Permanent PSSD

[Schwinn57]

I've been off Paxil for 6 months now, but the sexual side effects have only gotten worse. I have no libido at all - even seeing an attractive woman doesn't arouse me in the slightest. It's all just blah.

My depression has lifted quite a bit since then due to efforts on my own part to get out into the world and socialize, make connections, try new things, etc. but the one thing I cannot fix is my erectile dysfunction and loss of libido.

The other day I went to the urologist to see if he could help. He didn't know what PSSD was but in not so many words, he acknowledged that SSRIs can effectively shut down the the circular pathway that regulates arousal and erections.

When I told him I'd been off the medication for 6 months he was very surprised and blatantly told me to my face that if it didn't come back after that time period, its never going to come back.

I'm a virgin. I'll never be able to have sex. This is what Paxil has done to me.

[scotty]

6 months off paxil is WAY to early to make any judgements about the drugs effects. Your urologist is very poorly informed.

[Si in Wales]

Hi Schwinn

Welcome to this site. Firstly, take a deep breath!

- 6 months is not long to be off this junk. Give it time - lots of time.
- One thing this experience and learning more about SSRIs from this site has told me is that the medical profession are often clueless about the side effects of this stuff. I speak as someone whose father was a doctor btw.
- You will find positive stories on here - perhaps look at those on the subject of PSSD posted by Brunyan. He was in the depths of despair, but now has a much more positive story to tell
- One other thing. I still have issues relating from SSRI use (including sexual ones) but over time my libido has come back - with a vengence. I am nearly 42!

Hope this helps



Si

[texgirl]

The fact that this urologist has never heard of PSSD is enough to make him suspect, IMO. There's no way I would trust his opinion on the effects of SSRIs, long-term or otherwise.

Search for posts by Brunyan. He came here totally convinced that his damage was permanent and that he would never have sex again because of what meds had done. Now, a few months later, he only drops by occasionally to post updates--he's busy working, dating (including sex), and basically living life as if he'd never had a problem.

[Schwinn57]

Thanks for the replies, but I'm not sure I'm moving in the right direction. Brunyan had a recovery in about a year. For me, its been 6 months and its only gotten worse!

I think I did a very fast taper and that's why I have these symptoms. I think it was only about a week. The psychiatrist said it should be okay because I didn't have any mental side effects while on Paxil. In fact, Paxil didn't really affect me in any way (it definitely didn't help with the depression). I had the sexual side effects of delayed orgasm and a little loss of libido.

Should I consider going back on the pill? And then taper off after a long time?

Should I consider going for testosterone replacement therapy? I had my blood tested a little while ago and my testosterone was hovering around 300 ng/dl and then the second time less than that.

[texgirl]

Let's see: Brunyan got better in a year, but your case is worse because you're not better in 6 months? Where's the logic in that?

Ben (Brunyan) got worse before he got better, too. In fact, once he did start getting better, he had some ups and downs (sorry, bad pun) and setbacks before he started seeing steady improvement. He was also totally convinced that he would never recover. I and a few others made it our job to call Ben on his **** on a regular basis, so you can see we're well experienced with the "That guy got better, but I'm damaged for life" case model here.

Reality check: You don't need to do anything. No more drugs, no testosterone therapy. Just relax. Breathe. This is all temporary; you will recover. But first you have to accept that recovery is possible.

[babs]

Originally Posted by texgirl

Let's see: Brunyan got better in a year, but your case is worse because you're not better in 6 months? Where's the logic in that?

Ben (Brunyan) got worse before he got better, too. In fact, once he did start getting better, he had some ups and downs (sorry, bad pun) and setbacks before he started seeing steady improvement. He was also totally convinced that he would never recover. I and a few others made it our job to call Ben on his **** on a regular basis, so you can see we're well experienced with the "That guy got better, but I'm damaged for life" case model here.

Reality check: You don't need to do anything. No more drugs, no testosterone therapy. Just relax. Breathe. This is all temporary; you will recover. But first you have to accept that recovery is possible.

Exactly! Well said.

[Schwinn57]

Originally Posted by texgirl

Let's see: Brunyan got better in a year, but your case is worse because you're not better in 6 months? Where's the logic in that?

I was saying that on the assumption that Brunyan got better over time; I'm getting worse over time. Shouldn't I have seen some positive changes by now if I was going to better at all?

Reality check: You don't need to do anything. No more drugs, no testosterone therapy. Just relax. Breathe. This is all temporary; you will recover. But first you have to accept that recovery is possible.

