Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

PSSD Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction


Altostrata

Recommended Posts

Obviously, herbs are not to be taken lightly, and I always do research before taking anything. It is generally recommended to check with a medical doctor before taking herbs as well, to make sure they will not interact badly with medications. But they do work, and people used them for centuries before western "medicine" existed. 

 

I found this info for females:

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/10-best-herbs-boosting-female-sex-drive/

 

and this for males:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/190657-what-herbs-improve-male-libido/

 

I am trying the ashwaganda root, which is great for a lot of other things as well. I am also overhauling my system with some ayurvedic herbs and health tonics. A healthy body has to mean a better sex drive!

Prozac 100 mg age 15-19, stopped with no taper.

Klonopin (3 mg/day) and/or diazepam (15 mg day) age 18-24. Have not taken for several years now.

Lexapro age 21-26, weaned from 20 mg to 10 mg then switched to...

Escitalopram 20 mg, weaned to 10 mg then discontinued at age 27 (have been off of EP for about 6 months).

Trazadone 50 mg age 25-27. Discontinued about 1 year ago.

Wellbutrin 150 mg to counteract Escitalopram side effects, currently still taking.

 

My intro thread:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8924-hi-my-name-isawakeandaware/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

For instance if someone places two pointed objects on the skin of your back an inch or more apart and ask you how many things are touching you, you will say one. Our backs are close to blind to touch it seems. But yet our backs are one of those places where sensuous touch works best – where a gentle almost imperceptible touch can get every hair to stand on end.  This electric reaction seems to depend on a special kind of nerve fibre, C fibres, but a particular subdivision of C fibres we have known nothing about until recently and still know very little about. - See more at: http://wp.rxisk.org/the-mysteries-of-love/#sthash.rv2dKzKK.dpuf

http://wp.rxisk.org/the-mysteries-of-love/

 

I had to make note of this even tho I doubt it has much to do with headaches called orgasm headaches... I have now or on last attempt must of cured me that was over a year ago believe me it hurts bad enough a second try in not on the list.  So even once you start to feel again numbed down for me it comes and goes just now I am in a state of numbness again not numb like dental freezing but numb as in there is no mileage from stimulation I may as well touch my nose. So a new nerve... sub system sounds as good as any...lol I feel like this is a joke.... but guess it isn't. With all they do they did not know about these nerves .. and we should trust them...whatever. 

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 :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

When i went cold turkey from zoloft 11 weeks ago when i stopped after a couple of days i had no sexual probs then it started about 3 weeks ago is this Wd or would they happen straight away or could it be the week the doctor put me on propranolol which i stopped about 3 weeks ago ( after knowing what i do fron this site no more tabs for me )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm suffering PSSD issues from paxil as well.  The doctor warned me about it , but said the odds were low, and and would lift when you stop taking the drug.  That was 4 months ago.  Still waiting...

 

from what i've learned since, the odds of PSSD issues are more like 60-70%,  not the 1-2% the doc said.  More pharma lies

 

symptoms can come and go at any point through withdrawal.  seems as tho there's no hard and fast pattern.  I don't have a lot of experience, but I would tend to believe that this is WD from either of the 2 drugs you were on.  Hopefully a member with more experience would be able to suggest more info

 

cold turkey can make WD worse... yeah, I wish I'd know that as well

March 5, 6  2015 1 10mg Paxil each day - only 2 pills total - experienced huge tingle in my head on first pill

 

numbness in my hands and feet, skin less sensitive over all... not ticklish anymore

**anhedonia, blank emotions

PSSD, anorgasmia

heartbeat rhythm problems

"To err is human.  To really foul things up requires a psychiatrist."

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8554-akakoom-lost-in-no-mans-land/

 

"When you are going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill (the only way out is through)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When i stopped the zoloft the main time after 12 years there was no sexual sideeffects after i stopped and when i stopped this time ok for about 6 weeks until around the time she talked me into propranolol but i only took for a week but since then there not much happening down there , any advice please

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

This has came to me from another forum.

 

I think is important that all of us will take part in the research if we are able to,

 

Thanks

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hello everyone,

 

The article "Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD): Clinical Characterization and Preliminary Assessment of Contributory Factors and Dose-Response Relationship" has recently been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, a respectable medical journal with an impact factor of 3.243, and one the most popular journals dealing with psychiatric medications (psychopharmacology). This is the largest work about PSSD to date and an important step forward in raising awareness to PSSD.

