SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction

[music321]

Like 60% of SSRI users, I suffer from SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. There are several types. Some problems have to do with physical functioning, some with cognitive sexual functioning, and some with both. Some people have problems while on SSRIs and get it back. Some have problems while on SSRIs, and never get it back, even when they discontinue. Strangely, some people have few/no problems while on SSRIs, only to have problems manifest once they discontinue.

Without getting into the details of my 2.5 decades of SSRI use, back in 2012, I stopped taking 30mg of Prozac cold turkey. It wasn't my intention to discontinue, I simply forgot due to tremendous pressure. I was also suffering a marked uptic in IBS symptoms at around this time also. My discontinuation, as is often the case with SSRIs, was asymptomatic for the first month. Thereafter, I experienced absolute hell. My body could not regulate temperature properly, I had severe sleeping problems, etc., etc. My sexual function, physical and cognitive, went to nothing. In about a year, I fully regained physical sexual functioning (I'm a male, BTW). However, ever since the withdrawal, I have been left with some cognitive issues. It took several years before I could think properly. I have nowhere near the appreciation for aesthetics that I once had. I don't ever drink alcohol, simply because it no longer has any sort of euphoric effect on me. Most troubling, I have almost no libido. It's not just that I'm "not in the mood". I am (was?) attracted to women. Now, a woman's body isn't even slightly arousing. Looking at a woman's body is like looking at a fancy car: I can appreciate the beauty of the form, but am not sexually attracted to it. Furthermore, all physical interaction means little to nothing. Hugging a loved one means little. I used to have a pet. I would pet the pet for his benefit, not for mine. I no longer got much out of the experience.

When I started experiencing the withdrawal, I immediately went back up to 20 mg/day under a doctor's supervision. Over years, I've been able to decrease to my current dose of 10mg/day. The only way I can taper off of the medication is to be in a calm place in life, and to get physical exercise. Otherwise, the anxiety is overwhelming. Even so, I have historically decreased my dosage by about 0.4 mg/month (a very slow taper). Going any faster causes problems. I am very much dependent on the SSRI, and can't stop at this point.

It seems pretty common among SSRI users, to have a "loss of sexual desire", as it's often phrased. Though I've never done any sort of psychedelic drug, I've looked to the experiences of LSD users to find some answers (since SSRI meds and LSD are chemically similar, and act on the same receptors). There are lots of LSD users that claim cognitive problems decades after use also. Online, sufferers of "PSSD" (Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction, i.e., sexual dysfunction that persists after having discontinued SSRIs) claim almost no improvement. Yes, there are many that regain functioning that has been lost once the medication is discontinued. However, of those whose problems persist, recovery is vanishingly rare. In fact, online cases of recovery (of which I've found three after quite a bit of searching seemed dubious or incomplete.

Now to the TMS part...

I have read that those that also have fibromyalgia (i.e., extreme TMS) often exhibit sensitivity toward medication. I hold out some hope regarding my condition, as I am still on the SSRI. My sexual desire was a large part of my life. Looking at this from a TMS perspective, and just from the perspective of getting on with life, I think that I need to come to terms with the fact that I might have been permanently chemically castrated. I can't seem to, though. I suppose that I have not sufficiently mourned my loss.

My problem is that if my sexuality doesn't recover, I don't have much motivation to recover from my TMS. I feel that life would be pointless without the sexual component of my being. I would like to know if these problems could be TMS. Unfortunately, they're very rare. It's not similar to someone having a bone x-rayed, being told that their fine, and then being able to focus on the emotional aspect. I have no reason to believe that this won't be permanent. My other major issue, as mentioned in another thread, is a life-long inability to concentrate. The sexuality issue and the concentration issue are together the biggest problems I have, even though I currently can hardly walk. Luckily, another user claimed to have been able to overcome concentration problems with a TMS approach. Maybe someone can help me out. Thanks.

