Woman seeks relief from sexual arousal
Q. I am a woman with over-the-top libido. My doctor says I may have PSAS – persistent sexual arousal syndrome. I’ve been dealing with this problem for a year, ever since I turned 40. The anti-depressant Pristiq has helped immensely, but I wonder if there is a more natural approach to this condition.
A. Persistent sexual arousal syndrome can be a serious problem. In this situation, a woman experiences frequent intrusive genital arousal – tingling or other sensations – without sexual desire. The arousal is not always relieved by orgasm.
No single treatment works for everyone, but antidepressants are sometimes helpful. Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) is a relatively new antidepressant that is related to Effexor (venlafaxine). Side effects may include high blood pressure and withdrawal symptoms upon stopping, as well as insomnia, nausea, dizziness, excessive sweating and sexual difficulties.
We are glad Pristiq is working for you. Because PSAS is a relatively rare diagnosis, there is very little research to suggest that natural approaches might be effective.
Q. My mother, a retired nurse, encouraged me to write you regarding my son’s acne problem. He is 19 and has been through many rounds of antibiotics, with limited success. I don’t like his taking antibiotics for such long periods of time. Any suggestions?
A. You will laugh at our suggestion, and dermatologists will cringe. We have heard from readers that putting milk of magnesia on the skin can be helpful for acne. One mother recently shared the following story:
“I wrote you several months ago about my son who almost died back in October 2007 from vitamin A poisoning. The dermatologist taking care of him had prescribed Accutane, and that seems to have been the cause.
“He has been using milk of magnesia topically at bedtime for months now. Our pediatrician ran a test to make sure he wasn’t getting too much magnesium, and also retested the vitamin A level to see if it had come back to normal.
“The happy news is that both magnesium and vitamin A levels are normal. My son looks great and feels well.”
We are sending you our new Guide to Skin Care with more details about milk of magnesia and other inexpensive home remedies for acne. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (59 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. S-28, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. I was given erythromycin for an infection and immediately started having heart palpitations and shortness of breath. My doctor didn’t believe that the drug could have caused the problem, so he gave me something generic but still in the same family of erythromycin. I had the same reaction. A couple of years ago I found something on the AMA Web site stating that erythromycin had been responsible for several cardiac deaths!
A. You may be more susceptible than average to heart-rhythm disturbances caused by certain medications. People with “long QT intervals” may react to erythromycin and many other drugs in a dangerous way. The long QT interval shows up on an electrocardiogram, so you may need to be tested. If you do have long QT intervals, there are lists of drugs that might be dangerous at www.qtdrugs.org.