It seems like time does not heal everyone's PSSD. The very first poster after me just said he has had it for 5 years now. I don't have 5 years of life to give to this, frankly. By the time this pans out, I'm going to be the 40 year old virgin!

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

It seems like time does not heal everyone's PSSD. The very first poster after me just said he has had it for 5 years now. I don't have 5 years of life to give to this, frankly. By the time this pans out, I'm going to be the 40 year old virgin!

And there are thousands who have fully recovered that don't post about it on the internet. You cannot take one persons experience and make it your own. The other very important factor to remember is the psychological nature of a sexual response. If someone is worried about sexual response all the time, it is never going to happen.

[long_way_home]

It takes a while to recover from these meds. Believe me, 6 months is not a long time and it can take a few years for symptoms to resolve. Just give yourself some time and things will start to get better. Your body just needs to adapt to being off the meds. How long were you on SSRIs?

[NoRx4me]

I was saying that on the assumption that Brunyan got better over time; I'm getting worse over time. Shouldn't I have seen some positive changes by now if I was going to better at all?

A LOT of problems/symptoms get worse before they get better during withdrawal and some time after the meds have been stopped.

[Schwinn57]

Originally Posted by long_way_home

It takes a while to recover from these meds. Believe me, 6 months is not a long time and it can take a few years for symptoms to resolve. Just give yourself some time and things will start to get better. Your body just needs to adapt to being off the meds. How long were you on SSRIs?

I don't really have a few years, frankly. I missed out on the college experience being depressed and now that I'm feeling better this happens. It's almost like I'm being punished for being depressed.

I was only on Paxil for about 2 months and tapered for about a week because it wasn't really doing anything. I'm wondering if I should ask my psychiatrist to give me more so I can taper off properly.

Do ED medications like Cialis, Levitra work for PSSD?

[brunyan]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

I don't really have a few years, frankly. I missed out on the college experience being depressed and now that I'm feeling better this happens. It's almost like I'm being punished for being depressed.

I was only on Paxil for about 2 months and tapered for about a week because it wasn't really doing anything. I'm wondering if I should ask my psychiatrist to give me more so I can taper off properly.

Do ED medications like Cialis, Levitra work for PSSD?

You're not listening.


My problems got worse at about 8 months off and continued to do so until about a year off. They STARTED to get better at about 12 months. This last month was the best month I have had since getting PSSD. It comes in waves, and the down periods start to last shorter and the up periods are longer!

-Ben

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

I don't really have a few years, frankly.

You really don't have a choice in this. Growing up means learning that sometimes you don't have control over everything that happens in your life, that everything doesn't have a quick answer(or pill) to make it better. Remember...you took paxil to "fix" something fast.

[NoRx4me]

I was only on Paxil for about 2 months and tapered for about a week because it wasn't really doing anything. I'm wondering if I should ask my psychiatrist to give me more so I can taper off properly.

Not a good idea.

Are you on other meds?

[Si in Wales]

Originally Posted by Si in Wales

- One other thing. I still have issues relating from SSRI use (including sexual ones) but over time my libido has come back - with a vengence. I am nearly 42!

Si

Hi, me again.

You are quick to pick up on the bad stories, of which undeniably there are many. How about picking up on some of the good ones - like, frankly, my story above.

I don't know how old you are, but I'm pretty sure I'm a fair bit older than you. In recent months, I feel like I have the thoughts and desires of a 14 year old boy transplated into my head and body!

I'll be blunt about this. I'M 42 NEXT WEEK AND I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT SEX. ALMOST ALL THE TIME......EVERY DAY!!!

There - I said it. Believe me, this is a whole world away from where I was some years ago. Now do you believe that it's just possible that things may improve in the future? Again, it's just one story, but it's important to not get too drawn to just the negative ones.

[Schwinn57]

Originally Posted by NoRx4me

Not a good idea.

Are you on other meds?

I'm currently on Wellbutrin and have been for about 6 months. I read so many positive reviews for this medicine saying it helped libido, caused hypersexuality, and generally reversed the effects of PSSD. So much for that.

There - I said it. Believe me, this is a whole world away from where I was some years ago. Now do you believe that it's just possible that things may improve in the future? Again, it's just one story, but it's important to not get too drawn to just the negative ones.

