Big recovery…then disappointment

Symptoms
#1

After about 2 years of PFS, I just had a month of regular sex with very few problems in that regard. However the last couple of days seem to be me back at my worst.

As a brief rundown of what I’ve shared in other posts. I’ve had had PFS since 2019 after being on Fin for around 8 months. It in part cost me my engagement which ended in August 2020. Almost immediately after that I started taking fluoxetine (Prozac), to deal with the stress, depression and anxiety that came with that; I was aware that SSRI’s are dodgy anyway, but I was at a point emotionally where I didn’t care anymore.

Anyway; I’ve been taking fluoxetine since then, and despite the constant pains and embarrassment of PFS, I did my best to ignore it, and haven’t been in a proper relationship since then. However the past month I’ve been seeing this girl, and to my surprise, despite the way my body (and genitals in particular) feel, I’ve been able to function sexually with few upsets without any cialis/viagra or anything. As such, I’ve been in a better place emotionally. And upon advice of some friends, decided to stop taking my Prozac a couple of weeks ago.

Initially I noticed no change other than the odd headache and bit of dizziness. However yesterday and today my body seems to have gone back to its lowest sexual ability for a long time, very much like the worst points of my PFD history.

I’m unsure if it’s just my body going through the motions of the withdrawals, or if I should start taking the SSRI’s again in case they for some reason have kept me at a better place sexually.

#2

Who’s to know? This is all uncharted territory for even the most knowledgeable.

#3

Very true, I just wondered if anyone’s gone through a similar thing, that might have some insight.

#4

Very true, I just wondered if someone who’d maybe experienced something similar might have some insights

#6

@nothing

Interesting

So selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor helped your sexual sides enough to the point where a long term relationship was sustainable and after coming off the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor the sexual sides got bad enough again to the point that a long term relationship is no longer sustainable ?

If I’m also understanding correctly when you first went on Prozac you did not immediately notice the improvements in sexual sides and it was more like something that you noticed “as you went” sort of speak ?

Which sexual sides did you get ? All of them ? And which ones improved from the Prozac ? All of them ?

Did you also get constipation or similar digestive issues ? And if so did the Prozac also help your digestive issues ?

80-90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut. Increasing the amount of serotonin using L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP and b6 being produced in the gut corrects my constipation . It’s my understanding that Prozac makes serotonin “hang around” longer in the brain . Compared to increasing natural production of it probable only in the gut like I’m doing…

There is another user I’m familiar with who got improvements in his digestive issues by inhibiting serotonin reuptake in the brain…

Would you be willing to trial L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP and B6 at your own risk of course …? So you don’t get worse from Prozac . If anything it helps you . So this could mean that l-tryptophan, 5-HTP and B6 are safe for you . And this way we can put my urine neurotransmitter serotonin test “to the test” sort of speak @orthogs

My point is that if you have low urine serotonin and if you get improvements in the sexual sides from increasing serotonin in the gut and by inhibiting serotonin reuptake in the brain then this will help us trust going by the amount of serotonin in our urine as a “system” to know how to proceed with others. I’m searching for a way to know or at least have a better idea as to what increasing serotonin will do to a particular person who has PFS before they do it

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#7

I was on prozac for 18 months and felt 70 percent recovered only remaining symptom was weak erection quality.
I came off prozac in april and 6 weeks later back to square one, chronic fatigue, brain fog, joint pain etc have all returned
As such Ive now started prozac again

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#8

@danielpaul

Did you get sexual sides other then weak erections when you came down with PFS? And if so did the Prozac temporarily cure those sexual sides ?

Did you get constipation or similar digestive issues that the Prozac also helped while on it?

#9

Well that’s the thing, I guess perhaps it was somewhat premature of me to make this post, in the sense that it’s only been within the last few weeks I came off of SSRI’s and even more recent (the last two days) that I noticed a returned inability to have sex; so the jury is still somewhat out as to whether the SSRI’s helped me, or if it’s purely coincidental and that this is either a temporary symptom of withdrawals or a crash.

