New and Question

[thatnewguy]

Hi guys I am new,
i have a few questions.

I read that there is only a small chance of getting Pssd, also since this forum has 1200 members and there are a lot more people that took them this is true?
Is this the reason that conclusion is made or is there other evidence that showed that the chance is small and how small is the chance by estimation?

Another question I have is I read that treating mentall ilness must be a primary focus and that you can't really say if you have pssd until you remove the other possible
causes: Psychological, Hormonal, Neurological, Physical because sexual dysfunction can be caused by many factors. Does this mean there is not time limit on finding a cure for pssd, what I mean to ask is
you don't have to be fast after stopping antidepressants to do something about it? It's not like it becomes more of a problem the longer you wait? Like for example 2/3 years after it's worse that you try to solve it now
then like after 1 week of last antidepressant? there is no time limit on it? Because if you need to remove other possible causes first like mental health, that will take some while.


Thanks!

[anacleta]

one can claim to have pssd when it is obvious to him/her that it was caused by the drug and the hormonal analysis cannot justify such dysfunction. the before-and-after the medication is what makes it obvious. and the fact that you know yourself and your body.

for those with pssd it can be obvious right away, but for a "specialist" it may never be sufficiently obvious and can say endlessly that it is a psychological problem. this is because today we do not have a valid diagnostic tool able to highlight where the problem lies.

receiving the denial and skepticism of doctors can give frustration, but in practice it does not change much: in any case they could not help us at the moment. this is because the pssd does not currently have a valid cure and treatment.

should we act as quickly as possible to resolve the pssd? we don't know, maybe. for example there are nerve damage that after a certain period of time become irreversible. but we don't know if this is the point.

[thatnewguy]

one can claim to have pssd when it is obvious to him/her that it was caused by the drug and the hormonal analysis cannot justify such dysfunction. the before-and-after the medication is what makes it obvious. and the fact that you know yourself and your body.

for those with pssd it can be obvious right away, but for a "specialist" it may never be sufficiently obvious and can say endlessly that it is a psychological problem. this is because today we do not have a valid diagnostic tool able to highlight where the problem lies.

receiving the denial and skepticism of doctors can give frustration, but in practice it does not change much: in any case they could not help us at the moment. this is because the pssd does not currently have a valid cure and treatment.

should we act as quickly as possible to resolve the pssd? we don't know, maybe. for example there are nerve damage that after a certain period of time become irreversible. but we don't know if this is the point.

Ok you didn't answer all the points but thats fine, I appreciate ur answer and all other answers from other people are welcome too.
The reason I put that thing about other possible causes need to be adressed first is because Ghost ( moderator ) put it on this forum as information so it could be that you have a different opinion than him, thats why all
answers are welcome. The before and after how are people going to know if you take meds for so long that you can't compare the before to the after because you don't remember.

[yesterday]

I read that there is only a small chance of getting Pssd, also since this forum has 1200 members and there are a lot more people that took them this is true?
Is this the reason that conclusion is made or is there other evidence that showed that the chance is small and how small is the chance by estimation?

No-one knows how common PSSD is. Like Anacleta mentioned, there is no accepted diagnostic test for PSSD, and many doctors don't believe it exists. Many patients will not report it, perhaps out of embarrassment, or perhaps because they no longer see the doctor after discontinuing medication. A person can have PSSD and not realize it (e.g. if they initially had low libido, if it's a mild case of PSSD, if they attribute the symptoms to other causes like depression, or if they were given SSRIs before puberty). Some people have PSSD and are not bothered much by it - one of my friends is in this situation.

Until someone performs a long-term prospective study of people starting SSRIs for the first time, and follows them for several years after they discontinue medication, we will not know how common PSSD is. This kind of study is very expensive and the drug companies have no incentive to do it, so I don't expect it to happen soon. Perhaps if a prominent psychologist were afflicted with PSSD they might be motivated to get a grant and run the study.

what I mean to ask is you don't have to be fast after stopping antidepressants to do something about it? It's not like it becomes more of a problem the longer you wait? Like for example 2/3 years after it's worse that you try to solve it now then like after 1 week of last antidepressant? there is no time limit on it?

