Struggling with sexual dysfunction after quitting SSRI

[PlathWannaBe]

Hi,

So I completed approximately 3 years of therapy in April of 2020, and because I was starting to feel better, I very slowly started going off of the SSRI Citalopram which I was very proud of (I decreased the dosage from 10 mg to 0 over roughly 4 months). One of my main goals for quitting the medication was that I had serious delayed ejaculation, and this was making it difficult to start a relationship, so I thought quitting Citalopram would fix that.

Even before I reached 0 mg, I noticed weirdly that the erection quality I was having wasn't that good, but I just thought that would improve with time. Over the months, I have noticed some improvements, like certain erogenous zones of my body feel much more sensitive than before, which is a good thing. I also no longer have delayed ejaculation, however when I do orgasm, it's often with no ejaculation which is weird.

I am now slightly over the 9 month mark that I've quit Citalopram, and my body doesn't seem to have progressed very much with regards to sexual dysfunction other than the few things I listed above. Before when I took Citalopram, I could at least get and maintain an erection. Now, it's difficult to get or maintain an erection, which means sex has basically been out of the question, which also means no chance for a relationship at the moment.

I'm worried that because it's been so long since I've stopped the medication, that Citalopram may have somehow damaged me permanently. I've spoken about this with my Psychiatrist a few times. In the beginning, he recommended just waiting. The last time I saw him, he recommended that I go and see an Endocrinologist, so I've made an appointment, and will see one in February to have my hormones tested. That is sort of the next milestone that I'm looking forward to and hoping will provide me with some answers.

I have to say that during the summer of 2020, I was feeling quite upbeat and optimistic, because I felt like not that much time had passed since I stopped the medicine and my body would still have time to heal, and I would get over this. As time has gone on however, and I haven't really noticed continued improvement, I noticed that this was really starting to weigh on me during Christmas time.

I feel like if my body doesn't recover back to the level of what I was roughly before I started taking Citalopram (I took it for roughly 9 years), I won't be able to have sex, and I won't be able to pursue a relationship, which means I'll end up spending life alone. I know that many people do this, and are completely fine with it, but I always really enjoyed sex, and frankly don't want to be alone until I die.

I hadn't been feeling suicidal at all for most of 2020, but since around Christmas, I've noticed that this problem of sexual dysfunction has really begun to affect my mood, and I'm beginning to have more suicidal thoughts. I keep thinking- what is the point if I can't share sexuality with someone? This is something that's really important to me and would definitely lessen my quality of life.

I've always had problems with fatigue and sleeping and motivation to get things done, but since Christmas, these things have all seemed to have gotten much worse. It's a bit sad too, because the last time I saw my therapist towards the beginning of December, I was so full of hope and optimism. Now, I just feel tired all the time and I don't want to do anything.

Does anyone else have a similar struggle? Is there hope? I'm beginning to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for me.

 

[Chupacabra 44]

Never had this problem, but can suggest something to consider.

Your endo should test your testosterone levels. For myself, my t levels were on the low end. My endo suggested that I was at the level of potentially starting t therapy and asked what I wanted to do. I advised that I wasn't interested after conducting research as to pros and cons.

Anyway, after having my t levels tracked for about two years, I made a radical dietary change for three months, because I was dealing with lots of other health issues and wanted to see what this dietary change could accomplish.

I went on a ketogenic/carnivore diet. I ate beef, eggs, butter and duck fat for three months straight. I ate one pound of ground beef covered in tons of duck fat, one stick of butter, and four to eight eggs every single day. I cheated about once a week by eating nuts and avocado; this kept me in ketosis and helped with constipation along with magnesium citrate.

I went for labs three months into this diet and my endo was shocked at my t levels and said if he didn't know better, he would have thought I was on steroids.

I did not need any help in the sexuality department, but it was incredibly enhanced through this diet.

Highly recommend you try something drastic like this. You can add some broccoli, if you want, as broccoli supposedly has an anti-estrogenic effect.

If you are at all interested in this approach, Google "steak and egg diet" to see how the top bodybuilders were eating in the 1960s and 1970s. A young Arnold Schwarzenegger was eating this way - tons of protein and tons of saturated fat.

Long term, this diet might not be ideal for optimal health, so maybe see if it corrects your problem, and then move towards moderation.

