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PSSD Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction


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I don't think anybody can answer that as I don't think there have been any studies on how many recover and how many don't.  Some people do.  I am not completely numb any more but I was for years.  Still sex is not an issue for me seemingly does not exist in my world any longer feels strange to say that. I did not have function even after the numbness left when occassional function returned kind of with a lot of work... if you know what I mean orgasm came forgive the pun can't resist with a horrid head pain...to the point that it put of sex altogether... yes if you give pain on a particular action the action will decrease and likely stop.  After that brief time of working with pain the feeling just kind of went away again.  I am female not sure if this helps much but I have seen people on boards like this who have regain their sex lives I have been basically celibate for almost 8 years now. 

Hi btdt thanks for sharing your story. well you were on drugs for such a long time probably from 89 to 07 ? Wow that's like almost two decades ... This is the first time I'm hearing someone being on drugs for so long ...

I believe you must be quite older than  me so age can play a factor here being on ssri.. That long being on drugs can seriously fudge around with anyone.

 

Yes it was a long time I was on and off them many many times as I was ok but then I would quit and get withdrawal and think I was ill again... yes I know better now but in those days information was not available yet.  No internet either.  In you post after this one you say norepinephrin is used to treat PSSD I did not know that... I was on effexor last with has that in it... and my sex became the center of my thinking for a long time that is very interesting.  I did not know that after taking norepinephrine the body would not make its own and cause the sexual issues to continue maybe that is my problem. Interesting thanks for sharing.

I have talked to a lot of people about this over the years some men have been 10 or more years and have not recovered... that was from the PSSD site where I was a member they have videos on the utube too. 

Lots of people do recover maybe in part to websites that talk about this issue people know how to get off the drugs and what the risks are hopefully less and less people will have long term PSSD because of the increased awareness we an only hope

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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Hi thanks for sharing.. !! Personally after digging in the pssd world for so long - Most people do recover in less than 10 years. Sad a lot don't stay around the forum to post  about the success story . People who don't recover even slightly is quite illogical...if not recover Improvement is visible. There is a possiblity of ssri causing a permanent damage but that's rare  and it depends on many stuff - Age,Time spend,doage,different drugs,lifestyle etc can Plays a big factor here.Like you said you were on and off for many drugs for 2 decades - a combination of those around that long can seriously fu** anybody.. If someone is like middle aged that would be worse and then also a combination of Different drugs Fudging up the different part of dopamine And other neurotransmitter..

 

But there are treatments out there for people in serious cases who don't recover like I said above....Pity they'll give back you the sexual life but risk is not worth it - 1) You'll have to take them for life 2) They come with ther own hell of side effects 3) They work for short term like you'll have to take it around 2 hours before The happy time for it to work  4) There is a change of it not working well when tolerance is build and so people would have to jump from one drug to another and make a **** in dosages....

 

People suffering from PSSD should let it heal naturally and make a good lifestyle change. Diet,excersize etc. That's what I have been hearing from people who recover..

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I think you will find there are a  lot of people who have been drugged as long as I as we could not get off many you can find on other sites now poly drugged sad to see.  It was 18  years off and on not 20 and yes those 2 years matter to me.  

I think when it comes to sex a slight recovery is still not recovery wonder what that even means you can feel not numb anymore maybe but can't feel well enough to have any sexual pleasure to me that is still no better.  

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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PSSD will go away but I think it takes time. I am experiencing it myself.

I don't take any pills, supplements, drugs. I try and eat well, exercise, relax as much as possible and try and be positive.

And hope that someday soon this will pass.

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Like withdrawal syndrome in general, I assume the rate of recovery from PSSD is a bell curve. At the left side, a small number of people who recover quickly. At the right side, a small number of people who take a very long time to recover (and at the very end, a small number of people whose recovery is indefinite). The majority are in the middle, recovering in some number of months to a few years.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share my situation (28/m). I posted a longer version of this in the introductions forum - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5948-post-ssri-sexual-dysfunction-pssd/

 

First of all, thanks for providing all of this information and for sharing your stories. It feels good knowing there is hope of recovery, and there are others that understand. I really had no idea until I was browsing the wikipedia page on SSRI sexual disfunction that there was even a possibility of the symptoms continuing after treatment ended. I has just assumed it had to work it's way out of my system. 