 

On behalf of the research team I'd like to thank each and every one of you who took part in the survey. You made a brave effort, and it couldn't have happened without you.

 

Now it's time to move forward. We want every doctor and every psychiatrist to know about PSSD. We want to prevent PSSD, and to be able to raise legitimate funding for research about PSSD mechanism and treatment.

 

It all depends on being able to convince the medical community. The major obstacles are (1) not enough awareness and (2) arguments for alternative explanations to PSSD, like other medical and psychiatric conditions that can cause sexual dysfunction.

 

In order to present a convincing argument against alternative non-pharmacological explanations, we need a large study that includes comprehensive medical assessment of each participant, carried out and documented by a medical doctor, including:

● Full medical history

● Physical examination

● Comprehensive blood tests, including a CBC, comprehensive metabolic panel, relevant hormone levels

● Standardized evaluation of sexual dysfunction

● Psychiatric assessment

 

Without this, the chances of getting PSSD recognized are unfortunately low. As long as PSSD is dismissed in favor of confounding factors, it's hard to move forward.

 

We are inviting you to take part in a multi-center study about PSSD, which is due to start in about 2 months from now after it will be authorized by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). We will find and contact psychiatrists with interest in SSRI side effects and/or sexual dysfunction from different countries and cities around the world, to which persons with PSSD could approach and undergo comprehensive medical assessment (as outlined above) using a standardized research protocol, which will eventually be analyzed using data from all the centers.

 

We need to know who is willing to take part in this important endeavor. If you want to make a difference and help establish PSSD is a legitimate disorder, help prevent PSSD and promote further research on PSSD mechanism and treatment, this is it.

 

If you are willing to participate in the study, contact the research team at joseph.ben.sheetrit@gmail.com stating your first name, age, name of the medication that was involved (e.g. Citalopram) and the country and city in which you currently live (this is very important so we can locate a doctor working in your city or nearby). We must emphasize again that the study can only take place after it is approved by an IRB; this is only a list to see who is interested in participating. Recruitment for the PSSD multi-center study will be open until the 20th of September 2015. Only if we have enough participants will we be able to carry out this important study. It's up to you.

 

Just so we are very clear about this. Your data is strictly confidential. No details that may expose your identity will ever be published. No data will be handed to any third party without your written consent. As a medical doctor I'm obliged to this by both law and ethics. We have worked hard to publish the survey research, and we will continue to work together to promote research and treatment for PSSD.

 

Sincerely,

Joseph Ben-Sheetrit, MD, Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel

Lead researcher and first author of the PSSD survey publication.


Antonei B. Csoka, PhD, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Howard University, Washington DC, USA   

 

Dr. Csoka published the first PSSD case reports in the medical literature and coined the term "Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction". He published the first article about a possible epigenetic mechanism for PSSD. 

Dr. Csoka is part of the research team and one of the authors of the recent survey publication. 

 

PSSD Research Team

PROBLEM. PSSD 
Symptons:- 1 Not arousal, not libido: the sensation of "I could live without sex" - 2 I can get orgasms but they are much weaker. -3 I have noticed that my breast  don´t get swollen before menstruation (This has improved) -4  Lack of vaginal discharge (this has improved)- 5 Barely absence of vaginal odour
Induced by In Escitalopram 1 year and two months
Begining:10 mg per day -Jun 2013 to May 2013-
Reduce to 10 gr every two days - Jun 2013 to Aug 2013

Eventually quit on September 2013.

Slight Improvements. Window:  3 days on August 2015

WHY STARTING WITH IT?Great general anxiety that Esc. cured . Novemb 2015 anxiety hasd returned
Natural suplements or herbs you are having?: 1500 mg oil fish omega 3 daily since 28/1/2014.

 

December 15. 0,5-1 gr lorazepam per day. 