In your shoes, I would definitely give this a shot.

 

[Naczoz]

Have pssd for two years. Will end it at march 17th if nothing will improve. Its impossible to live without sexuallity.

 

[Lostandlooking]

That's tough. Antidepressants definitely messed with my ability to enjoy sex and reach orgasm. I was on antidepressants for roughly 5 years in total. Been off them for roughly 6 years. Luckily my ability to enjoy sex returned but it's difficult sometimes because I'm still depressed and feel very apathetic a lot of the time. Reaching orgasm is somewhat of a feat and more difficult than before I took antidepressants. Just lucky I'm female so there's no pressure about erections. That must be so frustrating, can't even imagine. I hope the doctor that was recommended can help. Or maybe some dietary changes like suggested above. Wishing you good luck and hopefully you're able to find something that helps.

 

[Naczoz]

Thank you, but it takes too long and I dont see any progress. Its time to say enough.

 

[IsThisTheEnd?]

obviously if your still depressed your still have problems.

 

[eleka1801]

I think it takes time, i took antidepressants only for 2 months and didnt have any sexual desire for at least 3 months. Only 8 months after stopping my medication my sexual desire came back to normal. I think you should see a doctor if it bothers you. You took them for 9 years - its such a long period of time. Dont wait for guick changes, otherwise you will be upset and beat yourself up more. I was in your situation, and I can say If I didnt beat myself up so much, my meds withdrawal would be easier.

 

[noname223]

Have pssd for two years. Will end it at march 17th if nothing will improve. Its impossible to live without sexuallity.

You could try wellbutrine or trazodone. Both are antidepressants which improve sexuality. For some people they work very well. Both are used off label for sexual problems. I would really try this before killing myself because of this.
But i admit sometimes they do not work. You can research yourself or asking your psychiatrist.
However i also read a side effect can be delayed ejaculation.

 

[LittleJem]

There is a PSSD group on Facebook. I remember there is one doctor who treats it and some have luck. I don't know if Maca can help. I read it can help with SSRI sexual dysfunction but don't know if PTSD is included

 

[ohhgeeitsme]

I have PSSD. I've been off the drug for about a year and four months and I still have an incredibly low libido, when it was crazy high before. In fact, it used to be so high it was actually problematic for me. The first year off, I had zero desire. Now, I'll get an occasional wave of desire here and there but still not enough to satisfy some sexually in a relationship. I've been able to orgasm. I've started to accept this and realized that unless it gets better, which I'm doubting, my only chance for a relationship is finding an asexual partner. They have asexual dating apps, which can help. This problem isn't bothering me as much as it used to, but I think it's because I'm so wore out that I'm just accepting it and also may just be because I'm so depressed, the desire for a relationship isn't as high anyway. Which the depression could also be affecting my libido.

I've read a lot about it and PSSD can be permanent, but there are also stories of people who finally recovered years later, so it's impossible to say how it'll affect you.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It can really be quite devastating. Best of luck to you.

 

[Grav]

I'm on welbutrin and it's not doing a thing for libido. It could be a combo of something else but it's been an issue shortly after starting it.

 

[IsThisTheEnd?]

weed definitely seems to get rid of these effects for me, so it seems to me it must be reversible but obviously too much weed is dangerous if you have mental health issues.

alot of normal people are horny when they drink alcohol etc but I've not enjoyed drinking for years maybe because of the antidepressants.

a real state of insane hypermania would probably have me in a horny state but I would be also insane - if that makes any sense.

 

[End Game]

Add me to the list of those who lost their libido due to antidepressants. Quite frankly, it sucks, and what is worse is they are not as effective at treating my depression and anxiety as they used to be. I tapered off Citalopram and Wellbutrin last year, relapsed in December, and have tried some different medications over the last few months to no avail. I felt so damn good after I went off but before the relapse, I just want to be myself again--drug free. Since I started Effexor 2 weeks ago, my anxiety is just as bad, libido went to zero almost immediately, some tinnitus came back, I am super jittery, and have very disruptive sleep. The sad thing is, you don't know what is withdrawal, what is the new medication or what is your condition. This is the driving factor in my wanting to CTB!

