TIL: 5 % of People Who Take Clomipramine Orgasm Every Time They Yawn

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Clomipramine (Anafranil) is an anti-depressant used for the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder, panic disorder, major depressive disorder, and chronic pain. So here's the cool thing about it. It turns out it has one of the most unusual side effects!

Approximately 5 % of the people, both male and female, who take it experience an orgasm or intense sexual stimulation or some other "unusual" feeling every time they yawn! In some of these people it works even if the yawn is fake and they can generate in purpose one orgasm after the other!

In this page you can read in full-detail some reported cases along with a summary of their medical history and how taking Clomipramine affected their lives. Some seemed to have fun with the drug's side effects and even asked their doctor to prolong the prescription while others asked to stop it or switch to another drug. Below are some of my favorite titbits:

Case 1, Female: "She sheepishly admitted that she hoped to take the medication on a long term basis, not so much because of the symptom relief that she had experienced, but rather because she had noted that since taking the medication, every time she yawned she had an orgasm.  "

Case 2, Male: "Although he found this both awkward and embarrassing, he elected to continue the medication because of the therapeutic benefit he obtained. The awkwardness and embarrassment was overcorne by continuously wearing a condom.  "

Case 3, Female: "At the beginning of her third week of her hospitalization, the patient began to complain of, what she termed "yawningspells" during which she experienced "unresistable sexual urges." In view of the environmental limitations and despite her occasional masturbatory relief, she found these peculiar symptoms niost difficult to tolerate and requested the psychiatrist to discontinue this medication"

Why are orgasms triggered by yawning?

What makes this side-effect even more bizarre is that like many anti-depressant drugs that affect serotonin levels, Clomipramine typically decreases the patient's libido and ability to orgasm. So why do some patients experience orgasm by something as simple as a yawn while for most people it actually inhibits their ability to reach orgasm?

Well, the thing is that Serotonin is not the only neurotransmitter affected by the drug. For example, yawn-generated-orgasms  could somehow be related to the adrenergic receptors found in the genitalia that also seem to be affected by the drug. Still, why is yawning the trigger? We really don't know as there's not really any research to shed some light of the matter! The only thing I could find close to answer is this theory by Bethany Brookshire from her blog:

"How is this triggered by YAWNING. Well...I don't know. But I have a guess. One of the hypotheses behind WHY we yawn is that, when we are tired, and things slow down, we may not breathe as heavily, and may have higher levels of carbon dioxide build up in the blood. When we need to exhale these and exchange for oxygen, we may yawn (this is just ONE of the hypotheses behind why we yawn, though, and none of them are proven). So my idea is that the intake of oxygen produced by yawning may stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain for increased release, and increase vasodilation in the body. This combination may be potent enough in some clomipramine using individuals to push them over the edge. " 

So, enough with the orgasm generating powers of Clomipramine. Here's a cute video for those who were expecting the  usual animal related post and instead got this. I will also tag @abigail-dantes because I know she really loves spiders! <3