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)?: Canada
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?): Reddit
What is your current age, height, weight?: 28 and 5’10"
What specific drug did you use: Escitalopram (Cipralex)
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?: Once per day. Started out with 10 mg, then 15, then 20 mg.
What condition was being treated with the drug?: Anxiety and depression
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?: One year
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?: 26
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?: 27
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?: Tapered off.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?: By the first month I noticed I had no sexual urges, it all seemed like a memory. I was never told it would be potentially permanent.
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?: Mainly the sexual ones checked below. For the mental ones I am cautious, as I have always felt that I have had those issues. While on Cipralex, it was clearly harder for me to think than it is now. I was unable to make logical connections, and that is why I dropped the drug as I needed to be thinking clearly for my new job. The physical symptoms are a challenge, I am working on losing the weight I gained because of the drug. My genital does not feel pleasure compared to what it was before the drug.
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
[X] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[X] Loss of Morning Erections
[X] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[X] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[X] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[X] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] 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
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[X] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] 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
[X] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
I tried Maca to no avail. Tried SJW to no avail.
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)?
My family doctor said he tested my testosterone, the one before that checked me for diabetes. None called me saying there was an issue about any of those.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
**The most frustrating part of this is that something was taken away from me without my consent. Had I understood the risk and accepted it, then I wouldn’t be upset or here today. The other thing that frustrates me is that my doctors easily gave me the medication even when I told them that when I had depression several years ago that another medication (Wellbrutrin) worked and they ignored me.They also ignore me when I say I have symptoms. **
Overall, I want to add as well that I have slowly learned to embrace other parts of me following the losses I had. Although I went from pansexual to almost ‘asexual’ (can’t think of a better way to phrase it, my apologies) because of it, I have decided to focus on the parts of me that are still there. I do wish though I had a doctor knowledgeable on this to sort of tell me what my next steps would be or if this is it.