 

[Mary80]

this is my experience with various medicines:

For many years I took allergy medicines and when I've stopped I've have had a lot of lethargy, no more red eyes, lacrimation,sneezing but a lot of lethargy, tiredness and asthma... now everything back to normal ..every year the doctor gave me a lot of antihistamine...as a cure..now I only take them if is really necessary..I had too much and without good reason and they were giving me ..other problems. now stop!!!
For SSRI same speech...the second I realized there are a lot of side effects I preferred anxiety..I would also like to say that a variety of studies shows how antidepressant don't work. I got them for my vulvodynia among other things and I've felt worse after I stopped them... you're not permanently chemically castrated.believe me...you 're only asleep...It takes a long time to go out.. especially if you took them for many years...so you need to choose.. drugs or yourself and your sexual desire..if you choose option 2 you need to do a lot of hard work to solve your anxiety..and just let your body and your brain return to normal.
you must be patient.

I f you want to know more ask me a specific question

 

[Dorado]

I agree with Mary.

STOP reading stories online; plenty of people have recovered, they just don’t always post about it online. Those drug and withdrawal forums are the absolute WORST.

I have also been on antidepressants, and many of my friends (whom I know in person, not just in a forum where anyone can say anything) have as well.

As with anything, anxiety stimulates your nervous system, which can disrupt the repairs that occur after SSRI/SNRI withdrawal. Anxiety also affects your neurotransmitters and hormones. Additionally, withdrawal can cause central sensitization where you’re experiencing sensations even after the body as healed itself. The body naturally heals itself. Relax and disregard what you’ve read. I don’t care what anyone says on this topic - NOTHING IN LIFE HAS TO BE PERMANENT. Believe this 100%.

Perhaps you could request genetic testing that sees how you respond to SSRIs and SNRIs for further insight.

Relax and work on your anxiety. And stay off forums, and forget about the horror stories you’ve read. You have no idea what else is going on their lives to contribute to what they’re experiencing. Plenty of people have recovered from taking Prozac, even if it took some extra time.

 

[Dorado]

Also, it’s clear Prozac is no longer making you happy, which is often the case with long-term anti-depressant use (ever heard of “Prozac poop out”?), and it’s not ideal for any doctor to just continue prescribing it to you without considering other options that may be more beneficial. You can recover, and you can choose to work with someone who helps you facilitate this recovery. Staying on Prozac and doing nothing else when it’s already not working for you is creating a loop of the same results over and over again. It sounds like Prozac stopped working for you after the withdrawal, which is not uncommon (lots of people are unable to achieve success with an anti-depressant they stopped taking once before), and it’s not going to restore your inner balance at this point.

What I’m basically saying is, your brain is not broken from Prozac - you just need to help it start creating neurotransmitters again (and don’t listen to anyone who says anything is permanent).

Poor memory and focus, apathy, and low libido are mentioned in related literature.

 

[music321]

Thanks Mary and Caulfield. I'd like nothing better than to get off of the meds, but given my present circumstances, it would simply be too anxiety provoking. I'll check out the amino acid literature that you cited. It could help quite a bit. You've both set my mind at ease, somewhat. It will take a little while for me to process this. Best of luck with your journeys!

 

[Mary80]

I'm sorry I would just ask you. . .
Do you know what a panic attack is and why does it happen?

 

[music321]

If you go the amino acid route, do so when you’re off Prozac, or working with a doctor who is helping you come off and has a safe schedule of when to take everything in place for you; combining these things can cause serotonin syndrome, which can be dangerous (this occurs when there’s way too much serotonin in the brain... it can happen when people combine anti-depressants or other serotonin-increasing substances with 5-htp, MDMA/Molly, etc. My Grateful Dead family knows this all too well). Amino acids and natural supplements can help one through SSRI/SNRI withdrawal, for what it’s worth.