"if you come up with any good ideas, please let me know"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

When i was on zoloft 1st for 12 years i had the usual sexual problems on AD but when i stopped after a few days the sideeffects were gone but when the doctor talked me in to going back on zoloft in march which i took for 5 weeks the sideeffects returned but when id had enough after 5 weeks again after a few days the sideeffects went and i had no sexual problems but then after about 6 weeks all of a sudden i started getting ED could this be post ssri sexual dysfunction or isit something else i just find it strange how i was ok again for a few weeks after stopping the zoloft , any help please

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Going on and off psychiatric drugs is wearing on your nervous system. Your nervous system controls sexual response.

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This makes me even more angry that i took them for the 5 weeks didnt have the prob when i stopped first and at first i was ok after the 5 weeks anything i can do to improve the problem

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As i was only on them 5 weeks and i didnt have the prob before the 5 weeks does this mean i shouldnt last long ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

No one can predict that, Mikey.

 

Recovery will be very gradual and frustrating. See The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply Alto , do you think it is the zoloft for 5 weeks or could it be the propranolol for a week ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Mikey, read this What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Going on and off psychoactive drugs is wearing on the nervous system. It's not any one thing that causes problems. After being stressed over and over, the nervous system is dysregulated.

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 days without pristiq.

 

Short term 4-5 months user. I was able to have erections while on it, I think by the second month. The clonazepam also agravates the erection even on a very low dose.

 

By the third month, I can reach orgasm by self pleasuring myself an hour before i am to take the meds again. Porn helps.

 

Now, It is as if my penis is numb for the past 7 days. I can feel some sensation when im rubbing my nipples but it does not go down there :)

Partner suddenly died 2014. Severe depression AGAIN (had previous episode 10 years ago). I was given escitalopram but could not bear the side effects, so i ask for an ECT (not sure if this helped). During the treatment and my hospital stay I was given Depakote mood stabilizer.  PDOC says I need to take it for two years. After 4-5 months I have a hard time with the Depakote. Hard to get up in the morning. Depression again or Depakote effects? So stopped Depakote (did not know about tapering then)

 

Januray 21, 2015. Severe depression again, started Pristiq 50mg and clonazepam 0.5 mg nightly. Had confusion, suicidal thoughts, thoughts about death, and find it hard to understand the TV, much more type in a computer.

 

Had adverse reaction to most antidepressants: muscle pain/spasms, irritablity, restlessness. Also Tried Prozac, Zoloft, Escitalopram years ago.

Started to taper pristiq and clonazepam after four months:

5th month:

2 weeks - 3/4 tablet PRISTIQ   (deducting the clonazepam also, so hard to cut)

2 weeks - 1/2 tablet PRISTIQ   (crumbs of clonazepam nightly)

2 weeks - 1/8 or less (hard to cut really) (zero clonazepam)

Then jump off pristiq.

I just wonder why I was cured during the 10 year period (2004-2014) I have no depression symptoms and no meds either. Pdoc said I might be biploar 2 but it is a "grey" area. Aren't bipolars supposed to be on maintenance meds?! Damn this diagnosis. I am tapering Pristiq either way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What id like to know id hoe does someone know if it id pssd or just a bit of sexual dysfunction that can hsppen at times of stress

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, it's *definitely* PSSD. Sometimes you know. Pre-antidepressants, I could get aroused whenever, even stress didn't get in the way (in fact, I used masturbation as a de-stressor at points!) In the past, stress has never affected me 'down there'.

 

I was trying to describe it to my girlfriend. It's like inside the arousal bit of the brain, there's this grey fog now. It's not a great example but it's hard to put into words. And when I orgasm it's like a rainbow that's missing several colours...sometimes I might have no colours, usually only like 2 or 3. It's almost like I've lost the will to orgasm because it's nowhere near as good as it was.

 

This stuff is so abstract. But REAL. I hope it comes fully back. You never know how essential it is 'til it goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

http://www.wired.com/2009/02/antidepressants/

 

I had a window las week. Nothing is lost.

 

I'll explain deeply on my thread.

PROBLEM. PSSD 
Symptons:- 1 Not arousal, not libido: the sensation of "I could live without sex" - 2 I can get orgasms but they are much weaker. -3 I have noticed that my breast  don´t get swollen before menstruation (This has improved) -4  Lack of vaginal discharge (this has improved)- 5 Barely absence of vaginal odour
Induced by In Escitalopram 1 year and two months
Begining:10 mg per day -Jun 2013 to May 2013-
Reduce to 10 gr every two days - Jun 2013 to Aug 2013

Eventually quit on September 2013.