 

[popcorn]

try cialis

also get ur test checked. maybe start taking clomid

 

[Bagger]

Hey man, i too was on Citalopram, and i have very similar problems. First one, erection quality is worse, its like 75 of 100%. Very rarely i hit the 'before therapy' level. Second, i finish very quick, for some reason reduced erection makes me feel everything much. much stronger. Third, my sex drive drop down so low, that i sometimes need to force myself to think in THAT way. For now i don't have regular sexual partner, but my shrink told me that some hand work is very good for immune system. And as i struggle with some infections i need to help myself that way heh. Anyway, its like that for a year now. Maybe it need more time...

 

[DutchDude26]

Hi,

So I completed approximately 3 years of therapy in April of 2020, and because I was starting to feel better, I very slowly started going off of the SSRI Citalopram which I was very proud of (I decreased the dosage from 10 mg to 0 over roughly 4 months). One of my main goals for quitting the medication was that I had serious delayed ejaculation, and this was making it difficult to start a relationship, so I thought quitting Citalopram would fix that.

Even before I reached 0 mg, I noticed weirdly that the erection quality I was having wasn't that good, but I just thought that would improve with time. Over the months, I have noticed some improvements, like certain erogenous zones of my body feel much more sensitive than before, which is a good thing. I also no longer have delayed ejaculation, however when I do orgasm, it's often with no ejaculation which is weird.

I am now slightly over the 9 month mark that I've quit Citalopram, and my body doesn't seem to have progressed very much with regards to sexual dysfunction other than the few things I listed above. Before when I took Citalopram, I could at least get and maintain an erection. Now, it's difficult to get or maintain an erection, which means sex has basically been out of the question, which also means no chance for a relationship at the moment.

I'm worried that because it's been so long since I've stopped the medication, that Citalopram may have somehow damaged me permanently. I've spoken about this with my Psychiatrist a few times. In the beginning, he recommended just waiting. The last time I saw him, he recommended that I go and see an Endocrinologist, so I've made an appointment, and will see one in February to have my hormones tested. That is sort of the next milestone that I'm looking forward to and hoping will provide me with some answers.

I have to say that during the summer of 2020, I was feeling quite upbeat and optimistic, because I felt like not that much time had passed since I stopped the medicine and my body would still have time to heal, and I would get over this. As time has gone on however, and I haven't really noticed continued improvement, I noticed that this was really starting to weigh on me during Christmas time.

I feel like if my body doesn't recover back to the level of what I was roughly before I started taking Citalopram (I took it for roughly 9 years), I won't be able to have sex, and I won't be able to pursue a relationship, which means I'll end up spending life alone. I know that many people do this, and are completely fine with it, but I always really enjoyed sex, and frankly don't want to be alone until I die.

I hadn't been feeling suicidal at all for most of 2020, but since around Christmas, I've noticed that this problem of sexual dysfunction has really begun to affect my mood, and I'm beginning to have more suicidal thoughts. I keep thinking- what is the point if I can't share sexuality with someone? This is something that's really important to me and would definitely lessen my quality of life.

I've always had problems with fatigue and sleeping and motivation to get things done, but since Christmas, these things have all seemed to have gotten much worse. It's a bit sad too, because the last time I saw my therapist towards the beginning of December, I was so full of hope and optimism. Now, I just feel tired all the time and I don't want to do anything.

Does anyone else have a similar struggle? Is there hope? I'm beginning to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for me.

Hi, I see this is an fairly old post but i'm gonna respond anyway. I'm new around here, I haven't posted anything yet but this seems like a good start cz i have some experience on this topic.

I took SSRI's (fluoxetine, PROZAC) from my 17th till 24th (7 years) different doses from 10-40mg (experimented a bit on my own). I quit in 2019 (last dose was 10mg) and i had the same problem: couldn't get hard anymore. Especcialy when i was a bit stressed out (which happened more often cz i wasn't on SSRI's for the first time in my adult life).

My GF at that time (we/she just broke up after 4,5 years... which is only partially the reason i found this forum in the first place) gave me absolute hell for it (she's turkish... what a people). She took it extremely personal, like it was a rejection of her as a person, as a woman (which had basically nothing to do with it), WHen she got mad she would be mad for days, when I was on SSRI's i had the power to stop it, i wouldnt be faced by it which meant she would stop bcz i dind't care, later i coudln't which damaged me somewhat. getting off topic a bit. anyway, I felt like absolute shit, like i was no man.

