A man who has been deprived of libido due to a condition caused by taking an SSRI pill says he feels like he’s been “chemically castrated”.
The man, who gave his name Hamish, is adjusting to living with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) after taking an anti-anxiety drug in May.
The 33-year-old from London says he no longer has a sex drive and suffers from suicidal thoughts and brain fog.
However, concerned that this could happen to other people as well, Hamish speaks up to prevent others from having a similar experience.
SSRIS, SNRIs, and tricyclics have been found to be the most common antidepressants that trigger sexual side effects
He told PSSD turned him into a “heterosexual living in an asexual body”.
He had only taken the anti-anxiety drug once before a spate of panic attacks swept over him. Concerned about the bizarre reaction, he immediately stopped.
Two weeks later, he noticed that his genitals felt numb.
“I took the anti-anxiety pills, but then I got worse,” he said.
“I used to be hypersexual. I lost my entire libido. I feel like I’ve been chemically castrated. It causes me a lot of psychological problems, not just sexual ones.”
Hamish says this caused him to have suicidal thoughts and become depressed.
“I’ve never had that before.”
As he tries to come to terms with the impact on his love life, he says it’s even harder with brain fog and trouble sleeping.
“With no cure, it’s like we’re holding on to some kind of hope that things will get better, even though some people haven’t seen any improvement in decades.”
“Even if there is recovery, it may not be complete.” “Going to the bathroom makes me angry because it reminds me that my genital numbness is still there.”
Prescribed antidepressants can make a difference in some people, but are associated with side effects in both sexes.
Since their proliferation in the 1980s, the number of mood-enhancing drugs has increased rapidly. In 2020, nearly one in five adults was taking it, compared with about one in 50 at the turn of the century.
While 73 percent of antidepressant users experience sexual dysfunction, for some people it doesn’t go away even after stopping the pills.
Ruben Dewitte, co-founder of support platform PSSD Network, told one of the biggest problems is the lack of informed consent.
“Even though PSSD is more or less rare, people are not informed about it,” he said.
A man living with PSSD says his condition is like ‘chemical castration’
The 33-year-old from London says his libido has been robbed and his sex drive has vanished (stock image)
“Patients often say they would never have taken the drug if they had been told it was a possible risk, even if the risk was small.”
He said the drug labels don’t properly explain the side effects and that people would think twice if they knew they were at risk of suffering like PSSD sufferers.
“One of the key symptoms of PSSD, genital numbness, is also not mentioned anywhere.
“In the US, the possibility that sexual side effects may persist is not mentioned on the labels,” he said.
Some antidepressants are known to cause sexual side effects more often than others, with SSRIS, SNRIs, and tricyclics being the most common triggers.
There are alternatives such as atypical antidepressants that can increase dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin levels.
Some people report not feeling any sexual or romantic attraction at all and experience emotional numbness.
Both men and women suffer from a condition known as anorgasmia – a difficulty in reaching orgasm, and when they climax it is weak or listless.
Most have seen relationships collapse as a result, while others have missed the chance to have children. Some have never felt like having sex — called anhedonia — and fear they never will.
While the experiences of these patients are well recognized in the medical literature, there is little evidence or research showing a clear association with the medications.