Slight Improvements. Window:  3 days on August 2015

WHY STARTING WITH IT?Great general anxiety that Esc. cured . Novemb 2015 anxiety hasd returned
Natural suplements or herbs you are having?: 1500 mg oil fish omega 3 daily since 28/1/2014.

 

December 15. 0,5-1 gr lorazepam per day. 

"if you come up with any good ideas, please let me know"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

There are many recovery accounts on antidepressants on pssd but what about a lethal combination of benzos with antisychotics and Luvox

I had a very rare condition major depression my doctor said it happened because I cold turkedy and had a major incident in my life

my mother told me she hated me and I got very sick of the impression that got me into psycothic depression

I have no libido no desire, no morning erections get tired easily, Is there any hope of healing sorry for posting again same question but I really need assurance

more so on the pssd because I want to have a wife and family

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

A lethal combination, by definition, would kill you.

 

If you are not dead, it is possible for you to heal.

 

lion, you've asked this question dozens of times in different ways. Please re-read your Intro topic whenever this comes up again.

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Altrosta I am been reading the sections on the content area. I really got the answers to many of my questions

the odds against my recovery are pretty high, I am thankful this site exists the brain damage is huge and i will be able to recover some functionability

like I have but my ablitiy to be as healthy as I once was it is just a thing of the past. Due to my major depression episode I have pretty big chances of relapse

and even I can file for disability my future is grim and unlike many here I had of the the worst forms of depression ever.

my apologies for posting here

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if anyone is still using this forum, but I believe I may have found a solution. I took Prozac from ages 13-17, and I quit because I couldn't stand the sexual side effects anymore. 6 months later, I still had the sexual side effects. I was about to give up on life because I thought it would be gone forever. Well, I went to the doctor and got my blood checked. It turns out I had low testosterone (around 216, when it should be in the 600 range) so they started giving me T-injections and told me my sexual function should start to come back anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months later. Well, 2 weeks later, I had a mental relapse. I eventually had to go back on meds, but I wanted to try something new because I knew Prozac already screwed me over. This is where I found my answer. I started Lexapro, and a week later, I started having fantastic orgasms, heightened sexual desire, and full penile function. So my solution is simple: TAKE A DIFFERENT MEDICATION. You may be thinking that it was just the T-shot, but there's no way it worked that quickly. I only mentioned that because if you're having these problems, your first step should be getting your levels checked. The only explanation I have for how this worked is that the meds you took altered your brain chemistry, and your brain can't rebalance itself, hence why you keep having the side effects. But if you take a different medication, and it reacts a different way, then maybe it tips the scales back to normal. I have not spoken to a psychiatrist to prove my theory, but if some medications cause the side effects for some people, while having no effect on others, then I believe that it's possible that another medication can fix the issue. It did for me. Talk to your doctor/psychiatrist. The first medication I would try is Wellbutrin, which is often perscribed to offset the sexual side effects of SSRI's. if that doesn't work, try something else. But keep in mind, there is an answer, and you will find it. In the meantime, if you're a male, it's probable that you can get a perscription for Viagra/Cialis. I'm 18 and I got one. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus

Wickedicefire,

This is a site for going off drugs. It is not a site for finding out what drug to take next, or recommending what drug to add. This could be dangerous. People could be hurt by your advice. We do not support this kind of discussion, it is against our rules.

What will get you warned or banned 

Please read back through this thread, people have tried taking other medications.

 

I also want to point out that although the members of SSRIsex have tried for years to find medical treatment for their PSSD, no one has come up with anything that works, and many have further injured themselves by taking various hormones and medications. Most of them also have withdrawal symptoms, although they may not recognize their situation as prolonged withdrawal syndrome. However, members do report resolution of PSSD given time -- like other withdrawal symptoms.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Everyone who suffers from PSSD should take part in the new study:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9674-take-part-in-new-post-ssri-sexual-dysfunction-pssd-study/

They have sent a mail to me and they extend the enrollment! So you can still participate! They need more participants!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the yahoo group:

 

Hello everyone,

 

We have 85 enrollments so far for the PSSD study, which is very good – but we need more.