 

So, my story. I started taking Citalopram (10mg) January 1st. I thought the side-effects sounded scary, but thought it was worth it because I have been dealing with depression for a long time. About a month into taking Citalopram daily, I started to notice the sexual side effects (unable to achieve orgasm and some genital numbness). So, I stopped taking them cold turkey that day (I know, bad idea). I didn't feel any withdrawal symptoms, but about a month afterward, I became what I can only say was 'blah' for a whole day, and then the following week. I don't know if it is depression or not, but it really bummed me out.

 

About a week after that blah/depressed episode, I decided to ask my doctor about trying taking Wellbutrin (150), because I read it didn't have the sexual side effects that Citalopram has. I've been on it for about 20 days, but I still don't feel very different. It's been about two months since I stopped taking Citalopram.

 

I don't know if I have Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction or if I'm just depressed. My girlfriend has a very high libido and I know I used to, which is incredibly frustrating, but right now nothing really excites me that much. I'll get bursts of joy, but they're fleeting moments. When I look at visual stimulation, the kind of stuff that I usually get aroused by, nothing happens. I just tried to masturbate and couldn't even get a hint of an erection. I do still get erections in the morning, but once it goes away it doesn't come back easily.

 

I've also been taking Propolanolol, and have started tapering off of it in the hopes that it might be affecting my sexual disfunction, but after reading what I have, I don't have much hope that that's the case.

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After all this time I think I know which end of the bell curve I am.  I actually had the PSSD before I quit Effexor so sex has not been an issue for me  in 8-10 years now oddly enough I have adapted... it is not longer something I aim for or expect.  I guess if people can get use to not walking or missing an arm I can and have become use to this... no I don't like it I am sure it has changed my life but no more than all the other withdrawal fallout. Still IF I am going to call myself a survivor and not a victim I have to accept this too and get on with it... not sure what it is yet...but I am still here and plan to stay here. 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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I have a quick question... I have PSSD. Got it after coming off citalopram - it was fairly mild at the time (premature ejaculation and mild/moderate anhedonia),i went back on other drugs like zoloft. Once off that (17 months ago) things slowly got worse anhedonia/pssd wise. Now my testicles have shrunk, my ED is worse, i have basically numb genitals, etc you get me.  These were not problems when i came off 17 months ago - but now they are.

 

Is there any info about testicular shrinkage from SSRIs? My libido is lower than its ever been, so is my energy. Is this dangerous/harmful? What can i do about this? I'm only turning 18 next month i really dont feel like getting testosterone replacement therapy for the rest of my life here you know? Can it/will it get better on its own? 

 

I am planning on seeing a doctor but i would like to get more information about this. I hope someone had this symptoms subside naturally. 

 

 

Thanks - this is a scary one. 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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That's one for Dr. Google. Please tell us what you find.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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From what i can gather, testicular shrinkage can happen as an adverse reaction whilst on SSRIs. Not usually something you'd suddenly have months after coming off. I've only seen a few cases of testicular shrinkage with PSSD - its probably due to low testosterone. However, people like Dr. Healy have said it happens a lot with post Finasteride sufferers, but not with PSSD - same with penile shrinkage. 

 

Could it be that something is going on with my pituitary gland? I think so. I just dont know why it's worsening so much and not getting better instead - maybe this is the healing process? 

 

Testicular shrinkage can be caused by many things so i'm going to the doctor to rule anything else out - i think i MAY have a "varicocele" which is a fairly common reason for testicular atrophy especially in boys  in puberty (i'm 17) and it tends to affect the "left side" more than the right (the side i'm most worried about). So i'm definitely a potential candidate for this here and in a way, i totally hope its this since it seems to be totally reversible. 

 

 If worse comes to worst i may try supplementation to help my T levels, but right now i'm just sticking with lifestyle changes.   

 

Either way though, just knowing i'll go back to normal one way or another would really help - so if anyone has suffered with this post-SSRIs and got better please let me know. 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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At your age, I would avoid any hormonal supplementation if at all possible. Your body is still developing.

 

Please start a topic for yourself in the Introductions forum, where you can explain what happened to you and ask others what they think.

 

Yes, people recover, but it can take a long time and a lot of patience.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thank you. sorry for not introducing myself lol i will go do that now. 

 

I really dont want to go on something like TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) if it just so happens that i do have low T. But maybe the doctor might suggest foods/suppliments like zinc to improve T production or something? I'd just be pretty lost at what to do since after my atrophy i've been feeling a lot more down and fatigued. I have pretty much all the symptoms of low T although i dont like to self diagnose. 