Either way, I recommend working with a doctor who can help you check out your levels or genetic responses to drugs and come up with a plan that makes you feel better again, as opposed to just avoiding Prozac withdrawal when Prozac isn’t helping your levels anymore. Telling yourself it’s too anxiety provoking will only cause more anxiety and negative experiences, but I understand it’s not always easy.

Regardless of what you decide to do, please just stay OFF drug and withdrawal forums, and don’t listen to anyone who talks about permanent side effects or withdrawal; none of us know what’s going on in their lives, what they’re doing with their doctors, how badly they may be TMSing in general and the way that can influence central sensitization or hinder their recovery, etc. Remember: horror stories only hinder.

Many of us, myself included after short tapers that might as well have been cold turkey, have been through withdrawal. I’ve been on and off both SSRIs and SNRIs. In my experience, relaxing my nervous system helped my anxiety and brain zaps go down. I recognized that my body wasn’t going to heal when my sympathetic nervous system was in overdrive. I wasn’t on anti-depressants for two and a half decades, but there are people who have recovered from being on them for 20+ years at very high doses. Believe that you can heal - the body is amazing.

Good luck!

Wow, thanks a bunch regarding the heads up with the amino acid supplements. You might have saved me from a real disaster.

 

[music321]

I've reached a point where I'm trying to see a positive future for myself, and go for it. This means either realizing that certain things that I think are broken in my life actually aren't, or accepting those things that are. The SSRI related issues might be TMS. I recently came across a post, after having avoided the withdrawal forums since this thread, regarding someone that recovered by dealing with their trauma. Maybe this really is the answer.

I have lingering doubts though, for the following reason: Rat studies have shown that rats exposed to SSRI while in utero, or as adolescents have decreased sexual functioning throughout their lives. I have a hard time believing that these rats are just suffering from TMS. I realize that you aren't doctors, and even if you were, this is uncharted medical territory. I wonder if anyone can speak to this, though. Thanks.

 

[miffybunny]

I agree with Mary And Dorado who have given you good advice. I've been on and off Prozac since 1991 and it's just one tool in the toolbox. I think you are making a way bigger deal out of the Prozac than it it really is and you are overthinking the whole thing. Stay away from scientific articles about rat studies and forums filled with horror stories. I can guarantee you, everything you are attributing to the Prozac, has nothing to do with the Prozac. It's just another distraction and something to obsess over. I hope this is not coming across as harsh because it's meant in the nicest way...I've been down all these roads so I know what it's like. Sexual libido is something that begins in the MIND and has everything to do with emotions and your feelings for another person. I could easily attribute lack of libido to menopause or declining hormones for ex.....but I think it's it's a very tiny part of the equation. It always comes down to mindset.

 

[Iwilldeadlift]

Stop porn and masturbation; you have to keep your semen inside. Its your lifeforce. Protect it. It will protect you. Depression and anxiety wont be part of your reality anymore afterwards.

You ll litterally feel like james bond once you get the hang of it

Same for women, no touching, erotica, etc and you ll feel like wonderwoman

 

[music321]

Stop porn and masturbation; you have to keep your semen inside. Its your lifeforce. Protect it. It will protect you. Depression and anxiety wont be part of your reality anymore afterwards.

You ll litterally feel like james bond once you get the hang of it

Same for women, no touching, erotica, etc and you ll feel like wonderwoman

I don't think you understand. I haven't had any desire to view porn or to masturbate in years.

 

[Dorado]

I've reached a point where I'm trying to see a positive future for myself, and go for it. This means either realizing that certain things that I think are broken in my life actually aren't, or accepting those things that are. The SSRI related issues might be TMS. I recently came across a post, after having avoided the withdrawal forums since this thread, regarding someone that recovered by dealing with their trauma. Maybe this really is the answer.

I have lingering doubts though, for the following reason: Rat studies have shown that rats exposed to SSRI while in utero, or as adolescents have decreased sexual functioning throughout their lives. I have a hard time believing that these rats are just suffering from TMS. I realize that you aren't doctors, and even if you were, this is uncharted medical territory. I wonder if anyone can speak to this, though. Thanks.

