PSSD Forum

Hello I am 30 years old and I have been suffering from PSSD since 19 years old after taking Accutane + Citalopram

I have been off Accutane for 11 years and came off citalopram 4 months ago

PSSD Sexual Symptoms: Numb penis, No orgasm, No arousal, Penis only gets hard from physical stimulation or full bladder in the night
PSSD Mental Symptons: Lack of Apathy, OCD,

I've checked my hormones level through blood test and everything is ok.

I learnt recently that I should try Lithium for up to 6 months and maybe expect improvements after 30 days. I

To this day I have never had windows of relief so I am pretty use to the state I am in. Hopefully I can improve by 10% but I am ok if that doesn't happen.

I am off all medications. I manage my depression with the natural supplement saffron. could that cause me further pssd issues?

thanks

If you have numb genitals, any med will probably worsen it. This of course is just my personal opinion.

If you try lithium, keep us informed of the dosage and the evolution of your symptoms. I also plan to try it in a few months if my current stack doesn't work out.

This mineral is neuroprotective and acts in the nervous system in much the same way as Forskolin (perhaps lithium is more effective) : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36505511/

An American-Italian study has shown that lithium taken over the long term can modulate the shape of the nucleus accumbens, the brain's pleasure center!
Here the study : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31972398/

Lithium combined with lamictal can also help with libido and sexual pleasure.

I've reported recovery stories with prescription lithium here: https://coda.io/d/Treatment-options-for ... cine_suPEX

And stories of improvement with lithium orotate, here: https://coda.io/d/Treatment-options-for ... ents_suSFe

The_Eye wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 3:09 pm If you have numb genitals, any med will probably worsen it. This of course is just my personal opinion.

When I say numb I mean 100% so I literally have nothing to lose. It can't get worse in my opinion but thanks for your concern.

Determined-Mind wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:59 pm If you try lithium, keep us informed of the dosage and the evolution of your symptoms. I also plan to try it in a few months if my current stack doesn't work out.

This mineral is neuroprotective and acts in the nervous system in much the same way as Forskolin (perhaps lithium is more effective) : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36505511/

An American-Italian study has shown that lithium taken over the long term can modulate the shape of the nucleus accumbens, the brain's pleasure center!
Here the study : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31972398/

Lithium combined with lamictal can also help with libido and sexual pleasure.

I've reported recovery stories with prescription lithium here: https://coda.io/d/Treatment-options-for ... cine_suPEX

And stories of improvement with lithium orotate, here: https://coda.io/d/Treatment-options-for ... ents_suSFe

I will keep you informed. thanks for everything you do, your data gathering has been really helpful

In the italian study you posted do you know what dose and how long was the treatment to enhance the brains pleasure center?

It said that the morphology of the nucleus accumbens most closely resembled that of healthy controls in patients taking long-term lithium (7 years). There were differences too in the "short-term" patients (3 years).

But these were patients with bipolar disorder. In our case, lithium is relatively experimental. Yesterday on reddit, I read a girl with bipolar disorder and pssd saying that lithium hadn't helped her for pleasure. No one can know in advance how the drug will act on our brains.

It's possible that a combined therapy (I'm thinking in particular of the innovative use of techniques such as EMDR/hypnosis, which aim to elicit memories of healthy sexual functioning, could also help). Bunny, from this forum, who recovered with lithium, was undergoing therapy at the same time as taking the drug.

Naltrexone is also among the possible options. There's a thread where some say they've been helped by naltrexone, either by taking it or after stopping it (5 days after stopping, one man experienced an improvement in his libido and pleasure felt).