 

Thanks for saying that - i really hope my hormones can rebalance themselves and that my sizes will go back to normal. That would be amazing. As long as i know its possible / most likely going to happen lol.

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Alright so i'm going to the clinic tomorrow, if not i have an appointment on wednesday. I'm almost certain i have a varicocele just based on the obvious difference between the sides of my left and right veins above my testicles. This could totally be the cause for the low T and as a result, the cause of more recent symptoms. I almost hope i have this because it can be treated and fertility, along with testosterone and size should get better. This may be a huge relief for me. Again i'm not one to self diagnose but the large clump of veins of my left side dont lie compared to the emptiness on the right. I'll keep updating. 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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I don't think that testicular atrophy is well explained by stopping an SSRI -- it is not PSSD -- so good idea to go to a doctor. I am not familiar with health system in Canada but I'd try to see a specialist such as a urologist. A varocele is a possible explanation than can be rectified with surgery.

 

I have suffered 80% loss of testicular mass due to what has been diagnosed as autoimmune orchitis due to detection of antibodies against testicular tissue. This is a poorly understood condition and I think in my case it is due to a viral infection which my immune system can not defeat as much as a true auto-immune problem, which I think is misunderstood as a generality. So far as I can tell all of my AI problems -- I have elevated Abs against a full dozen organs/systems are due to hard to detect infections, but this is beside your point. I entertained the idea that my testicular atrophy was due to psychiatric drug damage but this turned out not to be the case and I think it is unlikely an explanation for testicular atrophy such as you describe,

 

I hope you are able to get some help for your problem.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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I don't think that testicular atrophy is well explained by stopping an SSRI -- it is not PSSD -- so good idea to go to a doctor. I am not familiar with health system in Canada but I'd try to see a specialist such as a urologist. A varocele is a possible explanation than can be rectified with surgery.

 

I have suffered 80% loss of testicular mass due to what has been diagnosed as autoimmune orchitis due to detection of antibodies against testicular tissue. This is a poorly understood condition and I think in my case it is due to a viral infection which my immune system can not defeat as much as a true auto-immune problem, which I think is misunderstood as a generality. So far as I can tell all of my AI problems -- I have elevated Abs against a full dozen organs/systems are due to hard to detect infections, but this is beside your point. I entertained the idea that my testicular atrophy was due to psychiatric drug damage but this turned out not to be the case and I think it is unlikely an explanation for testicular atrophy such as you describe,

 

I hope you are able to get some help for your problem.

 

Thank you Alex i really appreciate your response. Just knowing this most likely has nothing to do with SSRIs does help me feel better knowing that i may be able to sort this out with doctors. I'm afraid i might just have low T from PSSD/WD which would be very unusual for a 17-18 year old lol. But what do i know - we will see! Did you ever recover the size of your gonads in the end ? Are you infertile? Did you penis size change? My penis has shrunk along with my balls, and so my erection, sensitivity and libido is much worse than whatever it was 3-4 months ago - I never had those problems initially. If i could recover that side of me (size, sensitivity, erections, libido) i would be going back to just having the anhedonia and PE which would be resolving half my problem lol that i never used to have before 3-6 months ago.   

 

Hopefully i find some answers soon. Could i message you sometime Alex? 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Chemistry.

I understand why you are anxious about this. I think you should be because your virility is very important to any mans quality of life. I think you need to talk openly about this with an adult male who you trust. This is important to do in person and not on an internet forum. Can you bring these matters up with your father? You are very young and I made a lot of medical decisions about psych drugs and stuff when I was your age that were damaging to me. As for T, I think it is important to have normal testosterone. You need it and can't go a long time without it. I've had very low T for a few months and this could be a contributing factor to connective tissue disorders that I have. Ideally you want to restore the testicular function without supplementing hormones. However, as I just implied, there can be bad outcomes from having insufficient testosterone for too long that can cause musclar-skeletal atrophy and strucutural collapse if given enough time. So this is why you need to talk to a urologist about this. However you also need to simply talk to some males who are adults who you can be honest with. This is very important.

 

I have suffered atrophy of the genitals due to hypogonadism. And I am in infertile presently. I may not recover these functions. I also have damage to my colon and felt on deaths door for much of the last 4 months so the testes, sadly, can not have been a priority and that presentation got worse for me. I do currently take supplemental Rx testosterone. I wish I had started it four months ago because I have complications from deficient testosterone. But my nads have atrophied further. However, mine have fluctuated a lot so I know they can come back to a degree. So I have not lost hope. But I don't want to take too much T and shut them down for ever also -- this is a legitimate concern, so it's a trade off.

