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)?
Finland
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?)
Pssd forum
What is your current age, height, weight?
24, 185cm, 100kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Paroxetine, Escitalopram
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Paroxetine 20mg
Escitalopram 15mg
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Social Anxiety
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
5 years
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug?
18
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit?
23
April 2018
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Tapered off
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
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
[x ] 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
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ x] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ x] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ x] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ x] 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?
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)?
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.
I took paroxetine 20mg for around a year, due to some social anxiety. Initially, it made me feel better, but as time went on, I started to notice sexual side effects and feeling numb. I went cold turkey, and all hell broke loose. I had protracted withdrawal, which included anhedonia, but for some reason the sexual side effects were gone. I reinstated Escitalopram as my psychiatrist suggested, in order to fight off the withdrawal. It reduced some of the symptoms, but most of them remained. I started to gradually taper off the Escitalopram over around 2 years, during that time I put on weight, started to experience the rest of the side effects listed above, which did not resolve after stopping the poison. It’s been a year and a half now without any drugs. I want to help out with the survey etc.