So, I heard Some guy from my work at that time talk about Kamagra he ordered online (similair to viagra, erection booster) so i got the site from him and ordered some. For 4 months or something i would use those pills so my GF wouldn't be mad at me for a whole week lol. It worked but... I've never spoken with a medical expert on this nor can i find anything online but... I kinda altered the composition of my little companion... (i dont know if I use the correct English words for it but i try anyway): The blood vessels are like.. more sensitive. You know sometimes you have these kind of halfboners... where your D is kinda hard kinda not. I dont have that anymore, when i get a little aroused its hard as F. orgams are always intense (instead of some like halforgams i used to have) and overall its more sensitve... yeah... this is not neccesicarly a good thing cuz when i eventually quit the kamagra i still didn't get the same erections as when i was on SSRI's.

I started noticing the effect of the kamagra was declining and my little big friend wasn't doing to good. but i didn't have the balls (figuratively lol i do have balls) to quit the pills for i did wanted to have sex and i didnt want to disappoint my GF for as not to awake the fury of the ancient Turkish war spirit (I felt like an Armenian sometimes lol). Then we got in a fight over some other thing and we didn't talk (she does that when she gets mad, and then i do it back and we went in sort of a cold war who would ignore eachother the longest, pathetic but hey). So, i thought yeey finally i don't have to perform and i got off the kamagra. When we eventually got back together i explained that i had been taking kamagra pills for 4 months (didn't tell her, told her once but was a turnoff). She said yeah stop doing that please, and she did her best just to turn me on and stuff, we start working together.. i realised the problem was stress mostly. i would start ok we both be in the mood and then i realised the mountain i had to climb and if i get limb the hell that would await me and then it would go wrong... ofcourse lol. After she started to show some understanding that it wasnt personal ( I didn't quite realise it was cuz of the SSRI's )our sexlife improved. Sometimes it would be limb, her expectation would be lowered to 0 and then iwould be hard as fuck, cuz there was no more pressure to perform (pissed her off too but we managed).

so bottom line, i realised until that point my gf didn't really arouse me. I didnt had to in the mood be when I was on SSRI's . i was just like ok lets go and then i would get hard and bam done. But after that i needed to learn it.. I needed to identify when i was horny and when not. and what would turn me on and what not. Not to force it, not to rush it... it sometimes didn't work but she tried her best not to explode, she's muslim after all so that isn't as easy for her (bad joke sorry) . I needed to learn to relax and just Wanting to make love (instead of having to)....

longstory about me, back to you.

The reality is, you are going through changes. You brain functioned differently on SSRI's (you took it for 9 years you say, your body and brain are programmed in a certain way) and getting hard was easy (for me it was anyway). You'll have to learn how to get hard again. The SSRI you took is perhaps a bit more harmful to erections than my Prozac/fluoxetine but i think in essence the problem is the same: there is nothing wrong with your D, there is a malfunction between your brain and your D, and you need to make them connect again. I think it' could be mostly a mental problem. You shouldn't be thinking: I need to get hard but you should WANT to get hard. when there is an attractive girl next you shouldn't be like: my penis needs to be hard or else... yadayada but you should want to have sex with her, for yourself, not for anyone else.just focus on the arousel instead of the duty kinda. which is a lot harder than it sounds ofcourse lol. but its very possible.

There are a couple of things you can try that worked for me.
1. Kamagra/ viagra, yeah i wouldn't advice that lol. saying it because i mentioed it in my story. Besides the fact that i ruined my D, it is not the natural way. It doesn't solve the problem. highly chemical shit for old men (i'm assuming you're young here). Your body should be able to maintain an erection itself. It's possible. it really is.
2. Quit smoking , that helped for me.idk if you smoke but if so you could try it...
3. Boost your testosteron naturally. this you can do in two ways.
- workout, ofcourse. lift weights or really any type of excersise
- don't mastrubate and watch porn. this one is interesting. When you think about it, watching porn is very unnatural. it lowers your arousel levels. when i obstained from watching porn (and mastrubating as a whole) after a few days i felt changes in both my self esteem as well as my sexual drive. For a healthy erection , the only source of 'sex' (whether you do it yourself or with another person) should be the real world. You shouldn't turn on a screen and watch 2 random girls or whatever have sex. the most arousing thing about my gf is when she has her clothes on... idk how to explain this really but the point is: try it, you'll see what i mean. this video explains it (no fap). the video is a bit too enthousiastic about no fap like its the aboslute key to happines which is a little bit much but at the source it has some truth to it.