 

The important thing is that this function can be recovered if not too far gone. This is true of anything, mostly. So don't let something get too far gone because you are afraid to do something anything about it. Unfortunately, it is complicated to recover and you need to understand exactly what is happening to you besides that you don't take as much antideppressant anymore. A urologist will help with this. But be cautious. Doctors can get you into more trouble as you know. So it is very complicated for me to advise. Again since you are quite young do you have your dad around? Talk to him if you trust him.

 

Yes you can PM anytime. No matter what you will be okay. Even if it doesn't feel like it now, it is important to take the right action (don't be a spectator)  but also important not to panic -- you will be okay.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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Also I wouldn't say it definitely has nothing to do with the SSRI.

 

Firstly, tere are other explanations that need to be explored that do not have to do with SSRI. Then, secondly, there are other explanations in which the SSRI was a factor in the unmasking but it's not as simple as noSSRI = testicular atrophy. You don't know yet. This symptom is uncommon and in some ways your entire biology is organized to protect your ability to procreate -- think about this! -- so losing your nads represents a serious health malfunction that needs prompt evaluation. Don't guess at the problem.

 

The first step is to visit a urologist and get a workup. Hormone panel (T, FSH, LH and so on) and then see what you find.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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Yeah i definitely think SSRIs most likely was a factor in all of this, but is it directly  caused by PSSD - i kind of doubt it. I really appreciate your advice and i'm sorry you're going through all of this as well... I realize just how major this is and how it cannot be taken lightly. I live with my mum and she knows about this, since i think its affecting my energy and motivation. I could call my dad about this, though its something i think i will wait to see the doctor on wednesday for first. I'm planning on getting a bunch of blood tests done and hopefully i'll be referred to a urologist. All in all i do hope things go back to normal, or at least somewhat normal. I just want to have my sexual functioning back along with my fertility, these things are so important and gives meaning in life, however i'm not planning on procreating for another 10 years so i mean hey, i'm sure science will have something for me by then right? I hope. 

 

I have basic understanding on how important testosterone is and how to treat it but i also understand it isn't always simple and that at my age, taking hormones is probably a bad idea. I will try and live a lifestyle that promotes T levels but only when i  confirm that my T levels are actually low because at the moment all i know is that erections are harder to get and maintain, libido is low, penis is less sensitive and smaller and my testicles have also shrunk but i was pretty well endowed so they're not at peanut size yet - closer to grape size. These problems barely existed about 6 months ago. I'm really really hoping no damage have been done but fortunately my mother and I are trying to quickly sort this out and not mess around about this one lol. I've had shrunked testicles for a little over 2 weeks and to me thats long enough. I'm definitely going to speak to anyone who knows what they're talking about before doing anything drastic, and i dont take everything the doctor says as gospel anymore either. I'm scared to swallow any more medications so no worries there. 

 

I can't wait until all of this is over and i can just concentrate on living a normal life. 

 

Thanks for the responses Alex, really appreciate it. I dont have many people to talk about this issue with. 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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It is hard to project at age 18 what will be important in your adulthood. You may have 80 yrs of adulthood in front of you! And you've got to make decisions with a mindfulness to what you will need along the way and you're only starting adulthood and have been drugged and you don't know what you need to know in order to make the best decisions for your life. At least I didn't and I trusted the doctors and it screwed me.

 

Let me know how things go at the doctor. Good luck. You can write me a PM anytime.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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I hear you 100%, im going to try and make the best, most educated decisions that benefits me both short and long term. Again im sorry this happened to you and i know what it feels like honestly.. I guess we can only move forward and be smart when it comes to our health from now on.

Thanks ill let you know if i have any more questions and ill post an update when i can

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Like withdrawal syndrome in general, I assume the rate of recovery from PSSD is a bell curve. At the left side, a small number of people who recover quickly. At the right side, a small number of people who take a very long time to recover (and at the very end, a small number of people whose recovery is indefinite). The majority are in the middle, recovering in some number of months to a few years.

 

 

This is what I've seen with hundreds of people in different stages of withdrawal. You can't tell based on one person's experience, or even a handful of people, how it's going to go for you, but if you look at bigger numbers, the odds are in your favor. 