With regards to gut problems, the closest that I’ve noticed to that has been a leaky bladder when it comes to urination, also more frequently needing to urinate, as well as what I could only describe as a ‘bubbling’ in my gut. However, these things I noticed later on, while I was actually on the SSRI’s.

I’d be willing to try anything that may help me to be honest! I’m attempting to find a way to get on TRT, given the fact that I still get nocturnal and morning erections, however TRT is remarkably difficult to get a hold of in the UK (if anyone knows anyways around this, let me know!) But yes for sure, I’d be happy to try something along the lines of what you’re suggesting!

Also thank you for your response, it’s reassuring to know there’s possible paths that have in mind what I’m describing

#10

Yes I had all the sexual sides with PFS - but the sexual ones werent the worst, by the far the biggest issue was the fatigue and weakness

So I wouldnt say prozac cured the sexual symptoms but it made everything else ok so that I could then at least think about having sex

Hope that helps

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#11

Interesting, this suggests that I’m not purely correlating things that aren’t there.

Has returning to Prozac helped your symptoms since they have come back?

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#12

Ive only been back on 2 weeks and im still crippled with fatigue so that would suggest they havent kicked in yet

Thanks

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#13

also I forgot to mention, yes it was an ‘as I went’ kind of thing, it’s only been the last month or two that I even noticed any improvements on the sexual side.

My sexual sides have been ED, numbness, shrinkage (when flaccid anyway), ball pain and a constant cold pain in my genitals that hasn’t gone way for over a year

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#14

Thank you for your reply, that would make sense for me also, since it’s only now I’ve noticed a difference, despite being off Prozac for a few weeks

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#15

Im in the UK and was able to get put on testogel and bump my Test up to high levels but it did nothing for me tbh no sexual improvements

I went private to a Dr on Harley Street

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#16

yeah Prozac has a long after life I believe, I didnt start getting worse again until about the 6 week mark

Started to notice i couldnt get out of bed in the mornings again and felt awful when waking up

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#17

Sorry for the annoying questions and thank you for responding. But I am a little confused.

You said that you came down with PFS and got all the sexual sides such as inhibited ability to achieve and maintain erections, weaker erections as in smaller even when you do get erections, loss of sensation, poor orgasm and lowered ejaculation quality and quantity. This is what it means to get all the sexual sides and you said you got all of the sexual sides

Prior to this you said that you took Prozac after having PFS and got 70 percent improvements in everything except erection quality which logically would mean that you got a 70 percent improvement in all the sexual sides except poor erections. Because the rest of the sexual sides would fall under the realm of “everything” except poor erections

But now you are also saying that the “Prozac did not cure the sexual sides” but made everything else ok .

So I’m confused . Did the Prozac while taking it help the sexual sides with the exception of poor erection quality ? Or did the Prozac while taking it help with the crippling fatigue, weakness, brain fog and joint pain and not help any of the sexual sides ?

#18

Ahhh thank you! I guess it has different results for different cases, the fact it’s available is reassuring regardless

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#19

I would say it helped libido because it gave me back my zest for life

But the erections have never returned to full firmness

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#20

@danielpaul

Ok so just to recap:

you took Fin and got PFS. You got severe fatigue, weakness, brain fog and joint pain. You also got a reduction in libido and erection quality. You did not get loss of sensitivity, poor orgasm or reduction in ejaculation quality and quantity with your PFS

You trial Prozac. You get a 70 percent improvement while on it in the severe fatigue, weakness, brain fog and joint pain. You also got a 70 percent improvement in the reduction in libido/zest for life. You did not get a 70 improvement in the loss of erection quality

You came off Prozac and six weeks later all of the the areas that you got a 70 percent improvement in faded .

You are now back on Prozac waiting to see if you can replicate the first Prozac trial ?

Please tell me if I’m right about all of this . Or if I’m wrong about any of it correct me

I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with serotonin

#21

yes that is all correct

As soon as I stopped prozac constipation started again also

I also developed psoriasis since PFS and the prozac helps calm that down

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