@music321, as someone who has spent time researching various studies on rats and mice out of my own interest, I want to note that there's a reason we've cured these animals of Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's, HIV/AIDS, the most difficult cancers, standard aging (examples = increasing their lifespan by three times, reversing wrinkles and hair loss, etc.), and countless other conditions over and over again, yet those cures don't work in human trials the vast majority of the time: rats and mice are very different from humans, and the studies on them frequently do not apply to us! Researchers study rats and mice instead of species that are closer to us for ethical reasons (although people can debate that experiments on rats and mice are still unethical). This is why I never get overly excited when I see anything about rat and mouse studies, even when my Facebook friends post about curing them of cancer.

Did you know that animals can get CRPS, too? That's a major reason why people frequently don't believe CRPS can be a mind-body process (TMS), but it is in humans. So we are not directly comparable to animals. Your brain is not the same as a rat or mouse brain - it is way more complex.

I will be honest: I can't directly speak to this issue. After I quit taking Cymbalta (an SNRI, which is more powerful than most SSRIs), I actually felt hypersexual and had pretty bizarre mood swings. I think it's because the medication "numbed" me emotionally, and coming off it way too quickly made everything feel incredibly intense and raw. I'm not bipolar and I didn't experience mania, but I mean it when I say it was intense. I'd go from one extreme to the next, feeling like I could cry tears of joy walking down the street while grabbing lunch and then being super annoyed by minor issues, such as the sound of my colleague's computer mouse clicking once I got back to the office. I've written about this experience before. You said you no longer feel sexually aroused when looking at women, but I was overly excited by men and women, to the point that my sleep was interrupted and I would wake up in the middle of the night.

However, it went away over time, and so did the other symptoms people often cite as potentially becoming permanent - brain zaps, headaches, the aforementioned mood swings, sleep paralysis, severe panic attacks and depersonalization, etc. Now I have a normal and healthy sex drive without any problems. My intention in sharing this information is to be as transparent as possible about my experience so as not to mislead anyone who directly asks me about sexual side effects of antidepressant withdrawal. We're all different. Some people get erectile dysfunction, others spontaneous orgasms, I dealt with hypersexuality, etc. Actually, I just googled "Cymbalta hypersexuality," and there are some case studies about people who felt hypersexual like I did.

That said, I have heard of people recovering over time. I recall reading about this on Reddit and elsewhere. These animal studies do not mean you will experience permanent side effects and do not necessarily apply to humans, per my first paragraph. People think all kinds of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can be permanent, but they most certainly do not have to be. This is a symptom that people often find highly distressing, and that alone can get them "stuck" in a circle.

I know you want hope that life can be fulfilling. For what it's worth, I was physically intimate with someone who experienced some sexual dysfunction right after coming off an ADHD medication. They didn't have much time to heal at that point. The libido was there, but my friend's body wasn't fully aligned with their thoughts. We later lost contact due to a move, but it wasn't stopping us back then, and I believe this individual will totally fine because they weren't hung up on it. This is the only person I've spoken about this issue face to face, but there are stories out there of recovery in both men and women!

Additionally, I do recall hearing about Moclobemide (available outside of the US) helping, but I don't know enough about it and haven't really researched it because sexual dysfunction wasn't something I experienced. Bupropion is another one. I strongly believe your future is going to be fulfilling!

 

[Dorado]

Okay, @music321, I've done some research on this topic. Here are some stories from both men and women of all different ages that you might find interesting. To me, this totally points to dysfunction that some people just can't seem to get out of due to emotions and fear - same as the fear of other antidepressant withdrawal symptoms such as brain zaps. Also note that there are many references to healing naturally.

