Morrie, my husband is schizophrenic and we also struggle with this issue. It’s probably not the negative symptoms of the illness but his medications that are messing with his hormones. They cause lack of libido, trouble with erection, and trouble with ejaculation. Be careful how you deal with the situation, because the frustration can lead to a person going off their meds. Going off meds can cause relapse, brain damage, and future resistance to medications. That’s why I won’t risk my husband trying it. Sometimes delaying a dose by a couple hours can help. A change of medication might help, but that’s a very delicate process. In the end, I love my husband. I married him because he’s someone I want to spend my life with, not just someone I want to screw.
There are a couple of different things to try. If you want to be sure it’s the medication and not the negative symptoms, have his prolactine levels tested. If they’re high, it’s the medications. Viagra helps with the erection, however, he has to be aroused for it to work. Talk to his pdoc, and ask if there is anything that can be done. Sometimes antidepressants can also be the cause, and those are more easily changed. There are two other medications that we know of, but haven’t tried yet. One we plan on trying in the next week or two. The other is one that helps the body have better access to testosterone. That one interferes with sperm production, so we won’t try it until after we’re done trying to have a baby.