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Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

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Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#81

Post by ljm »

ivraatiems wrote: post #75
ljm wrote: post #8

This was one of the factors that made me think twice about going back on anti-depressants, until I made peace with the fact that my ability to orgasm wasn't going to pull me out of the hole I was in. It's a shitty choice but the desire to not be suicidal forces your hand. It's literally like flipping a switch. One day, the plumbing works. The next day, it doesn't. Many times I'd just give up, out of boredom. The side…

Have you considered augmenting with something like Wellbutrin? Some people find it helps with the side effects. I've tried it myself and while I found it was too anxiety-inducing (I felt too keyed up) there's truth to that at least.

No, not personally. I eventually was able to come off the medication. Took a couple of weeks to get back to some semblance of normal but I'm sure there's permanent damage still.

That said, it's not easy to walk away from suicidal depression (and attempts to commit suicide) without a decent helping of trauma, and potentially even PTSD. So, of course, there isn't really a 'normal' to go back to once you've got the awareness of that and how far down the rabbit hole you fell. Normal becomes something else.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#82

Post by ivraatiems »

ljm wrote: post #81
ivraatiems wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered augmenting with something like Wellbutrin? Some people find it helps with the side effects. I've tried it myself and while I found it was too anxiety-inducing (I felt too keyed up) there's truth to that at least.

No, not personally. I eventually was able to come off the medication. Took a couple of weeks to get back to some semblance of normal but I'm sure there's permanent damage still. That said, it's not easy to walk away from suicidal depression (and attempts to commit suicide) without a decent helping of trauma, and potentially even PTSD. So, of course, there isn't really a 'normal' to go back to once you've got the awar…

Wellbutrin has no sexual side effects (the opposite, in fact) and is very effective for depression (but not anxiety). You might want to give it a try if you are still struggling. Of course, it comes with its own tapestry of possible issues.

Either way, hope you are doing OK/OK enough.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#83

Post by ivraatiems »

staticman2 wrote: post #80
ivraatiems wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's possible but it's an awful lot of speculation. She also might have had lots of patients who did so well on SSRIs they stopped seeing her and just had their GP prescribe the medication from then on. Or all her patients might have overdosed on an unrelated drug and died. You can come up with lots of scenarios other than the most likely one. But this: > They would have discontinued the medication, terminated the…

You don't have to keep taking the drug, I agree. But the doctor will give you another instead, and if the dysfunction continues it will be assumed to be a "temporary" symptom of the subsequent drug like it was with the old drug. You won't go "cold turkey" to see if things go back to normal unless you fire the psychiatrist because frankly, in America at least, psychiatrists are pill pushers and, unless you are wealthy…

> You won't go "cold turkey" to see if things go back to normal unless you fire the psychiatrist because frankly, in America at least, psychiatrists are pill pushers and, unless you are wealthy and will pay out of pocket, you will only get insurance covered therapy with a cheaper psychologist or social worker.

This is just not my experience, sorry. Perhaps this is true of the majority and I got lucky, or perhaps you have had some very negative experiences worth sharing, but I have never felt pressured to do anything I didn't want to do. After I tried duloxetine, I waited several months before trying anything again (except the buspirone which, as I mentioned, I'd been on the whole time). I met with my psychiatrist regularly during that time. It was all covered by insurance.

In fact, going directly from one SSRI to another without cross-tapering is not standard practice and can be quite debilitating. If your physician did this to you, they were not doing their job correctly.

> Psychiatrist are only there for quick discussions about medication. The time intensive talk therapy is done by someone less expensive.

True, but not really relevant, I think. If medication is what you want, a psychiatrist is who you should have. Choosing the right one can be a challenge, I agree, but that doesn't make their profession not valuable.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#84

Post by nradov »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #36
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? Honestly, the "about" is that we've developed medicines that aren't nearly as horrible as the medicines of yesteryear. Prozac wasn't marketed until the 80's, and a lot of other things have been marketed since then. Marketing is key too - it is really hard to take this stuff if you don't know something is available. And misery has be…

Exercise is as effective as antidepressants for some patients.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-...

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#85

Post by nradov »

yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #44
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…

We know that exercise is an effective antidepressant for some people. In pre-modern times people were generally more physically active so I suspect that prevented a lot of depression symptoms.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-...