Actually I would recommend not trying to fix PSSD until maybe 6 months after discontinuing medication. A lot of people recover naturally within 6 months. Exercise, eat vegetables, get plenty of sleep, don't drink too much, and PSSD may resolve on its own. All of the potential treatments can have serious side effects, and are not worth risking unless you believe the PSSD will not resolve on its own.

[anacleta]

one can claim to have pssd when it is obvious to him/her that it was caused by the drug and the hormonal analysis cannot justify such dysfunction. the before-and-after the medication is what makes it obvious. and the fact that you know yourself and your body.

for those with pssd it can be obvious right away, but for a "specialist" it may never be sufficiently obvious and can say endlessly that it is a psychological problem. this is because today we do not have a valid diagnostic tool able to highlight where the problem lies.

receiving the denial and skepticism of doctors can give frustration, but in practice it does not change much: in any case they could not help us at the moment. this is because the pssd does not currently have a valid cure and treatment.

should we act as quickly as possible to resolve the pssd? we don't know, maybe. for example there are nerve damage that after a certain period of time become irreversible. but we don't know if this is the point.

the statistical prevalence of pssd has not been calculated, it seems to be a rare adverse event but also underestimated among those who take ssri / snri.

on the other hand, sexual side effects are not uncommon during antidepressant intake, most of those who take them experience sexual dysfunctions that they did not have before.

in many cases the onset of dysfunctions is obvious and immediately linked to the drug.

for example in my case I took citalopram for 10 months,
sexuality has changed so drastically and precisely in conjunction with the drug, that I should have been really stupid to not realize that they were side effects (which I thought to be temporary, that's why I continued for 10 months ..).

certainly one when he sees that things do not improve and that sexuality "does not come back", worries and analyzes to see what is wrong. hormonal analysis, andrological visits.

they usually turn out to be absolutely vain and frustrating, because the pssd cannot be highlighted with standard tests. prolactin can be lowered if it is high, testosterone turned up, but it does not solve the problem in the PSSD. catecholamines and neurosteroids in the brain cannot be measured by routine tests.

therefore to say that "every other neurological, hormonal cause must be excluded first" means only that obviously we are looking for answers in the standard tests hoping to find something on which to be able to intervene; but when your sexual reaction has disappeared due to an antidepressant, you can unfortunately expect not to find clinical evidence with any tests. PSSD itself can be a neuroendocrine disorder!

if there are cases in which a person takes ssri from childhood and grows asexual, he will not even know exactly the responsibility of the drug, which could be there.

if one assumes ssri up to the age of 60 and witnesses the decline of his sexuality, who knows how much is the fault of age and how much of the ssri. hard to know.

and who knows how many cases there are of people taking antidepressants, they remain a bit hyposexual (compared to before taking it) but they cannot attribute it to the drug. because they gave it little importance or because the doctor says it's impossible and they trust.

this is because the pssd is a "perfect crime".

and there is a need for scientific research that highlights.

[Rb26dett]

Yes. It is the best advice. Do not touch any substance. Even the supplements. Everything is potentially dangerous in our situation. I have worsened everything with simple supplements. Give your body time to recover on its own. Please follow this advice. I wish I had done it too. Now my situation has become unsustainable, to the point that sexual disorders are the least of my problems.

[John321]

PSSD is another perfect crime as they keep most of the people depressed with this shit. I have overcome all my other depression in life, the only depression I have in my life is this PSSD. Personally taking supplements has set me back so I won't recommend taking them. I have had windows in the 8 months I have been off ssri and taking supplements has set me back temporarily. If you don't get a window or any improvement for 2-3 years then I think you can try anything.