Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction • Hacker News Board

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#41

Post by michieldotv » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:01 PM UTC

chilmers wrote: post #16

I took SSRIs for a year in my late twenties. They had no effect on my depression, but resulted in permanent sexual dysfunction. My own fault for not properly researching the potential long-term side effects, I suppose, but it certainly wasn't raised as an issue by the prescribing doctor either. I hope someday there will be cure of some kind.

I feel you. I was on escitalopram in my twenties too for a depressive episode. It wrecked my libido and 10 years down the line there is hardly any sign of improvement in sight.

I have a very understanding spouse, luckily, but I'm honestly devastated in not being able to accommodate this dimension of our relationship anymore.

Recently, my GP offered to prescribe me antidepressants again for an episode of burnout, but I'm absolutely not keen to go down that road again. I get that it's cheaper and more available than therapy, but I've been burned before.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#42

Post by slowmotiony » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:01 PM UTC

chilmers wrote: post #27

slowmotiony wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tested your hormone profile (blood test)? Testosterone, Free T, Estradiol, Prolactin, Progesterone, SHBG - you could check if all of those are in range because that might be the root cause of your issue. There were studies done where use of SSRIs was causing elevated levels of serum prolactin.

Interesting, thanks. I did do a basic consumer blood test which reported my testosterone as "normal" (whatever that means), but I should probably do a more in-depth one and check these things.

Yup, I strongly recommend you do at least the ones I mentioned above, it's possible that your issues could be very simple to fix.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#43

Post by symlinkk » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:01 PM UTC

Has anyone taken SSRIs and actually thought it was worth it? I have severe social anxiety and I’m trying to decide if I should try medication or not.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#44

Post by yjftsjthsd-h » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:02 PM UTC

wayoutthere wrote: post #9

Ugh. Yes. Not meaning to be crude here and I’m incredibly sympathetic to the men I date, but as a woman in her late 30s it’s hard to find a man my age who doesn’t have problems getting / keeping it up. Most of them link back to antidepressant use. What about modern society drives the need for such widespread use of antidepressants? Is that something we should be willing to give up? It hasn’t always been this way, has…

> What about modern society drives the need for such widespread use of antidepressants? Is that something we should be willing to give up? It hasn’t always been this way, has it?

It's completely possible that there's something messed up in modern society that causes depression, or in medicine that diagnoses depression and/or prescribes antidepressants, but the null hypothesis would be that before modern times, people were... just depressed. And then more recently that they'd try treating it with cocaine/meth/etc. Or that they'd fail to treat it, and some percentage of those people would commit suicide, and the remainder would never admit that there was anything wrong, both of which mean the outcome you observe wouldn't happen.

Again, this isn't to say there isn't a more interesting answer, just that you have to at least consider the possibility that it's not something about modern society.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#45

Post by jamal-kumar » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:05 PM UTC

SSRIs need to be obsolesced already. Screw the sexual dysfunction, how about increaased risk of suicidal ideation? How about them taking two entire weeks to work?

The thing is the rest of the world doesn't seem to feel the burning desire to get as many people on them as possible and even have alternatives which aren't as limited. Reversible MAOI drugs like moclobemide have been around since the 90s and while they have a higher interaction profile (Can't mix it with anything serotonergic basically, so no amphetamines or cocaine or other antidepressants, which is fine), the reduced side effect profile is considered a bonus and the biggest reason for lack of adoption of this along with other treatments (It's astonishing how long we have known about the ketamine thing without using it) happens to just come down to marketing and doctors scared off by the early MAOIs where you need to strongly consider diet. The new stuff even reportedly improves sexual function. And you can't get it in the USA.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#46

Post by wayoutthere » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:05 PM UTC

Tade0 wrote: post #23

wayoutthere wrote: post #9

Ugh. Yes. Not meaning to be crude here and I’m incredibly sympathetic to the men I date, but as a woman in her late 30s it’s hard to find a man my age who doesn’t have problems getting / keeping it up. Most of them link back to antidepressant use. What about modern society drives the need for such widespread use of antidepressants? Is that something we should be willing to give up? It hasn’t always been this way, has…

> It hasn’t always been this way, has it? As a man in his 30s growing up I witnessed a shift in attitudes from "just man up" to "seek help", so there's that. If anything I would suggest humanity to give up dating apps. They're essentially making people feel inadequate and pay for the dubious privilege.

Dating apps are awful, but were a lot better once I challenged my standards (and lowered them a bit; I’m not the young hottie I used to be and that was a hard realization).

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#47

Post by foobarian » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:07 PM UTC

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_i...

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#48

Post by thrownaway561 » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:08 PM UTC

Jaruzel wrote: post #22

My personal anecdote: I'm on Venlafaxine which is an SNRI (also cited in the article), and I definitely suffer some of those side-effects. It sucks. At times it makes me want to shy away from sex completely. Other times I think I'm doing OK, only to find out I can't finish, or I finish weakly with no adrenalin rush. So my choices are, come off the pills, and emotionally go down a dark well I may not come out of, or k…

this... when it comes to sex, we all need to have an understanding partner. you are very lucky to have such a person in your life.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#49

Post by maxehmookau » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:09 PM UTC

symlinkk wrote: post #43

Has anyone taken SSRIs and actually thought it was worth it? I have severe social anxiety and I’m trying to decide if I should try medication or not.

Yes. I have been taking sertraline for over a decade and it has literally saved my life. I was able to become the person I always wanted to be without social anxiety overtaking my life at every corner.

Please don't take any advice from anyone on HN, including me. This community often attracts armchair anecdoctors. Go and speak to a doctor.

Good luck.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#50

Post by stefanwlb » Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 1:09 PM UTC

From another post about COVID treatment. Welcome to world wide sterilization.

“If WHO recommends this, you will see it widely taken up,” said study co-author Dr. Edward Mills of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, adding that many poor nations have the drug readily available. “We hope it will lead to a lot of lives saved.”

The pill, called fluvoxamine, would cost $4 for a course of COVID-19 treatment. By comparison, antibody IV treatments cost about $2,000 and Merck’s experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 is about $700 per course. Some experts predict various treatments eventually will be used in combination to fight the coronavirus.