Some people did say it took a few years to heal, but it probably would've been faster had they known about the mind-body connection and truly understood it (as was my own personal experience with general antidepressant withdrawal). For that reason alone, I normally steer away from stories that reference longer healing periods (people sometimes panic and don't understand that the mind-body connection plays a major role in the timeframe), but I feel it may be helpful since people tend to think that means something is permanent, which is not true. Hope is not lost for you!

My belief is that very few things in life are permanent. Steve Ozanich taught me that the body is designed to heal, and if you aren't healing, you need to consider the mind-body connection (TMS). I even saw a few doctors claim that healing from tardive dyskinesia after antidepressants is impossible, yet there are tons of success stories out there. Please do not believe the negative stories! One of the most hurtful things I ever read was that Cymbalta withdrawal can be permanent, and I know for a fact that isn't true.

Each quote is from a unique individual:

I decided to stop taking the drug Sulpiride after noticing an increased amount of side effects which included a decrease of libido and dampening of all my emotions generally. After seeing my GP it was agreed I should reduce gradually the dosage over a four week period. Over a very short time it is obvious this was the right thing to do as my libido has returned to normal and other side effects have now diminished and are continuing to do so. My mood has improved considerably. In short I think it is negative to think people who experience PSSD will never return to near normal and agree the best way forward is to stay positive.

I don’t want to share any stories that dont belong to me, but for a little while while going through different forum sites, i’d note any success story regarding pssd, or anyone reporting significant recovery whether directly or for someone else. I’d also keep note of people reporting improvements and then eventually disappearing (you can only assume these people went on only to continue to improve). For most of these cases the healing was natural. Most mentioned light exercise, healthy diet/lifestyle changes, sometimes supplementation, and even getting out there practicing sex with an understanding partner and a positive/relaxed mindset would sometimes help.

We have a number of people who have recovered from PSSD. My belief is that just as most people recover from antidepressant withdrawal syndrome within a few months to a few years, they recover from PSSD.

PSSD is a component of the autonomic dysruption caused by antidepressant use and withdrawal, as are the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome.

I myself have recovered from PSSD. After coming off Paxil in October 2004, among other withdrawal symptoms I had the absolute genital anesthesia, which lasted for perhaps a year. Very slowly, genital sensation came back.

Then I experienced perhaps 3 years of “ghost” orgasms, in which arousal is followed by what would have been an orgasm but instead, a non-event lacking sensation, and then a refractory period.

Following that, I had perhaps a 4-year phase of “ghost” orgasms with occasional weak orgasms, which gradually became stronger and more frequent.

At about 9 years post-Paxil, I was fully recovered from PSSD. As I was menopausal before I came off Paxil, my belief is younger people with full complements of sexual hormones will tend to recover faster. However, recovery from PSSD can be almost imperceptibly gradual, which can be masked or even impeded by the very understandable frustration, anger, and despair brought on by the condition.

We have people who have suffered tardive dyskinesia from psychiatric drug use or withdrawal and have recovered from that, too, as well as those who have recovered from PSSD. These are first-hand, real-time reports.

I’d be very curious to know if those that dr Healy has been following that haven’t recovered haven’t done so because of the extreme negativity he possesses. There are cases of people recovering yet he is turning a blind eye or turning it into ‘they never fully recovered they just think they did because they can’t remember what they were like before’.

Permanent results come from permanent change. I went from not wanting sex at all, genital aneasthesia and muted orgasm to having my first sexual dream in April of this year that I had had since starting lexapro in 2011. I woke up feeling aroused and I feel like this is a good sign.

And honestly, this right here is definitive proof that many of these people are dealing with mind-body effects - acupuncture was their placebo and calmed them down:

I also read many success stories with acupuncture so I booked an appointment with an acupuncturist.

 

[Dorado]

@music321, I just found this true story that will certainly be of interest to you. This is from an individual who has been through this exact situation. Truthfully, they sound like me with all of that chitter chatter about working with the top doctors - we are the type of people who believe that there is always an answer and always a way. I never believe that anything is hopeless, and I tell myself and the people around me that there is always an answer.