 

I've also seen that with other withdrawal symptoms, as people improve and start to get their lives back they generally move off the forums and back into life. I think we have a natural tendency to not want to come back to the places we associate with our worst suffering, when that suffering has passed and we want to leave it behind us.

 

I'm no expert on PSSD but I suspect it follows the same pattern as other withdrawal syndromes, which is just as Alto has described above. Almost everyone, except for just a very rare few, will recover given enough time as long as they don't disrupt the nervous system with any more neurotransmitter-screwing-up drugs. And "very rare" is very rare (I've only met one or two people out of hundreds who haven't had strong improvement or at least 80% stabilization over five or six years, and those people were older and had long histories on medications.)

 

I'm seeing complaints of PSSD so much with young people put on drugs in adolescence and early adulthood, which makes sense because there's so much going on with sexuality and hormones during those years. Fortunately youth is a big bonus when it comes to recovery. You just have to be patient--which is extra tough when you're young because a year still seems like a really long time.

 

I think you guys have every reason to be optimistic. Not to say happy about things, of course. I don't blame you for your anger and frustration and upset. But I think there's way more evidence for hope than for despair for most people.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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I am no expert either but I do wonder if you put on drugs before your sexually active and have nothing to compare post drug sex to... how do you know how the drug affected you.  

I am not trying to cause trouble here but this does seem to be something to think about. 

Again woman may be less likely to express an problem than men as mean can't fake it... women can. If they know what they are faking.. it is interesting. Given my own experience with these drugs... some causing sexual extremes... to now nothing there is more to how these drugs affects sex than PSSD... but this is the title of this thread.  

 

I too think most will heal I sure hope the young people all heal and do believe if their drug use was short term they all will heal. I hope they were all warned 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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I too think most will heal I sure hope the young people all heal and do believe if their drug use was short term they all will heal. I hope they were all warned

Hey Btdt, define "short term" lol. ;)

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Out on a limb and I will bite as I just included this in a post... I would say short term under 5 year... some have healed even after 10 years.  when I look at myself at 18 years well if I come out of this I will come back here and say anyone can heal from any length of use but it may take more than 6 years I will get back to you... all that said... I will tell you what the APA has to say last time I looked they recommend people take antidepressants for 6-9 months... 

 

since they are a one way street as in putting out info but never taking any in or answering any questions cause who would dare question them...lol... they do not say if this includes a taper if it were to include a taper then math skill would be needed that is joke btw.

 

So the law of the land says they 6-9 months... do they admit withdrawal or sever adverse reactions I don't know... 

I know as much about them as they know about me but you could look if you like. 

 

I think it depends where you are in your life if you a kid and drugged I don't know if you old and durgged I don't know this is general.. I think age makes a difference because of the interaction these drugs have with hormones... developing brain chemistry is different. 

 

I read they discovered a hormone or something that peaks one they did not know before in adolescence and this drug is reason they have to take kids of ritalin at that age... so our human development is changing and that changes how we react... the drugs change our hormones that I know for sure. 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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If I were smart I would say 6-9 months like the APA but I think basically nobody is on the drugs this short a time. None that I have seen. 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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There are of course those terribly injured after a couple of pills or a couple of wks using they are so sick they don't care about sex... I know I was once one of them... walking was an issue forget sex. 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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Thanks for the detailed response. My case is a bit weird, i went on a few pills but never for more than 8-9 months each, all within less than 2 years so i wouldnt say thats longterm use right lol.

 

Yeah i believe people who get very sick after only a few pills are in a slightly different situatiom than someone like me who got mild symptoms, that appeared after months and only worsened after coming off the drug

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Chemistry, we see people quite frequently who developed PSSD after discontinuing, or whose sexual dysfunction got worse when off the drug.

 

It's another aspect of how adding or reducing these powerful drugs discombobulates the entire body.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Really? I didnt know that was so common, do these people usually recover?

 

I find the pssd horror stories tend to be with those who got it full blown after less than 2 weeks or so on the drug. Like some sort of reaction that doesnt go away after coming off the drug. Where as like you said many only really notice the PSSD after coming off like me (although looking back i realize i did have mild PE around the end of my use). I dont know if theres any distinctiom between these two scenarios, i although im probably just looking for more reason to think im going to recover lol.

