Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
The United States
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
A discord server
What is your current age, height, weight?
20, 5’11, 180lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Escitalopram
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
30mg/day, daily
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Social Anxiety Disorder
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
6 months
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
16, winter of 2016
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
16, summer of 2016
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Quickly tapered
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
Only after withdrawing
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Near complete loss of libido/acute ED, premature ejaculation, genital numbness, pleasureless orgasms, extremely poor short and long term memory, reduced intellectual capacity, slurred speech, almost complete loss of anxiety, blunted emotional response, anhedonia (both contributing to derealization), and chronic daytime sleepiness
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[X] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[/] Erectile Dysfunction (depends on day, I can achieve pre-pssd erections on most days)
[ ] Complete Impotence
[/] Loss of Morning Erections (also depends on day)
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[/] Loss of Nocturnal Erections (depends on day)
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[X] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[X] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[X] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[X] Slurring of Speech
[X] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[X] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[X] Weight Gain
[X] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[X] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[X] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I’ve tried the 5HT1A agonist Filbanserin, along with a SERM over the last summer. I’ve incorporated a healthy life style-exercising 4 days/week, paleo-ish diet, increased emphasis on sleep length and quality.
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
All hormones are within the normal range, but my free T is on the very low end of the spectrum (390).
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
My PSSD came as the result of quickly discontinuing the med, I didn’t feel drastically different whilst on Escitalopram (except for helping anxiety). The anhedonia and blunted emotions are the worst part of my PSSD-it makes life extremely grey and bland.