We are extending the enrollment for the study until further notice, which means you can still get enrolled in the study until announced otherwise.

 

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is due next month, and the study can only begin after its approval. Please note however that IRBs sometimes require amendments for study proposal before it is approved, which can take some more time. We will be in touch and keep you updated from time to time until the study begins.

 

Also, we are making some changes in the study design, to make it more feasible and practical to carry out. After the study is approved, every patient agreeing to take part in the study will need to send us a short letter from his or her doctor, which could be a general practitioner, a psychiatrist, or any other doctor who knows you, which states your general medical and psychiatric diagnoses and current medications (which is quite standard and should not be very difficult to obtain). We will also need you to send some blood tests results, but that’s all we’ll need regarding the medical data – all the rest of the research will be done using video interviews and questionnaires.

 

The in-depth internet video interviews (e.g. via Skype) will give you the opportunity to tell us in detail everything that you feel is important about your condition and will help us to gather valuable information about PSSD, the various symptoms that co-occur with PSSD, treatments you have already tried etc. We think it’s the best way to overcome the geographical distances between us, which obviously span the entire world, without requiring you to travel or spend money and without losing valuable data that is obtained only in person-to-person clinical interviews.

 

New enrollers – please email us at joseph.ben.sheetrit (at) gmail.com stating your first name, gender, age, city and country of residence, the medication(s) implicated, whether you’ve quit the medications or are still taking them, and when did the sexual problems that you have today begin with regard to taking the drugs (have first noticed it before taking the drugs, during drug treatment, or only after stopping the drugs?).

 

Sincerely,

 

Joseph Ben-Sheetrit, MD

and the PSSD Research Team

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you all for your support my condition is permanent

there are no windows or improvements

I took benzos and antisycothics and ssri

I have a horrible pssd and protracted withdral syndrome

I have problems feeling emotions not only sexual ones but emotios in general

I dont feel strees or fear or love for women

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for your support my condition is permanent

there are no windows or improvements

I took benzos and antisycothics and ssri

I have a horrible pssd and protracted withdral syndrome

I have problems feeling emotions not only sexual ones but emotios in general

I dont feel strees or fear or love for women

 

God will heal you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hi again:

 

You can see in my thread I explained that since the first moment I started Escitalopram my anxiety stopped and one year after quiting this situation persisted: while with PSSD- No anxiety.

 

Anyway as you know...I have been feeling really sad and desperate. Very negative and depressed. But I couldn´t feel the anxiety, what somehow improved the sensation of being not "my real self" because I always have had a tendency to anxiety but on the other hand it helped to cope with PSSD... is always better to cope only with sadness without the addition of ansiety.

 

Well, the situation has turned and I am anxious again. Now I have problems with PSSD and anxiety... I really miss the f* escitalopram: my enemy is my helper but it can´t be anymore both... if I can someday overcome PSSD.

 

I´m starting to have problems to attend my job sometimes and the anguish is cruel... the only thing that works is working out and study: when I keep my mind far away from myself... and my blue thinkings--- but I need a job and money. Spain is in a terrible crisis and finding a job is tough, you need to be balanced.... strong... happy... I am not... I am not...

 

I have started with a psychologist. She is good. She is not enough....

 

I am gonna ask you a strange question... Do you know if there is some  "good" anxiolytic??Some medicine that don´t miss up the brain and all the **** that the SSRI´s do... One month ago I was telling here I wasn´t going to take an aspirine in my life... Now I´m asking you this....

I think I can´t cope with PSSD and anxiety at the same time!!! I have been having lately some nervous breakdowns and I don´t know how is gonna be my future if I keep this way,,,

 

I don´t think my PSSD has improved in a year (exception: window in the middle of August). Maybe the  "Body function" is slightly better but the thing that really drive me nuts is I have lost the ability to feel attraction for men. I don´t like men  and I can´t be balanced with that feeling. Do you think this is normal? Do you think this is part of the PSSD? I sometimes think I´m just losing my mind and the inability to like men is part of a madness.

 

I am sorry to be repetitive. I´m passing through the worst situation inmy life and imagine myself alone and weird for the rest of my life.