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Yes, they usually recover. Be patient, the improvement is very gradual.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thanks Alto... I hope so. I just dont understand because at around 8-10 months off i had it really easy PSSD wise, I could still have sex it was just the PE that was the main issue really, erections were pretty much okay. Now its like, my penis is very insensitive, weak, shrunken, etc. I believe i may have something hormonal going on here, low T can cause these things but idk... I am scared i won't get better since i've worsened so much the past 6 months, even at 17 months out its like, how much worse is it going to get? 

 

Do you find it gets worse like this before it gets better even over a year out - with PSSD? I just have so many problem down south now its like i have no idea what might be causing it, i'm thinking it might even be multiple things. SSRIs included.

 

But i've been off this long and i dont want to go back. I got blood tests done this morning and i'm waiting for the results. I dont want to take hormone replacement therapy until all other avenues have been tried. That is, if i need it of course.

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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Update: I went to two doctors, both said my testicles were at a healthy size. Which isn't a bad thing, however lets be honest, nobody knows them better than me and despite them still being at a healthy size, i'm convinced they have shrunk. Like i'm positive. To a point where i barely recognize them - maybe i just had bigger than average balls to begin with? I dont know. The doctors didn't argue with me but they did say that they were healthy so i guess thats a positive. I hope they dont continue to shrink to a "clinically UNhealthy size" lol. I got blood tests done this morning and i'm hoping I will get a lead as to why all these new symptoms have slowly emerged in the past 6 months or so. it's hard to believe that its all PSSD since it was pretty mild/moderate the first year off all drugs, and now its all getting worse for no reason? I really really hope not. Maybe it all started slowly worsening when i got off the drugs 17 months ago yet didn't really notice until these past 6 months? I dont know. Like i said i really hope not since i dont know if i will recover everything back. 

 

But at the same time i'm young and lets say i do have low T, then what? People on the internet who have never taken an SSRI yet has all of my new symptoms, are having a pretty difficult time treating them because i assume correcting a hormonal imbalance, or even finding the cause to the symptoms is a lengthy and complicated process. I dont really know what to hope for in this test, but even a better understanding of whats going on helps.

 

I never mentioned this on this site yet but i feel like i even have pelvic dysfunction - which is probably why i have PE in the first place. My pelvic region is usually tight for some reason when i dont think about it, and passing stool and urinating has been more difficult (dont always fully empty). Could this be contributing to my new symptoms? Who knows. Is it high levels of cortisol, thats responsible for my constant floating stress feeling, thats responsible for low T? Who knows lol. 

 

and most of all, if the blood tests reveals something (lets say Low T) is it all W/D related and will it sort itself out if i just give it time?  

Or is it something that i need to treat?...

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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This sounds like what happened to me. For an entire year I went to doctors saying they were shrinking and the doctors said they look normal to me. I was even bleeding and they said that'll happen. And they kept shrinking and shrinking. This past November I got Dr to recheck total T again and it was at 70 which is extremely low. 300 is low normal normal and 600+ is ideal.

 

Unfortunately the issue got shelved because my digestion collapsed in November also. I have now been taking T for a month but it may still be low and I may have serious structural problems because I had very low T for about 5 or more months.

 

It is going to be on you to manage, Chemsitry. If your T is normal then you still need to monitor if you are experiencing tissue atrophy. Only you will know if this is happening for a while. Mine was normal for about 12 months or longer and doctor quit listening to me. I eventually moved on to other problems as well thinking oh well it must be ok but I knew it wasn't and now I am very angry and concerned.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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Yeah i'm afraid our situations will be very similar Alex... Do you believe that all of this has a direct correlation with the past SSRI use? 

 

So basically i should just keep monitoring my hormone levels eh.. 

 

Like i said though, i mean, if its SSRI related, and I have low T... I should be treating it right? Are lifestyle changes/supplementation enough? Would i have to go on TRT? I wish it would sort itself out given time. 

2010 - citalopram 10mg 
2011 - 20-40mg, 1 month taper, PSSD & Anhedonia - Elavil 10mg during taper.
Clonazepam when needed after a month of daily use. 
2012 - Off Elavil - Zoloft (sertraline) 25mg - 50 mgs for 6 months + Buspar for a while. Pssd & anhedonia improved on zoloft, now has gotten a lot worse since a year off. 

 

Off all drugs since October 2012.

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When your nervous system is destabilized by adverse reactions to psychiatric drugs, symptoms come and go. Some get worse and some get better. Most likely, you will very gradually heal over time.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Be sure to get enough gentle exercise, Chemistry, and don't sit at a computer all day. This could be affecting your innards.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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