Maybe. I heard stories that the side effects of Paxil cleared up after discontinuation. I also heard stories that Wellbutrin caused hypersexuality. I've heard lots of stories but then none of them happened to me. I honestly don't wanna wait until I'm 42. I'm only 22 right now. I don't want to waste my 20's being impotent.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

I'm currently on Wellbutrin and have been for about 6 months. I read so many positive reviews for this medicine saying it helped libido, caused hypersexuality, and generally reversed the effects of PSSD. So much for that.

You will never "fix" a drug induced situation with another drug. The sexual response requires a balance of so many factors, brain chemistry, emotional state, physical ability, and most importantly the ability to relax and not stress about it.

[Schwinn57]

Originally Posted by scotty

You will never "fix" a drug induced situation with another drug. The sexual response requires a balance of so many factors, brain chemistry, emotional state, physical ability, and most importantly the ability to relax and not stress about it.

So you dont think ed meds like viagra and cialis will work for me then?

[moksha]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

So you dont think ed meds like viagra and cialis will work for me then?

I tried viagra. It doesn't work for PSSD. Viagra is more for people who either want to pep up their normal sex life or for those who have a problem getting an erection due to poor circulation or something like that. PSSD is not caused by blood failing to reach the penis. It's about hormones, brain chemistry etc.

I went to my doctor today and asked for some wellbutrin, but he refused. He said to try meditation and exercise (wouldn't it be nice if going for a jog could repair 5 years of brain damage!). He clearly had no idea what I was talking about, had never heard of PSSD and put my total absence of a sex drive down to my naturally anxious personality resurfacing. Sure doc, most anxious people I know have zero sex drive . I know I should just come off every drug and wait for my brain to heal itself, but I can't face months, possibly years, in this state. I'm sure this is all down to low dopamine as I have restless leg syndrome too.

[texgirl]

Just want to point out that the same stimulating properties in Wellbutrin that may make it effective for treating sexual dysfunction are the same properties that will amp up anxiety and other physical symptoms like restless legs.

As long I've been on this site, I can't for the life of me understand how people who've been so clearly harmed by a medication can be so eager to take another medication to "fix" it.

[Schwinn57]

Originally Posted by moksha

I tried viagra. It doesn't work for PSSD. Viagra is more for people who either want to pep up their normal sex life or for those who have a problem getting an erection due to poor circulation or something like that. PSSD is not caused by blood failing to reach the penis. It's about hormones, brain chemistry etc.

I thought the same way until I tried Viagra. It works like a charm for me. My doctor also told me that Levitra and Cialis, although they work similarly, work for some people when Viagra doesn't. So you might want to talk to your doctor about trying the different medications before giving up on it.

I have low testosterone, so my doctor gave me these supplements that convert estrogen (which was high for me) into testosterone. So far still waiting for the results but we'll see. It seems to be helping a little bit. I have some short morning erections and sometimes in the shower but nothing that lasts like it used to.

[kylelost]

Schwinn - When I was 21 yrs. old I had to drop out of college due to depression and anxiety (I'm now 49 yrs. old). I thought my life was over and I was destined to live with my parents forever. One year later, I was back in college and doing well. The point of my story is when you are young you have no concept of time, and a week or month seems like an eternity. Please be patient, your libido will return to normal. I know there is a wonderful girl in your future.

Kylelost

aka Suzanne

[moksha]

Originally Posted by Schwinn57

I thought the same way until I tried Viagra. It works like a charm for me. My doctor also told me that Levitra and Cialis, although they work similarly, work for some people when Viagra doesn't. So you might want to talk to your doctor about trying the different medications before giving up on it.

I have low testosterone, so my doctor gave me these supplements that convert estrogen (which was high for me) into testosterone. So far still waiting for the results but we'll see. It seems to be helping a little bit. I have some short morning erections and sometimes in the shower but nothing that lasts like it used to.

I tried viagra. It worked a little bit (not enough to enable me to have sex though). The problem was and is more one of desire and sensation than poor blood flow etc. I just feel numb. It is as if my penis has been injected with an anasthetic. I have been down to 2mg of paxil/seroxat for 5 weeks now, but I am still incapable of sex. I really think there could be something to the dopamine theory of PSSD. The last time I quit seroxat I suffered bad akathisia/ restless legs which is also caused by low dopamine. I am taking inositol, which I have read can re-sensitize the dopamine receptors and B6, vitamin C and Tyrosine. I had a spell a couple of weeks back where I was waking up with erections and thought this was the beginning of a recovery, but it faded away to nothing. There is clearly something wrong. I don't drink or smoke and I eat healthily. Anyone else in my position who took 2mg of this stuff would probably notice nothing more than a very slightly delayed orgasm (if that).