As noted in the individual's words below, anxiety and depression can cause changes to the brain, but please remember that the brain is neuroplastic, and those changes do not have to be permanent - every single person on this forum who has had a success story for any symptoms (PSSD and/or the endless list of other symptoms) is living proof of this. I've been through countless other SNRI withdrawal symptoms and understand how scary it can be. I hope this gives you hope. Things really do get better in life.

My posts from last year reference all types of recommendations I would never suggest after overcoming my own struggles with withdrawal by just understanding that I was already healed, but my sympathetic nervous system was in overdrive and keeping some of the symptoms alive.

Here’s my 2 cents about this issue. I’ve had the chance to work with some of the topic experts in the mental health field about this topic.

I used to think I had this issue, but it went away after I got treated for OCD, anxiety, and depression.

All of the symptoms listed as PSSD are symptoms of anxiety, OCD, and depression (sexual dysfunction, emotional blunting, lack of sensation, etc). It is likely that your concern over this issue is what is causing the symptoms (which will diminish after proper treatment).

SSRIs are some of the most tested drugs with one of the longest track records of medications in the psychiatric field. They have not been shown in academic, peer reviewed studies to lead to persistent sexual dysfunction. Anxiety, OCD, and depression have been shown to cause persistent sexual dysfunction (which improves after treatment).

My recommendation is to work with a mental health professional on this issue, and avoid obsessive research about this topic (which can worsen the symptoms by conditioning a fear)

I will also add that I had most of the symptoms that you listed and they went away after a few months of treatment.

Anxiety, depression, and OCD all cause physical changes to the brain, which are well-documented. This can effect neurotransmittion and hence cause physical symptoms. Psychiatric issues have a physical basis. The physical issues can cause sexual dysfunction, including reduced morning erections.

Here is an article about Erectile Dysfunction and it’s relationship to mental health.

https://www.healthline.com/health/erectile-dysfunction-anxiety-stress (Can Stress and Anxiety Cause Erectile Dysfunction?)

Here is a paper discussing reduced nocturnal erections as a result of depression:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006322388901199 (Nocturnal penile tumescence is diminished in depressed men - ScienceDirect)

Here is paper discussing the rate of sexual dysfunction with Major Depression:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16871134/ (Sexual dysfunction in major depression. - PubMed - NCBI)

Paper on general rates and causes of erectile dysfunction.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28642047/?i=25&from=anxiety%20erectile%20dysfunction (Erectile Dysfunction in Young Men-A Review of the Prevalence and Risk Factors. - PubMed - NCBI)

Article on sexual dysfunction caused by anxiety disorders.

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/anxiety/relationship-between-anxiety-disorders-and-sexual-dysfunction (The Relationship Between Anxiety Disorders and Sexual Dysfunction)

The evidence is in very strong support of sexual dysfunction induced by mental health disorders. The psychiatric community works with people who have sexual dysfunction all the time, and they are very prepared to handle these issues.

In the cases of PSSD, patients are often extremely hesitant to seek psychiatric treatment, and this prevents them from getting help, and recovering.

I’ve worked with some of the best anxiety experts in the nation. They help people with sexual dysfunction all the time (and even some cases where people believe they have PSSD).

You mentioned that you noticed morning erections stopping after you quit your medication. It is worth considering how often you checked for morning erections before medication.

Most people are not constantly aware of their sexual state. This hyper awareness occurs in the case of anxiety. This screws with the sexual cycle and leads to dysfunction. Treatment for this is the treatment used to treat anxiety, depresssion, or OCD (and also includes stopping obsessive research about the topic, and any compulsive behavior such as checking for sensation, trying to get an erection, checking your libido, trying to feel romantic feeling etc). Obsessive research and checking behaviors condition the obsession and can cause the problems to get worse.

