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)?
USA
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?)
I learned about this forum from the currently deactivated PSSD Forum.
What is your current age, height, weight?
29, 5’9", 180 Lbs.
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Fluoxetine
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
I don’t recall exactly but I think it was a 15 MG tablet (I took it daily).
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Depression and anxiety.
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
~4 months.
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
I was 26; I started the drug in September of 2016.
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
I was 26 when I quit; I began to taper off in January of 2017, and I completely finished the drug by February of that year.
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Taper over a few weeks.
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
I noticed an onset of side effects the day after I took my first dose
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Complete loss of libido, severe ED, genital numbness, penile shrinkage, lack of morning erections, anhedonia, a general lack of interest in pursuing romantic relationships.
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
[*] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[*] Erectile Dysfunction
[*] Complete Impotence
[*] Loss of Morning Erections
[*] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[*] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[*] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[*] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[*] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] 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
[*] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[*] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?
Wellbutrin/Bupropion
Inositol
CDP-Choline
Buspar
Pramipexole
Flibanserin/Addyi
Abstaining from alcohol for a month
L-Arginine
Horny Goat Weed
Maca
Ella
Bethanechol
Low dose SSRI
Low does naltrexone
SJW
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)?
I didn’t take any pre-SSRI blood tests, but I have had numerous blood panels since taking SSRI’s; all results have been largely within normal ranges.
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.
*Like many PSSD sufferers, I decided to try SSRI’s with the understanding that I would probably experience sexual side effects, but that they would reverse within weeks of ceasing the meds. The SSRI helped with the anxiety and depression, but I decided to stop the meds as the sexual side effects and romantic apathy were really starting to negatively affect my dating life.
I started tapering in January of '17 and was off the meds by Feb of '17. By late March/ early April I was getting concerned because the sexual side effects weren’t reversing at all. I then began to see various physicians (GP’s, urologists, endos, neurologists) who couldn’t identify any ostensible health problems and chalked my sexual issues up to me being depressed.
3 years later, I am still grappling with these horrible side effects and I have not experienced any type of recovery, even temporary windows of feeling normal. I can get a decent erection (maybe 7 out of 10) if I take cialis/viagra, but that obviously does nothing for libido/sexual desire.*