be the change you want to see in your sex life

This non-commercial message is brought to you by "common sense." I'm not a paid spokesman for anything, not even common sense, which (by the way) can't be bought at any price.

 Nope, I'm just a poor fool who shares a bit of his (admittedly twisted) sex life online, and upon occasion does some editorializing on (admittedly twisted) current events. Today's topic is commentary on an undisclosed paid celebrity product endorsement, the strange story of Dr Drew & the 60 Orgasms.

Drew Pinksy - Doctor or snake oil salesman?

The headline which drew my interest was from a story in the Huffington Post stating, "Dr. Drew Allegedly Paid $275,000 To Illegally Promote GlaxoSmithKline Drugs" - a sad tale of an illegal payoff for an odd celebrity endorsement.  That alone probably wouldn't have earned any mention here at the SpiritualBDSM blog, it's just another sordid business tale in an age when such stories are far too common.


Instead, the story gets interesting when it details . . . 

In one particular appearance on the David Essel – Alive! radio program, Dr. Drew linked one woman’s experience of having 60 orgasms in one night to an ingredient in the drug, according to Gawker. This illegal practice of promoting drugs for purposes other than those approved by the Food and Drug Administration is known as off-label marketing.

The story itself is about the marketing of Wellbutrin, a prescription drug used to treat depression.  It's alleged that Dr. Drew received $275,000 from drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline for his promotion of the drug as a potential sex enhancer.

I'm not here to condemn Dr. Drew, I think he's done that well enough on his own.  I understand that celebrities are offered endorsements every day, and I also understand that TV shows featuring celebrity doctors are very popular, making an endorsement from an individual like Dr. Drew all the more appealing to our country's legal drug dealers, giant pharmaceutical corporations like GlaxoSmithKline.


What I am here to condemn is the mere suggestion that drugs like Wellbutrin are going to enhance anyone's sex life.  Despite the paid celebrity endorsement, I can tell you from hard personal experience that Wellbutrin   might very well bring about the polar opposite of a 60 orgasm evening.


You see, my dear reader, my former spouse Blissful Torment was prescribed and took Wellbutrin under a doctor's orders.  She had complained to our doctor that she had lost some orgasmic ability taking Prozac for depression.  Yes, she too had heard off label promises that Wellbutrin might enhance her ultimate pleasure, and to my eyes and ears that was a major ingredient in her desire to switch medicines.


The drug did anything but enhance her sexuality . . . 


Rather, it had the polar opposite effect.  My ex went from being multi-orgasmic (pre-Prozac) to experiencing total dysfunction and inability to orgasm, not even with masturbation, while taking Wellbutrin.  It didn't help her moods any either, at least not from my perspective.


Ya know, in the end, while I understand that drugs like antidepressants may have some place in the physician's pharmacopia, I can't help feeling that they are terribly over prescribed.  I've used Prozac, and the only thing it did for me was get a couple of people who thought I should be taking it off my back.  In terms of full disclosure, it should be noted that both individuals encouraging me to take Prozac were on anti-depressants themselves.

If your life sucks, there isn't a pill in the world that is going to change that reality.  The only thing that can change that reality is you.  The same is true for your sex life.

You must be the change you want to see in your sex life.

There are no other answers . . .

I give you that advice free of charge, with the understanding that it's really just common sense . . .

SOUNDTRACK - Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense version)