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#86

Post by staticman2 »

ivraatiems wrote: post #83
staticman2 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to keep taking the drug, I agree. But the doctor will give you another instead, and if the dysfunction continues it will be assumed to be a "temporary" symptom of the subsequent drug like it was with the old drug. You won't go "cold turkey" to see if things go back to normal unless you fire the psychiatrist because frankly, in America at least, psychiatrists are pill pushers and, unless you are wealthy…

> You won't go "cold turkey" to see if things go back to normal unless you fire the psychiatrist because frankly, in America at least, psychiatrists are pill pushers and, unless you are wealthy and will pay out of pocket, you will only get insurance covered therapy with a cheaper psychologist or social worker. This is just not my experience, sorry. Perhaps this is true of the majority and I got lucky, or perhaps you…

I meant cold turkey as a synonym for no longer on drugs, I should have phrased it differently.

I never said psychiatrists pressure patients. I said they only treat patients on drugs. If the patient decides to go off drugs that's the natural end of the relationship.

You replied and said you saw a psychiatrist when you were still on a anxiety drug and the insurance paid for it. Well, of course they did, you were taking a drug.

You are correct that some patients could stop taking an SSRI and still see a psychiatrist.

I'm also correct that many patients who have gone off the drug to see if the sexual dysfunction stops will probably no longer be making appointments with the psychiatrist. What would be the point? If they want to talk to someone that's what therapists are for.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#87

Post by ivraatiems »

staticman2 wrote: post #86
ivraatiems wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You won't go "cold turkey" to see if things go back to normal unless you fire the psychiatrist because frankly, in America at least, psychiatrists are pill pushers and, unless you are wealthy and will pay out of pocket, you will only get insurance covered therapy with a cheaper psychologist or social worker. This is just not my experience, sorry. Perhaps this is true of the majority and I got lucky, or perhaps you…

I meant cold turkey as a synonym for no longer on drugs, I should have phrased it differently. I never said psychiatrists pressure patients. I said they only treat patients on drugs. If the patient decides to go off drugs that's the natural end of the relationship. You replied and said you saw a psychiatrist when you were still on a anxiety drug and the insurance paid for it. Well, of course they did, you were taking…

> You replied and said you saw a psychiatrist when you were still on a anxiety drug and the insurance paid for it. Well, of course they did, you were taking a drug.

The insurance company doesn't know what you are discussing in your sessions and isn't going to let you see or not see a specialist just based on whether they prescribe you meds. That's not how it works - or not how it should be working if your insurer is acting appropriately. I also saw this psychiatrist a couple of times before taking anything. I didn't walk out of my first session with a prescription for buspirone.

> I never said psychiatrists pressure patients. I said they only treat patients on drugs. If the patient decides to go off drugs that's the natural end of the relationship.

It is, but that doesn't mean you just immediately stop seeing them and never communicate again. That's not how it works - with a good psychiatrist at a good practice. You taper off, verify the taper worked and you have no further issues, and then stop seeing them if you want.

> I'm also correct that many patients who have gone off the drug to see if the sexual dysfunction stops will probably no longer be making appointments with the psychiatrist. What would be the point? If they want to talk to someone that's what therapists are for.

You need to provide some data for this assertion if you are going to keep making it. The point is that the psychiatrist, as the person overseeing your care, is the person you would naturally tell about a problem you were having. I don't think "go off the drug and just stop talking to the doctor" is the normal behavior, I think it's more like "tell the doctor you're going off the drug, confirm you went off the drug, the doctor asks if you want to try another drug, you say no, and then you stop talking to the doctor."

I'm sure some people do just stop taking whatever they're taking and never speak to their doctor's office again - but most practices are set up to prevent that, because you'd have to actually cancel an appointment and ignore phone calls in order to get to that point. Doctors hate risk by and large, and letting patients randomly discontinue drugs with no supervision is not something they generally want to incentivize.

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#88

Post by symlinkk »

superflit2 wrote: post #68
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.

I am not saying it is not for you. But please consider alternatives as CBD or a healthier routine.

What makes CBD healthier necessarily? Curious of your viewpoint

Re: Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

#89

Post by Broken_Hippo »

nradov wrote: post #84
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about modern society drives the need for such widespread use of antidepressants? Honestly, the "about" is that we've developed medicines that aren't nearly as horrible as the medicines of yesteryear. Prozac wasn't marketed until the 80's, and a lot of other things have been marketed since then. Marketing is key too - it is really hard to take this stuff if you don't know something is available. And misery has be…

Exercise is as effective as antidepressants for some patients. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-...

I don't see how that is relevant here. I'm guessing relieving financial stress is really effective in some too.

So what?

It doesn't help all patients, which means that we just can't cure everyone with exercise. Hence, we'd be worse off without them as some folks would suffer more.

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