I suggest you try these treatments before you assume these problems are permanent. Listen to what they have to say. If you are still having problems, these things can be revisited at a later time.

Here is a link to find a therapist. I recommend going through the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). They do a good job of making sure treatment providers stay up to date with the research and most effective treatment options.

https://anxietydepressionassoc.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=4685 (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)

More from this individual - this is why it is absolutely critical for you to not be going on withdrawal or PSSD forums:

From my past of reading posts from the PSSD community, it seems evident that they believe very strongly the SSRIs are causing physical (and possibly irreversible) changes in the brain that lead to sexual dysfunction.

It seems to be the pattern that someone notices they are not performing as well sexually as they think they should. They google it, come across PSSD forums and panic. Then things begin to get worse as they have conditioned a new fear of sexual dysfunction.

I think people greatly underestimate the power of the brain when it comes to anxiety and mood. Anxiety, depression, and OCD have been connected to every single symptom listed by the PSSD community.

I had the PSSD symptoms and they improved upon OCD treatment. The anxiety inhibited the sexual response and lead to depersonalization, anhedonia, sexual dysfunction, inability to feel pleasure, lack of romantic feelings, etc. These all improved after a few months of Cognitve Behavioral Therapy.

People with the symptoms should try treatment presented by the psychiatric community (doesn’t have to be SSRIs) before they come to the conclusion that they are doomed.

 

[Balsa11]

Maybe just keep stimulating it and have an ED med as a fallback option

 

[music321]

I wanted to revisit this thread just to thank all of you who have written detailed responses. My primary manifestation of TMS is MECFS. Soon after I posted this topic, I became in capacitated to the point where I couldn’t use my computer very well. Hence, the lack of a reply. As an update, things regarding this topic have not improved that much. This doesn’t especially concern me however, has none of my TMS symptoms have especially improved. I’m hopeful that the rest of the symptoms resolved, as well.

 

[zeeman01]

Alan Gordon was on a good podcast about Erectile Dysfunction. Might want to check it out. https://www.timnortontherapy.com/alan-gordon-psychological-somatic-symptom-disorder-erectile-dysfunction (Erectile Dysfunction | ED | Podcasts | Hard Conversations)

 

[Jheronimus_van_aken]

I’m not really active here besides posting my story, but I came across this and want to talk about Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). I’m not sure your exact experience matches up with the typical presentation of it (although it can present in many different ways, similar to many other ‘mystery’ illnesses in general), especially since you still take an SSRI.

Anyways, I had pretty classic PSSD since getting off of meds in late 2022 (I had been polydrugged for a few months, which I’m sure made all of this more likely, by a quack psychiatrist, but the final trigger was the Prozac ‘bridge’ I was prescribed to get off of Effexor, which I was having difficulty getting off of due to severe withdrawal symptoms). I didn’t have many symptoms of PSSD before getting off, they appeared after getting off completely. This is usually how it originally appears.

I believe my original symptom pathology was on the milder side compared to many PSSD cases I later would read about, but once I read about PSSD, I quickly became obsessed with it and started spending all day reading about it and reading all the doomposting about it online, mostly on…you can probably guess, everyone’s ‘favourite’ cesspool website, Reddit. I also discovered the website SurvivingAntidepressants in this time period, and although PSSD is rarely mentioned on that site, the overall tone given is that people rarely ever recover from medication-induced disorders. If someone does recover, it was due to time, and time only, and even then, it often is an incomplete recovery. This is, per my rather vast experiences since then, not true at all. I’m sitting at probably over 95% recovery from the original 50 symptoms of PSSD (ranging from the typical sexual symptoms of it, like anorgasmia, ED, libido loss, to more unusual stuff like POIS, premature ejaculation, neuropathic symptoms in my legs, raynaud’s-like symptoms in my feet, cognitive issues, extreme insomnia, loss of normal dreaming states or not experiencing dreams, blunting of various substances (I believe you mentioned something similar about not feeling euphoric from alcohol), GI issues, dysautonomia, akathisia, chronic bronchitis-like symptoms, anhedonia, emotional blunting, aphantasia, there are dozens more that I experienced throughout this time period). It was absolute hell, but I have almost no symptoms left (my one remaining symptom now is the aforementioned raynaud’s-like tingling and coldness in my feet, which I haven’t 100% gotten rid of, but I’m close to getting rid of it, and it comes and goes (especially in the morning for a bit), even my orgasms are nearly back to where I remembered them, that was my last-remaining sexual symptom of PSSD).