 

Thank you

PROBLEM. PSSD 
Symptons:- 1 Not arousal, not libido: the sensation of "I could live without sex" - 2 I can get orgasms but they are much weaker. -3 I have noticed that my breast  don´t get swollen before menstruation (This has improved) -4  Lack of vaginal discharge (this has improved)- 5 Barely absence of vaginal odour
Induced by In Escitalopram 1 year and two months
Begining:10 mg per day -Jun 2013 to May 2013-
Reduce to 10 gr every two days - Jun 2013 to Aug 2013

Eventually quit on September 2013.

Slight Improvements. Window:  3 days on August 2015

WHY STARTING WITH IT?Great general anxiety that Esc. cured . Novemb 2015 anxiety hasd returned
Natural suplements or herbs you are having?: 1500 mg oil fish omega 3 daily since 28/1/2014.

 

December 15. 0,5-1 gr lorazepam per day. 

"if you come up with any good ideas, please let me know"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello ES, I also had anxiety problems that vanished while on and after ssri, and I also lost my interest for the other sex.

 

My opinion is that your anxiety is coming back because the emotional flatness cuased by the escitalopram is lifting, but of course it can be hard to deal with that anxiety.

 

But I think that if you go on drugs to treat it, you will end up with further pssd problems, and again missing your old self, if I were you I would just give it some time (some months) to see if it gets better by itself.

About me ------------------------ College student with a history of anxiety, excessive worrying and health anxiety.

April 2014 - May 2015----------    Prozac 20mg On and Off.  Second time on it I developed apathy, changes in personality, asexuality.

May 2015  -   July 2015-----------------  Tappering off prozac. Still no feelings,anhedonia, apathy, no libido, asexuality.

Current symptoms--------  pssd (asexuality in my case). Anxiety and depression developed some months afer stopping prozac, could have been caused by obsessing and beating myself up too much when I found myself unable to like girls again. The best thing to do with pssd (which in my case is asexuality) is accept it and move on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's normal to have lost attraction for men. You're not crazy, it's just PSSD.

I would give a few more months. But if you really need a drug try Buspirone. It's not a benzo and some people even claim it helps a little with their PSSD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone

September 2011 - 75 mg Effexor, 15 mg Mirtazapine
September 2012 - CT. Developed PSSD (mostly erectile dysfunction and diminished enjoyment of sex).
January 2016 - Symptoms persist, no improvements. In fact, things seem worse now than they were in the first year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

People make claims for many drugs and supplements. Please try anything with great caution.

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gh0st:

 

I commend you for your insight into homeostasis and gene regulation, in a number (if not the majority) of cases, this may very well be at least part of the mechanistic underpinning behind protracted withdrawal syndromes.  You're clearly a driven, motivated, and intelligent young man and I respect the time and effort you have put into attempting to unearth the mechanistic causation behind PSSD.  I also appreciate your insight into how/why inositiol may work to help this situation.

 

May I offer you some ideas on the subject of PSSD and protracted withdrawal?

 

 

 

1.  What about the possibility that it's a toxic neuropathy of the C fibers (and other 5HT neurons) that innervate the genitalia (and any other part of the body)?  If 5HT neurons were somehow damaged by the effects of these drugs, one can clearly understand how people may experience all these symptoms, and also why it takes so long for some people to recover (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin).

 

I would recommend reading this basic overview:  http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm

 

2.  Have you done any research into neuropathies?  Perhaps you may wish to switch your attention from serotonin studies (heavily influenced and corrputed by Big pharma) to toxicology studies.

 

Anyone studying neurology would see the obvious parallels between the two conditions.

 

There's a tremendous amount of parallel between neuropathy symptoms and withdrawal symptoms.

 

This simply cannot be ignored by someone claiming to be doing a thorough investigation of the subject.

 

These cases where someone takes a drug for 1-4 days, and has years of protracted symptoms seems entirely consistent with this "neuropathy hypothesis", (this has been echoed by the likes of Dr. David Healy, and others). 

