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Ways to Lower Sex Drive and Why It May Be Good for You

By Michelle Pugle

Updated on October 21, 2025

Medically reviewed by Soma Mandal, MD

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Mindfulness and meditation can help control sexual urges.
Certain medications, like antidepressants and blood pressure meds, may reduce your sex drive.

Managing a high sex drive can be approached through mindfulness practices, professional guidance, and medications. Achieving a balanced sex drive can support better daily functioning, whether you seek better control for religious reasons, mental health concerns, or another cause. Consider speaking with a healthcare provider or sex therapist.

A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology

Verywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.

Feet of a couple in bed together — Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman / Getty Images

How to Lower Sex Drive Without Medication

There are several methods to try to lower your sex drive without medication. Here are a few options to explore.

A Word From Verywell

Someone may want to lower their sex drive to manage personal stress, maintain focus on career or personal goals, or navigate complex relationship dynamics. Sexual desire is deeply personal and can be influenced by emotional, psychological, and physical factors. By adjusting one’s libido, people can create balance and harmony in their lives, aligning their sexual health with their overall well-being.

— SOMA MANDAL, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT

Mindfulness-Based Techniques

Mindfulness techniques like meditation can help treat sexual disorders. These methods may assist you in managing sex addiction or hypersexuality by practicing control over sexual urges.

Research suggests mindfulness may help with low arousal, enhance desire, or reduce sexual anxieties. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings.¹

Research on alternative treatments for hypersexuality is limited, and findings are hard to generalize.²

Masturbation

Masturbation can address sexual issues and relieve tension. It carries no risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.³

Can Eating Certain Foods Lower Sex Drive?

Anti-aphrodisiacs are foods that lower testosterone, potentially reducing sex drive. Examples include spearmint and licorice, but more studies are needed to confirm these effects.⁴⁵

Therapy

A sex therapist or psychotherapist can offer a safe space to address sexual concerns. Hypersexuality may also be called sex addiction. Consider working with an addiction specialist if you have co-occurring substance use issues or behavioral addictions.⁶⁷

Medications That May Help Reduce Libido

Many medications may lower your libido as a side effect. Medications that may be used to treat hypersexuality include:

Antidepressants
Antipsychotics⁸
Antiseizure medications

Many other medications may lower your libido as a side effect, though they’re prescribed for another reason. These drugs can include antiseizure medications, statins used to treat high cholesterol, blood pressure medications, and chemotherapy treatments for cancer.⁹¹⁰

Consult with a healthcare provider to determine which medication, if any, may be suitable for hypersexuality.

Antidepressants and Libido

It’s well-known that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used in antidepressant drugs like Prozac (fluoxetine) may contribute to loss of libido during and after treatment.¹¹ Other types of antidepressants, including serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or SNRIs like Effexor, are also associated with sexual side effects.¹²

Hypersexuality and Links to Other Health Issues

Addressing co-morbidities with hypersexuality is essential for ensuring appropriate treatment. Common co-occurring issues associated with hypersexuality include:¹³

Mood disorders, especially during manic episodes in bipolar disorder
Substance use disorders, especially cocaine and methamphetamine use disorder
Anxiety disorders
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD)
Personality disorders
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Eating disorders
Sexual disorders

What Are the Reasons for Controlling Libido?

There is no right or wrong level of libido to have. Some people may want to have sex more often than others, and this can change over time.¹⁴

BetterHealth. Libido.

People may want to control their libido to commit to celibacy or try to match a partner’s sex drive. If high libido is impacting other areas of your life negatively, it may be beneficial to learn to control it.

Sex and Gender and Hypersexuality

Past studies suggest cisgender men, on average, have a higher sex drive than cisgender women.¹⁵ Studies like this don’t take into account fluctuating sex drive during menstruation or associated reasons for wanting to control the increased sex drive during ovulation (i.e., when estrogen peaks alongside chances of getting pregnant).¹⁶

Mental Health and Other Reasons

Mental health, physical health, and sleep health are other reasons someone may try to control their sex drive.

Hypersexuality can contribute to:¹³

Chronic stress
Anxiety
Depression
Social isolation and impaired self-esteem
Cognition distortions (e.g., rationalizing acting on sexual urges despite consequences)
Risky sexual behaviors
Exhaustion and poor sleep habits
Injuries from impulsive or risky sexual behaviors
Relationship breakdowns that can have mental and physical effects

What Happens to Sex Drive After Coming Off Medication

Coming off certain medications can impact your sex drive. If you’re tapering off SSRI antidepressants, for example, sexual effects, including loss of libido, may still endure or worsen post-treatment. Since 2006, this type of enduring impact on sex drive after coming off medication has been reported as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction syndrome.¹¹

Timelines for how your sex drive is affected coming off other medications will depend on numerous factors. If you have specific questions, consult with your prescribing provider. Do not attempt to stop medication without consultation, as withdrawal and relapse can occur.

16 Sources

Woman in green blouse smiling with glasses.

By Michelle Pugle
Michelle Pugle writes health articles for award-winning websites, as seen in Healthline, Verywell, Everyday Health, and Psych Central. She has a Master’s degree, undergraduate degrees in English and Sociology, a diploma in Holistic Herbal Therapy, and is trained in mental health first aid, anti-violence work, and peer support work.

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