So this does'nt mean you can't fap AT ALL but only do it when you're really turned on. dont force it. dont say: right now i should be turned on. No. Listen to your body, experiment. and no porn is a good way to start with that.. you'll feel a bit different at least, i promise.

3.Routine. Waking up at a specific time every day, best is early in the morning . idk exactly why but that helped me to, when i got a different job. (began at 5am).

4. what i would do before i had the kamagra was eat alot of mandarin oranges lol. this sounds stupid but it really works. it is noted that it works for normal oranges too (you can find it online, has some evidence to it) but i find mandarins would be the best: especcially the bigger dryer less sour ones. so: eat like six a day (or four, that also has results). after like 3 days: Hard as a rock.

But same thing as with the kamagra, this is not the natural way. sure, orange fruits are more natural then kamagra (like by a landslide lol) but you're basically doing the same thing: pumping chemicals (all be it naturally produced ones) to make you hard. the focus should be on the connection of being aroused in your brain and having a hard dick.

so, 5. experiment. what would be a huge turn on for me would be working with other guys and just focussing on other stuff like organising an event or whatever,no time to think about sex at all and then suddenly a girl would walk by and you get that WOW feeling and ure just naturally aroused, and if she would hypotheically consent with you (ofcourse ofcourse) you would just fuck the crap out her. nothing beats that feeling. certainly no porn.

That would also be my advice for when you eventually start dating again. just focus on having a good time, feeling good,feeling her attraction towards you and you towards her and just bam let it happen. dont force it dont rush it if the moment is there its there. sounds easier than it is in reality but right now in your head it sounds harder than it is in reality ;)

long post lol let myself go a bit. hope you have something to think about, all the best.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

I don't have the focus right now to properly read the thread, I apologize, but there's a forum called PSSD Forum (https://pssdforum.org/) that's focused on exactly this, and could have some information that you may find useful. I've read a lot of people saying positive things about ashwagandha, but idk how safe it is as a supplement. There's also a subreddit about it, unsurprisingly (https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/). Haven't spent time there, but it could have some good resources.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

How did the endocrine results turn out?

I didn't get any sexual problems from the pills, but I am desensitized from jacking off to high-stimulation porn once or twice daily for ten years lol. In my experience, like others have mentioned, a few days of nofap should take care of this. If I did nofap I would get more confidence, motivation (my record is only a week, but I've done nofap around ten times and it's almost always the same effects) but would also want to get a real relationship EVEN MORE than I do now. This would probably lower the life expectancy of everyone around me so I don't think that it's a good idea lmfao.

 

[Chemicalcastration20]

Hi,

So I completed approximately 3 years of therapy in April of 2020, and because I was starting to feel better, I very slowly started going off of the SSRI Citalopram which I was very proud of (I decreased the dosage from 10 mg to 0 over roughly 4 months). One of my main goals for quitting the medication was that I had serious delayed ejaculation, and this was making it difficult to start a relationship, so I thought quitting Citalopram would fix that.

Even before I reached 0 mg, I noticed weirdly that the erection quality I was having wasn't that good, but I just thought that would improve with time. Over the months, I have noticed some improvements, like certain erogenous zones of my body feel much more sensitive than before, which is a good thing. I also no longer have delayed ejaculation, however when I do orgasm, it's often with no ejaculation which is weird.

I am now slightly over the 9 month mark that I've quit Citalopram, and my body doesn't seem to have progressed very much with regards to sexual dysfunction other than the few things I listed above. Before when I took Citalopram, I could at least get and maintain an erection. Now, it's difficult to get or maintain an erection, which means sex has basically been out of the question, which also means no chance for a relationship at the moment.

