Escitalopram Induced, looking for some advice.
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 9:15 am
Hi all,
I have been treated with Citalopram 20mg from 2008 - 2010 starting at an age of 17, after that Escitalopram 10mg from 2010 - 2012. Gradually during the last 2/3 years of treatment I developed PSSD symptoms; Low libido, Partly Erectile Dysfunction, can't maintain an erection during sex without Cialis. I have been struggling with this for 8 years now, most part of my adolescent life and came to the conclusion I want to give this a real try to end it, or at least improve it. Other symptoms I have are similair to Major Depression Disorder, but include emotional blunting, anhedonia overall I am not functioning and depression and general anxiety disorder make it really hard to preserve relationships and live life in general.
Psychiatrist is not willing to take this seriously so I'm trying to fix it myself now. This forum has a lot of information and I've spend a lot of hours researching what would be the best approach for someone with my symptoms. I noticed there are some individuals on this forum with medical knowledge or a similar path and if you have the idea you could contribute to my search please comment.
I have tried so far without any effect:
Buspirone; Gave me irregular heartbeat, had to quit after two weeks.
Sint Johns Wort; Not a significant difference.
Edovis; I bought all supplements individually and it gave some relief of symptoms.
+ all kinds of herbs, ginseng, ashwaganda, etc. ; Not a significant difference.
Inositol 12gr: No effect.
I am trying right now:
Bupropion/Wellbutrin 300mg XL; I felt completely cured 100% during the first week and one week after upping dose. Still has a positive effect on libido, I would say about 25%. Also it helps for motivation in general, I would recommend this over any SSRI.
3gr L-citrullis + Folic acid; Helps quite a bit with stronger erections, I've read that a lot of people have a mutation which prevent them to transform L-citrulline to L-arginine, Folic Acid helps with that. I've also read this NO pathway influence can reduce bupropion effectiveness, so I'm a bit in doubt on this.
Maca powder; Helps somewhat with Libido.
Exercise; I try to exercise almost daily to exclude any other possible cause. I'm a physical healthy man (29), not smoking. Eating a healthy diet.
Plan of action:
Adding Mirtazapine 30mg; A lot of stuff has been said over receptor desensitization 5HT1A, I have no idea what the mechanism behind this all is. But I'm willing to try anyway.
I've already test Testosterone Levels, nothing out of the ordinairy. I am going for another blood test for all sex hormones, vitamin deficienty, gut microbe, etc.
If Mirtazapine isn't doing it, I'm considering going back on a SSRI, with the idea behind it my brain became dependent on it.
Because stress and anxiety can play a big role in this too, and I haven't found a way yet to test which is the cause, I am trying to battle depression and anxiety by medication and further therapy too.
Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear some input.
I have been treated with Citalopram 20mg from 2008 - 2010 starting at an age of 17, after that Escitalopram 10mg from 2010 - 2012. Gradually during the last 2/3 years of treatment I developed PSSD symptoms; Low libido, Partly Erectile Dysfunction, can't maintain an erection during sex without Cialis. I have been struggling with this for 8 years now, most part of my adolescent life and came to the conclusion I want to give this a real try to end it, or at least improve it. Other symptoms I have are similair to Major Depression Disorder, but include emotional blunting, anhedonia overall I am not functioning and depression and general anxiety disorder make it really hard to preserve relationships and live life in general.
Psychiatrist is not willing to take this seriously so I'm trying to fix it myself now. This forum has a lot of information and I've spend a lot of hours researching what would be the best approach for someone with my symptoms. I noticed there are some individuals on this forum with medical knowledge or a similar path and if you have the idea you could contribute to my search please comment.
I have tried so far without any effect:
Buspirone; Gave me irregular heartbeat, had to quit after two weeks.
Sint Johns Wort; Not a significant difference.
Edovis; I bought all supplements individually and it gave some relief of symptoms.
+ all kinds of herbs, ginseng, ashwaganda, etc. ; Not a significant difference.
Inositol 12gr: No effect.
I am trying right now:
Bupropion/Wellbutrin 300mg XL; I felt completely cured 100% during the first week and one week after upping dose. Still has a positive effect on libido, I would say about 25%. Also it helps for motivation in general, I would recommend this over any SSRI.
3gr L-citrullis + Folic acid; Helps quite a bit with stronger erections, I've read that a lot of people have a mutation which prevent them to transform L-citrulline to L-arginine, Folic Acid helps with that. I've also read this NO pathway influence can reduce bupropion effectiveness, so I'm a bit in doubt on this.
Maca powder; Helps somewhat with Libido.
Exercise; I try to exercise almost daily to exclude any other possible cause. I'm a physical healthy man (29), not smoking. Eating a healthy diet.
Plan of action:
Adding Mirtazapine 30mg; A lot of stuff has been said over receptor desensitization 5HT1A, I have no idea what the mechanism behind this all is. But I'm willing to try anyway.
I've already test Testosterone Levels, nothing out of the ordinairy. I am going for another blood test for all sex hormones, vitamin deficienty, gut microbe, etc.
If Mirtazapine isn't doing it, I'm considering going back on a SSRI, with the idea behind it my brain became dependent on it.
Because stress and anxiety can play a big role in this too, and I haven't found a way yet to test which is the cause, I am trying to battle depression and anxiety by medication and further therapy too.
Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear some input.