 

You may wish to look at the parallels between withdrawal syndrome and fluoroquinolones toxicity.  You will see exactly what I mean:

 

Here, for example:  http://blogs.naturalnews.com/levaquin-and-cipros-dirty-little-secret-sexual-dysfunction/

 

3.  Just because there are few if any studies on SSRIs and neuropathy does not mean this mechanism does not explain aspects of protracted withdrawal and PSSD.  I've read a number of anecdotal reports on this website and some others where doctors diagnosed patients with neuropathy following withdrawal or adverse reaction to SSRIs and other psycotrophic drugs.  This is by no means a peer-reviewed case, but it demonstrates that the possibility exists and cannot be ignored.

 

To be a true researcher, one must learn to read between the lines.  This is often what differentiates undergraduate research from graduate level research.  It's about quality of research, not quantity.

 

4.  Here's a couple of studies and reputable links that may be of particular interest to the research minded individual:

 

http://journals.lww.com/jneuro-ophthalmology/Abstract/1999/12000/Toxic_Optic_Neuropathy_After_Concomitant_Use_of.4.aspx

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8599723

 

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000700.htm

 

http://journals.lww.com/co-neurology/Abstract/2005/10000/Toxic_neuropathy.16.aspx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this were true, then you wouldnt get any benefit from any type of treatment. People with pssd get relief from Wellbutrin and Busbar. Including me. I used it for a couple weeks last month and it completely took away my pssd on and off for two weeks. And not just that, when the sexual functioning returned I noticed I could sleep! I felt tired at times, I could cry, or get chills through my body.

 

Our brains are in an altered state. An altered state that worked with the chemicals just fine, but once the medications were discontinued that brain chemistry no longer worked. But for some reason the brain chemistry never went back.

 

This is not nerve damage. This is an altered state of mind brought on by changes in brain chemistry. I'm not a scientist but I know this much. People wouldn't recover from pssd if it were damage to Nuerons. They're still there, it's just that the brain is functioning at a lower level, almost like a state of depersonalization .

 

I have pssd, and lately, I've been snapping out of it only to fall back into it. I have moments where things begin to click again. I'm currently not taking anything. I take fish oil.

Weaned off Effexor XR 75mg after one year of use

 

I'm experiencing the most debilitating symptoms ever imaginable

-pssd

-Emotional Numbness

 

Last dose was in august '15 after  weaning off for 6 months

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would you say "to be a true researcher".

 

Suggesting this is nerve damage would leave little room for research, leading people to believe there is no way out of this. Anyone with hope will look beyond the obvious.

Weaned off Effexor XR 75mg after one year of use

 

I'm experiencing the most debilitating symptoms ever imaginable

-pssd

-Emotional Numbness

 

Last dose was in august '15 after  weaning off for 6 months

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IF it's some part neuropathy, it's also fully reversible (this is found in the NIH link, and there's millions of people who are floxied who fully recover, same with PSSD sufferers).  I'm only offering a possibility along the lines of what Gh0st was posting.  Please try to be objective about this.  I'm only trying to help aid the conversation by proposing a plausible possibility - I don't want to discourage anyone (believe me, I'm in this same boat as all of you !)

 

I was hoping this was nothing more than an intellectual conversation, following Gh0sts post.  I'm just offering the possibility - that's all - nothing more.  I think my post is well thought up and backed up by numerous links, is it not?  Please read my post and the links and let me know what you think. 

 

People recover all the time - there's much evidence, this is not a permanent condition by any stretch of the imagination.  Just because the word "neuropathy" is scary, doesn't mean people need to worry.  I don't like that word either, and tend to rarely if ever use it - but it seemed like after reading Gh0sts post it was relevant here.

 

I honestly don't know the mechanism (no one does), which is why I'm proposing to Gh0st this possibility.  I can't help but look at the parallels between the conditions, and listen to some talks by David Healy on the subject and wonder. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok I'm sorry

I'm just glad that people involved in neuroscience including yourself are actually dedicated to helping science figure this out.

 

I have a feeling that once this is figured out it will be something that's been staring us in the face. And I'm sure it will be complicated, but not as complicated as we might imagine, the answer to this that is.

 

I inositol if anything should give some insight as to what is actually happening here. Whether it's the answer or not, it should give some serious overdue insight and hopefully lead to actual long term treatments

Weaned off Effexor XR 75mg after one year of use

 

I'm experiencing the most debilitating symptoms ever imaginable

-pssd

-Emotional Numbness

 

Last dose was in august '15 after  weaning off for 6 months

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy