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Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

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Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#171

Post by neverendingsigh »

ljm wrote: post #160
lost-found wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You ever look into ketamine for treating depression? Self medicated this past weekend and had some major breakthroughs with my long time depression/suicidal intrusive thoughts. Nice thing is you don’t have to stay on it unlike other antidepressants—I would never do a medication that you have to constantly take.

I appreciate the concern but, honestly, it's exhausting to keep fielding 'have you tried...', 'have you looked into...', 'have you explored...' questions. I get that it comes from a good place, but I'm sharing my experience, not asking for advice. The best help you and others can offer is to just listen, instead of offering another solution. There are two replies to me in the 'have you tried' vein. I'm not aiming it…

For what it's worth, from at least one person's perspective it's exhausting to just read these replies, as if you or other OPs are eternally naive neophytes with no experience or understanding, or that providing a personal anecdote is automatically, implicitly, and irrevocably requesting advice. This tends to be the case with a lot of medical discussions online, but especially with mental health.

(It would be somewhat better if these questions were asking for advice themselves—"Have you tried $medication? It's been recommended to me and I'm interested in others' experiences"—but it's almost always "Surely you haven't tried ($medication || $lifestyle_change || $religion || just_grow_up()) because I have and it's a panacea.")

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#172

Post by ironmagma »

bruce343434 wrote: post #164
ironmagma wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention the sometimes lifelong brain zaps which are truly disturbing and make trying to go to sleep a terrifying experience.

> lifelong brain zaps Could you expand on this? Is this the "exploding head syndrome" where you have an incredibly "loud" hallucinatory experience just as you fall asleep?

I am not a doctor and do not know the difference between brain zaps and EHS (or whether there is one), but this article[1] summarizes it well.

For me, it is a loud sound but sort of within the head, accompanied by the sensation you get when you receive an electrical shock, which of course startles you awake. This unfortunately occurs just at the boundary between consciousness and sleep, which after it happens a few times in a row can put you off the idea of even trying to sleep. Occasionally I did awaken thinking there had been a literal explosion in the building.

I haven't taken SSRIs for 3 years and still get them, albeit less than when I was weaning off of them.

[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/brain-zaps#how-the...

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#174

Post by R0b0t1 »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #147
hellojesus wrote: post #106

I want to kill myself every second of every day, and it's been that way for 15ish years now. The only thing, fleeting as it may be, that I find worthy of doing in life is sex, and these ed side effects have kept me from exploring the potential for a world in which I don't to cease to exist or murder in the sake of nihilism. I'd rather destroy the lives of those around me or others' randomly than live without sex. It'…

I was in a similar position to you (minus the murder part). The only thing that pulled me out of it was Prozac. I wrote up my experiences here: https://twitter.com/theshawwn/status/1392213804684038150 I have sex on a regular basis, and it's not nearly as bad as these side effects make it sound. It's different, sure, but you can definitely have enjoyable sex. You need to take antidepressants every single day for at le…

That last part isn't true. People report credible effects of positive mood immediately. The issue is you can't necessarily trust these self-reports and it takes roughly 1-2 weeks for someone with a clipboard to start writing down results that correlate with a perceived increase in mood.

Some adverse reactions to SSRIs are so bad people will kill themselves if they go a month. If it doesn't feel right you should just stop taking them.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#175

Post by gbjw »

FFRefresh wrote: post #118
n8cpdx wrote: post #113

As someone dating in their 20s, it is getting hard to find people who aren’t having SSRI-related dysfunction. Recently met an older (early 30s guy) and it was seriously cool having a sexual experience that didn’t end with “don’t bother I’m just not going to finish no matter how long we go.” They really seem to be handing out these serious, almost-impossible-to-withdraw medications like candy on Halloween. They don’t…

I do wonder if there's a culture-wide bug/meme with regards to mental health (and beyond) that makes it hard to push for lifestyle changes at scale. I think one such meme is around agency, with the underlying meme being that humans have no control over their circumstances or mental state. They have anxiety or they have depression. It's part of their identity, and these seem to be thought of as immutable diseases. And…

Cf. 'The Myth of Mental Illness' by Thomas Szasz (1961): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#176

Post by R0b0t1 »

hellojesus wrote: post #162
sillysaurusx wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was in a similar position to you (minus the murder part). The only thing that pulled me out of it was Prozac. I wrote up my experiences here: https://twitter.com/theshawwn/status/1392213804684038150 I have sex on a regular basis, and it's not nearly as bad as these side effects make it sound. It's different, sure, but you can definitely have enjoyable sex. You need to take antidepressants every single day for at le…

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I'll take a look at your experiences and consider taking action.

If you try anything, ask for Wellbutrin first if it is not the first thing prescribed. There are usually not any libido or lethargy issues.

You may have ADHD and may want to get tested for it. I'm looking for a doctor to go to again, but being an adult the ones I've seen so far think I just want drugs. Complications from ADHD look a lot like depression.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#177

Post by R0b0t1 »

ironmagma wrote: post #108
pyronik19 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SSRIs took me from being unable to function and leave my home due to social anxiety to knocking out the bulk of my symptoms and having a solid 15 years of being socially and professional productive. I'd prefer we keep them.

There are probably a number of other drugs that could have done that, though.

Heroin, interestingly enough. IIRC they screened pain medicine recipients for depressive symptoms and in this way determined opiates relieve major depression more efficaciously than SSRIs.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#178

Post by sterlind »

Anecdote: I had severe OCD from childhood through my first year in college, triggered by separation from my parents (who never got me therapy despite extremely obvious signs.) I had multiple panic attacks per day resulting in depersonalization/derealization, I was failing my classes etc.

Logically I knew that my mom wouldn't die if I didn't stop my room fan at its maximum rotation or if I didn't make the sign of the cross 2^n times. But mental illness is illogical. What "good coping skills" would fix that?

Psych put me on Prozac, which numbed every feeling but panic, which it didn't touch. I got relief from a bad trip on 2C-E, in which I had such a severe panic attack that it permanently destroyed that identity and left me with depersonalization. The old me was dead, so over the following months I built a new one. OCD apparently got erased with the rest of me. I successfully went off Prozac by quitting it cold turkey and stayed off SSRIs for a decade.

I guess the takeaway is: serious mental illness exists, platitudes about life wouldn't help, SSRIs didn't help either but didn't make me dependent, and psychedelics are a crapshoot.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#179

Post by hansor »

hellojesus wrote: post #106

I want to kill myself every second of every day, and it's been that way for 15ish years now. The only thing, fleeting as it may be, that I find worthy of doing in life is sex, and these ed side effects have kept me from exploring the potential for a world in which I don't to cease to exist or murder in the sake of nihilism. I'd rather destroy the lives of those around me or others' randomly than live without sex. It'…

Don't worry too much, you are not alone mate, and it's perfectly normal to ADORE sex!

That why it is at the same level as breathing, eating and shitting in:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

ps. Having sex in rubber with prostitute is safer in terms of HPV/HSF infection then with average female in UK without any protection (especially with Y gen) :) So I would not worry about it THAT much.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#180

Post by efields »

I was prescribed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Prozac. The CBT did far more for me. I dumped the Prozac after a few months. I have bad days and good days, but I know how to get through the bad ones now. I know what prompts them and even when its hard to think positively I still know that I won't think things are as bad tomorrow.

YMMV! A lot!

As I get older I feel healthier when I move, touch people, give love and get love.

In the US, we _do not prioritize health_, physical nor mental. We're surrounded by shit food. We're "insured" basic baseline function, and improvement often has to come out of our own time, energy, and money. If you're in a relaxed white collar environment, its easy to duck out for an hour of therapy. If you're on the clock, it's almost impossible. This is the bigger issue.

Again, some ppl DO need SSRIs or they will harm themselves or others. But always pair with some form of talk therapy and get some daily exercise.

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