Possible PSSD symptoms

Posted by melissa333 @melissa333, Oct 17, 2016

Hello all I'm new to this forum. I have been suffering with these symptoms for over a year now I will explain. I don't know exactly what brought all of this on but I was taking a Serie 2 no chick supplement called 5-HTP for two-and-a-half years which I went cold turkey off of in January. I have lost all sensation in my genital region. I went to a neurologist I have gotten X-rays and MRIS it seems to be something neurological but they can't quite figure it out. I've had all my blood work done I've been tested by several different doctors everything is coming out normal so I think this has to do with a neurological disorder I'm not exactly sure how to describe what happened to me but I do know that I have these horrific symptoms that don't go away. I had a very normal active sex life before all this happened when I went cold turkey off of the 5-HTP supplement I woke up one morning and I was completely numb my entire genital region has no feeling in it I couldn't even feel when I had to urinate that has lately returned in the past year but the erogenous Sensations any type of pleasure from that area is completely gone and sex is completely lifeless. There's so much Social stigma surrounding this issue I have been told I am crazy I've been told that I'm not experiencing this nobody has any answers I am sending out a plea to this community if anyone has heard of this disorder happening in anybody else please let me know. I know that mine was not caused by an SSRI type drug reaction but I was taking a serotonergic supplement for a long. Of time that is not been tested for long-term use and I feel like maybe something happened. I know there are risks with any supplements and pharmaceuticals that you take but I was not expecting this big of a risk. It has affected my social life and has affected my sex life my life with my partner that I'm completely in love with it's causing me severe PTSD anxiety depression and I am unable to function in reality I don't have a job I don't see my friends anymore I've made a complete 180 from the person that I used to be I feel like my life was taken from me in a way. I don't know who to turn to I don't know what medications to get on I'm so depressed I can barely get out of bed for an entire year I lost a lot of weight I used to be very athletic and very motivated in my life. I have a master's degree I was on track to have a very fulfilling life with my partner and my education and my career and everything has basically stopped because I feel like my life force is gone. I know this is very hard to understand people who have never been through this this is more than just a simple sexual dysfunction this is almost like a loss of a drive for life and it's a complete numbness in your brain and genitals both there's just no connection there's no desire for the life spark there's no desire for the creative Spark It's almost like it's just been erased. I know I am suffering from depression but does depression cause severe numb genitals like a dentist needle look like anesthetic. My symptoms have maybe gotten 3% better since January when I was completely numb and I couldn't even feel urination now I can at least feel urination but none of my libido arousal or general feelings have returned it's almost like that entire area is just rubbery and numb. I know many of you may have never heard of anything like this and this may be disturbing for you but this is actually a disease that can happen to people and I think we need to raise more awareness about it because doctors and psychiatrists and therapists simply do not believe this is possible which in fact it is because it is a neurological and brain disorder that can be brought on by pharmaceutical drugs and supplements in my opinion and from my experience. There are several forms on the internet that people are trying to Cobble together and find Hope and help it's a very desperate situation for people who have this disorder. Any advice or ideas that you have are greatly appreciated please don't shut me please don't shame me please don't tell me I just have depression because I was highly active before all of this and I actually took 5-HTP for a nerve pain issue that I had and not for depression. I never had true depression until after I got pssd and became completely immobilized and disabled emotionally. I'm not trying to scare anybody for medications I think medications definitely have saved my life and certain ways I know that antibiotics are super important there's cancer medications there's things that people need and I know that people do need mental health drugs and I'm not demonizing them in the least I am just trying to find information on how and why this happened to me and how I can get better that's my only goal my goal is not to demonize the pharmaceutical industry or anything like that I am simply a human being who wants to heal. Thank you for listening and thank you for reading my post.

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I was never going to a psychiatrist. My primary care dr was the one that prescribed it. He does not believe I’m having issues, although he is starting to come around since ten months in I’m still complaining. He just tells me as long as the cialis helps I should just focus on my life and my family

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Easier said than done!
A second opinion is often reassuring.
Best wishes.🙏

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@markc2008

Like everything is super dulled down as far as arousel and being turned on.

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You may want to see an endocrinologist or a neurologist

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@helenfrances

You may want to see an endocrinologist or a neurologist

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I have been to several neurologists. I also currently go to the Low T center trying to address low total and free T that is likely from the viibryd

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@markc2008

I have been to several neurologists. I also currently go to the Low T center trying to address low total and free T that is likely from the viibryd

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Hi, @markc2008 - from your visits to several neurologists and your appointments at the low testosterone center, what are you understanding is your chance that your post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) will be cured?

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@lisalucier

Hi, @markc2008 - from your visits to several neurologists and your appointments at the low testosterone center, what are you understanding is your chance that your post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) will be cured?

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I don’t know that it will. The neurologists believe that I could have had a side effect to stopping the antidepressant but none though it it should last more than a month or two and it’s been ten. The low T center purely focuses on hormones. I thought getting it T in check would help as after first week I felt really good. However, week two when I started the hcg shots to Proctect fertility caused me to get worse. Not sure why. I have an appt this morning actually.

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@markc2008

I don’t know that it will. The neurologists believe that I could have had a side effect to stopping the antidepressant but none though it it should last more than a month or two and it’s been ten. The low T center purely focuses on hormones. I thought getting it T in check would help as after first week I felt really good. However, week two when I started the hcg shots to Proctect fertility caused me to get worse. Not sure why. I have an appt this morning actually.

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@markc2008 - will you share more about what you mean by hog shots?

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@lisalucier

@markc2008 - will you share more about what you mean by hog shots?

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Oh hahaha. Sorry was typing from my phone. Testosterone shots and HCG shots to protect fertility and function of testacles which basically go dormant when you inject external Testosterone.

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@markc2008 if you think back really carefully, did you really have no sexual side effects while on the the Viibryd? Possibly some numbing of genital sensation and slight decrease in pleasure? I have a theory that the SSRI mechanism of Viibryd was causing sexual dysfunction all along but part of it was being masked by the 5HT1a agonist feature which had been shown to increase and assist with physical arousal (5HT1a agonists like Trazadone sometimes even cause priapisms). Then, when the Viibryd was discontinued, that physical arousal assistance subsided and the full sexual dysfunction effects of the SSRI component may have appeared. Any recollections of numbing or lack of pleasure? Any recollections of increase of nocturnal erections while on the Viibryd (this would show that you were potentially affected by the 5HT1a agonist feature)?

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@lt2020

@markc2008 if you think back really carefully, did you really have no sexual side effects while on the the Viibryd? Possibly some numbing of genital sensation and slight decrease in pleasure? I have a theory that the SSRI mechanism of Viibryd was causing sexual dysfunction all along but part of it was being masked by the 5HT1a agonist feature which had been shown to increase and assist with physical arousal (5HT1a agonists like Trazadone sometimes even cause priapisms). Then, when the Viibryd was discontinued, that physical arousal assistance subsided and the full sexual dysfunction effects of the SSRI component may have appeared. Any recollections of numbing or lack of pleasure? Any recollections of increase of nocturnal erections while on the Viibryd (this would show that you were potentially affected by the 5HT1a agonist feature)?

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I appreciate your thorough thought on this. I did not have any side effects other than possibly slightly longer ejaculation time. I took Zoloft before this and had much worse side effects. I switched to this years ago because of that

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