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? Nearing 27, 170cm, 130lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Venlafaxine
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 300mg
What condition was being treated with the drug? Major Depressive Disorder
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Roughly one year
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? I was almost 25, and I started titrating up my dose sometime in August of 2017
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? I quit when I was almost 26, sometime in September of 2018 because I was feeling pretty comfortable with myself, and as a result of the sexual dysfunction I experienced while on the medication
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Tapered off over the course of 1.5 months
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Roughly 4 months after starting venlafaxine; roughly 2.5 months after titrating up to 300mg
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Sexual dysfunction: mild erectile dysfunction, mild genital anesthesia (feeling flaccid and having an erection feels no different), nonexistent libido, infrequent random/nocturnal erections and morning wood, orgasms feel less pleasurable. I also feel a little weird for saying this, but my penis also no longer looks like it normally does
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? None; just some eastern medicine
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)? N/A
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.
So I used to have a pretty high sex drive, I would say. Prior to taking venlafaxine, I’d often have trouble sleeping as a result of my libido. After taking venlafaxine at 300mg/day for about 4 months, I started to have problems with my erections. My erections would be painful around the base of my shaft, so I got it checked out by a urologist by approximately month 8 on venlafaxine. The urologist said it’s likely the venlafaxine and it would go away after stopping my medication, but I was going on a trip so I figured I might as well wait until I got back from my vacation. I started to have a decline in my libido by month 9, and I haven’t had a libido since. I stopped taking venlafaxine by month 13, and about one year has passed since my last dose of venlafaxine. Over those months, I had a lot of ups and downs when it came to my emotions. Shortly after discontinuing my medication, I was feeling optimistic. The hope of restoring my sexual function, combined with exercising, and having something to look forward to over the weekend made me feel the best I had felt in god knows how long. Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, there was no change in my libido. I figured that maybe it would take a little while, so I wasn’t too bothered by it. I also think I’m able to eliminate the mental illness because I was able to have erections, and i had a libido, even when I was sleeping for 20h a day. Anyway, that brings me to today. I do not sleep for 20h a day, and although I no longer exercise as frequently anymore, I feel a lot healthier than I did a couple years ago. With the sexual dysfunction persisting, I’ve tried doing kegels to help with the ED, and took cialis. The cialis kind of worked, as my erections felt somewhat similar to what I was used to, but the lack of libido was bothersome. I don’t think I actually suffer from genital numbness, but it feels different whenever there’s physical stimulation. Ever since I started to have the libido issues, my erections would not feel like my own erections. It’s as if I’m trapped in someone else’s body. I can see that I have an erection, and feel it in my hand, but my pelvic floor feels so ridiculously weak. I’ve also checked my hormones and they’re within normal range. Ultrasounds for renal, prostate, and scrotum all came back normal, as well. The orgasms I experience are also no longer feel as euphoric. The pleasure associated with orgasms feels dampened. I also no longer have random erections/nocturnal erections. I’ve been quite unstable recently, after having found out that PSSD is likely the culprit. So I’m wondering if anyone else feels similarly to me when they have erections. Also, I’ll be heading to Asia to try eastern medicine. I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I just need some hope.
I have seen a psychiatrist who wasn’t able to diagnose me with pssd since I have yet to see a urologist, but he said it is possible. Only suggestion I was given was to cope and move on. My family doctor seemed pretty skeptical when I updated her. Again, I was just told to cope and move on. I just feel like I’ve lost a part of myself and I don’t know how to accept it.
I have also recently seen a urologist. The doppler sonography came back as normal. Hormones are also normal. Everything is “normal” other than how I feel