I'm worried that because it's been so long since I've stopped the medication, that Citalopram may have somehow damaged me permanently. I've spoken about this with my Psychiatrist a few times. In the beginning, he recommended just waiting. The last time I saw him, he recommended that I go and see an Endocrinologist, so I've made an appointment, and will see one in February to have my hormones tested. That is sort of the next milestone that I'm looking forward to and hoping will provide me with some answers.

I have to say that during the summer of 2020, I was feeling quite upbeat and optimistic, because I felt like not that much time had passed since I stopped the medicine and my body would still have time to heal, and I would get over this. As time has gone on however, and I haven't really noticed continued improvement, I noticed that this was really starting to weigh on me during Christmas time.

I feel like if my body doesn't recover back to the level of what I was roughly before I started taking Citalopram (I took it for roughly 9 years), I won't be able to have sex, and I won't be able to pursue a relationship, which means I'll end up spending life alone. I know that many people do this, and are completely fine with it, but I always really enjoyed sex, and frankly don't want to be alone until I die.

I hadn't been feeling suicidal at all for most of 2020, but since around Christmas, I've noticed that this problem of sexual dysfunction has really begun to affect my mood, and I'm beginning to have more suicidal thoughts. I keep thinking- what is the point if I can't share sexuality with someone? This is something that's really important to me and would definitely lessen my quality of life.

I've always had problems with fatigue and sleeping and motivation to get things done, but since Christmas, these things have all seemed to have gotten much worse. It's a bit sad too, because the last time I saw my therapist towards the beginning of December, I was so full of hope and optimism. Now, I just feel tired all the time and I don't want to do anything.

Does anyone else have a similar struggle? Is there hope? I'm beginning to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for me.

So sorry to hear this has happened to you, sounds like PSSD to me (post SSRI sexual dysfunction) it can improve over years, it's permanent in most cases.. It was citalopram and sertraline that done it to me. I have had this condition for 2 years now and is the reason I have no choice but to CTB.

 

[PlathWannaBe]

How did the endocrine results turn out?

I didn't get any sexual problems from the pills, but I am desensitized from jacking off to high-stimulation porn once or twice daily for ten years lol. In my experience, like others have mentioned, a few days of nofap should take care of this. If I did nofap I would get more confidence, motivation (my record is only a week, but I've done nofap around ten times and it's almost always the same effects) but would also want to get a real relationship EVEN MORE than I do now. This would probably lower the life expectancy of everyone around me so I don't think that it's a good idea lmfao.

I went to the endocrinologist, and all of the results came back completely normal. My testosterone was actually even on the higher end of the scale which surprised me.

Since then, I have been taking many different types of supplements to help my body with recovery (Maca, Tribulus Terrestris, Muira Puama) and I have increased my exercising to at least 4 times a week, if not 5 or even 6 times some weeks. Since I usually feel tired almost all the time, this is a huge challenge, but I am still trying.

I have an appointment scheduled with a doctor who has seen some of the most patients with these sexual problems here in Germany. I don't suffer from low libido; it's really more the contrary- I have quite a high sex drive, but I have serious trouble maintaining an erection. I have even tried Viagra and Cialis, and I'm still not able to have penetrative sex with those medications.

I am of course hoping that the doctor will be able to provide me with some answers (like if he knows what the rate of recovery is, how likely is recovery, if there are any other alternative therapies to try), but at the same time, I am also not really hopeful, because there isn't really a cure. I'm not sure if most of these cases just heal with time, or if the damage is permanent, I just don't know. I'm also aware that a hopeless attitude isn't really great either for recovery, but where the hell am I supposed to be getting tons of hope from?

And to be completely transparent, I definitely do struggle with using porn and have been trying to use less (with varying degrees of success). Part of it is because I have such a high sex drive, and the other part is because I have relied on it for so long. Strangely, after quitting Citalopram, porn also doesn't always seem to help my erections. I will keep trying to limit it, if not just cut it out altogether. But it is an addiction, yes. I'm working on it.

It's sad to say, but I never realized how much sexual function was important to me, and it's really affecting my quality of life. I certainly hope things improve. I'm still planning to wait quite a while, but if things don't improve, I just don't see much point in continuing to live life like this.

It sucks, because I thought I was doing the right thing in taking the medication so that I could continue working and "being a part of society", whatever the fuck that means, but it just seems like it damaged me. Feeling very fucked over.