I do believe that PSSD is a variant of TMS, albeit in many cases an extreme variant of TMS. Most people who develop PSSD or at least claim to have PSSD have a history of mental illness (sometimes mild, but in many cases it can be quite severe), especially OCD, depression, and anxiety. I don’t care much for the mainstream psychiatric view of what causes such disorders (the chemical imbalance theory was mostly a scam to sell pharmaceutical drugs to people), but it is true that many people who get PSSD have previous psychiatric issues before getting sick. This also holds true for most TMS cases in general, especially severe manifestations of TMS. The fact that you also have ME/CFS (also very heavily associated with the same things I mentioned PSSD being associated with), makes this rather obvious.

Although PSSD is likely TMS, that does not mean SSRIs and SNRIs cannot do harm (I saw someone in this post sort of talk about them in an apologist sense, so I want to counter that). They can do a lot of harm even outside of TMS. There is a decent correlation regarding suicide on SSRIs and a correlation to aggressive and violent behaviour whilst on them as well (even for people who had never exhibited violent behaviour in the past). I’m not here to defend these drugs, they are ineffective for the most part and are loaded to the brim with lots of severe issues. Rather simply put, they should not be as widely handed out as they often are today in many countries. They are not benign.

In my case, I tried over 100 different things. I didn’t know about TMS until summer 2024, and it took me a while to fully devote to it. Even after I found out about it and did the Lightning Process (which helped me a lot in a rapid amount of time), I fell off of the path and went back to ‘detoxing’ my body. It took months, but I eventually realised again that detoxing was mostly a scam, and even then, it wasn’t truly healing me, it was managing me. I then went back to devoting myself to mind-body work, and that has been the majority of my recovery since then.

I already alluded to this, but I believe my original symptoms were somewhat mild (and probably just a weird form of withdrawal at the beginning, before morphing into ‘true’ PSSD a bit later, due probably to fear and anxiety over what was happening to me and what I was reading about online), but finding out about PSSD and starting to become involved in PSSD communities (and eventually also ME/CFS communities, which are often adjacent to or closely related to PSSD communities) had a disastrous effect upon me, and I very quickly became an extremely severe case (one of the worst cases I’ve actually heard of) and very stuck. It pushed me a lot further down the rabbit hole. Chronic disease communities are some of the worst, most hypocritical, most toxic, cult-like communities you can find anywhere online, I’m convinced of it. Stay far away from them. They are extremely dangerous. Most people in chronic disease communities do not actually want to recover, they want to be victims in an echochamber environment, where everyone around them is also stuck in an ouroboros of suffering and mental illness. People who recover or come back to tell them how they recovered are usually treated like they are somehow the enemy, or that they are ‘lying’ about recovering (since the predominant narrative is that no one ever recovers). They’re just horrible communities overall, most of them fulfil practically all the criteria for being labelled a cult.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

This is important information, @Jheronimus_van_aken, thank you for bumping this thread.

Chronic disease communities are some of the worst, most hypocritical, most toxic, cult-like communities you can find anywhere online, I’m convinced of it. Stay far away from them. They are extremely dangerous. Most people in chronic disease communities do not actually want to recover, they want to be victims in an echochamber environment, where everyone around them is also stuck in an ouroboros of suffering and mental illness.

Addicts to victimhood, surrounding themselves with enablers, just like any addict...