or Psych Central. We will see everybody next week.
Announcer: You’ve been listening to A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. If you love this episode, don’t keep it to yourself head over to iTunes or your preferred podcast app to subscribe, rate, and review. To work with Gabe, go to GabeHoward.com. To work with Michelle, go to Schizophrenic.NYC. For free mental health resources and online support groups, head over to PsychCentral.com. This show’s official web site is PsychCentral.com/BSP. You can e-mail us at show@PsychCentral.com. Thank you for listening, and share widely.
Meet Your Bipolar and Schizophrenic Hosts
GABE HOWARD was formally diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders after being committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003. Now in recovery, Gabe is a prominent mental health activist and host of the award-winning Psych Central Show podcast. He is also an award-winning writer and speaker, traveling nationally to share the humorous, yet educational, story of his bipolar life. To work with Gabe, visit gabehoward.com.
MICHELLE HAMMER was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22, but incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18. Michelle is an award-winning mental health advocate who has been featured in press all over the world. In May 2015, Michelle founded the company Schizophrenic.NYC, a mental health clothing line, with the mission of reducing stigma by starting conversations about mental health. She is a firm believer that confidence can get you anywhere. To work with Michelle, visit Schizophrenic.NYC.
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