To people who hear it for the first time, It trivialises a debilitating neurological disorder as some sort of erectile dysfunction or problem with orgasm. Anyone with PSSD will tell you that sexual problems are one of (and arguably one of the more minor) of dozens of symptoms.

It’s the same problem Myalgic Encephalomyelitis has, being called “chronic fatigue syndrome” it too has dozens of symptoms, yet is not taken seriously by the public or most physicians due to the name. Everyone feels fatigued some of the time.

If you have chronic fatigue as your only symptom, it likely isnt ME. Similarly if you have only sexual problems, it likely isn’t PSSD.

PSSD and PFS are likely the same condition, or at the very least are related. And ssris are far more prevalent than finasteride, yet PFS is considered to be a real disorder generally, while PSSD remains a psychosomatic fake illness to most doctors, similar to how fibromyalgia is seen.

I believe the reason why post finasteride syndrome is taken so much more seriously is because it doesn’t reduce a complex neurological disorder into a single symptom that most people have from time to time anyway.
It’s well known that sexual side effects are far less likely to be reported than others.

A far better same would simply be post ssri syndrome.

Has anyone heard RFK Jr. Is creating a plan to help americans taper off antidepressants? I wish this was around in canada when I needed it! I digress - with all the talk of antidepressants at the federal level, now is the time to make PSSD and Protracted Withdrawal heard. Maybe we can get funding for research at the federal level. I would be extremely disappointed if this massive opportunity was wasted.

I’ve been thinking about something and I genuinely want to hear different opinions from people here.

We know that people who abuse opioids, stimulants, or other hard drugs can eventually recover over time. Dopamine systems often seem to normalize again even after severe depletion or long term dopamine agonist use.

So why does recovery seem so different with PSSD?

I know a lot of theories exist epigenetic changes, androgen receptor issues, gut microbiome changes,dopamine receptor desensitization, etc.

But in my case, I only took sertraline once. Literally just two pills (200mg total combined), and since that day I’ve had persistent PSSD symptoms for over a year and a half.

To be completely honest, during this time I’ve occasionally felt very small “windows” where pleasure or libido slightly came back, but they never lasted.

I should also mention that this period has been one of the worst years of my life emotionally because I went through a very painful breakup around the same time.

So my question :-

Could PSSD in some cases actually be more related to depression, chronic stress, or emotional trauma rather than the antidepressant itself?

And if SSRIs mainly alter serotonin signaling, why don’t the brain pathways and neurotransmitter balance eventually return to baseline after such a long tim

LET'S SPEAK UP!

I haven’t been here for two years or more. I decided to try and accept my condition, as I’ve already tried so many things (antibiotics, supplements, SSRIs, SNRIs, etc.) and nothing has worked. But now I want to revisit this topic. What should I catch up on? What should I read? What are the latest scientific findings? I know that someone once shared a file containing a collection of recovery stories. Can I find such a compilation anywhere now? Thank you in advance for your help.

Skin damage perhaps? and if so what you think could heal the skin and what mechanism could have damaged that specific skin?

If brain related.. what is the area of the brain that would receive sensation from genitals?

I guess so, but I also wanted to know what helped.

This medications injured, not only brain but my body too. Is so sad

I stopped ad's 1,5 y ago and off benzo's since 6 months.

My condition only gets worse to the point I am almost bedridden.

Total emotional and sexual dysfunction,,dysautonomia, nerve pain, head pressure, light sensitivity... The list goes on.

Currently more concerned about the physical agony..

Nothing improves, what can I do? I fear for my life honestly. Like I had a very hard concussion.

Improvement in PSSD Symptoms After St. John’s Wort (SJW) – My Experience So Far

Hi, 32M here.

I developed what appears to be PSSD after taking Escitalopram for around 8 months in 2024. After withdrawal, I experienced:

Complete loss of libido

Erectile dysfunction

Weak orgasm

Reduced semen volume

Emotional blunting

My labs at that time showed:

LH and FSH at the lower edge of normal

Testosterone below normal range

I tried many supplements and eventually Clomiphene citrate. Testosterone increased, but symptoms barely changed. Some supplements gave mild improvement, but nothing major.

Later I tried inositol, which completely crashed me again.

Then used, bupropion but its effects diminished, I used only 75mg.

Recently I decided to carefully try St. John's wort because I had read mixed experiences online and was honestly scared to use it. I started slowly and have now been taking 1000 mg daily (morning and night) for about two weeks.

So far I’ve noticed:

General physical health improvement

Skin tone returning closer to normal

Full morning erections returning

Better erections during sex

Stronger orgasm sensation

Slight increase in libido

Increased semen volume

More enjoyment and emotional response during intimacy

This is the first thing since withdrawal that has produced noticeable changes beyond just testosterone numbers.

I know two weeks is still early, and I understand SJW can also affect serotonin systems, so I’m being cautious. My plan right now is:

avoid adding multiple supplements

continue stable dosing

focus on sleep, exercise, and recovery

monitor for any crash or emotional changes

Has anyone else with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction or PSSD experienced improvement from SJW? Especially regarding:

libido

genital sensitivity

orgasm quality

emotional connection

erectile function

Would appreciate hearing long-term experiences, positive or negative.

If one goes back into my history, they'll see I've sought treatment for PSSD for a few years now. Unfortunately none of it was specific for PSSD, just ED or sexual problems.

Now I (24M) flew across the country from Philadelphia to San Diego to see Dr Irwin Goldstein. Although he is rather expensive, he is very passionate and knowledgeable about PSSD. I could tell when I first met him and in the consultation period. In the most important test, they ran multiple intensive ultrasounds on me and found fibrosis and scarring in my penis. This was surprising because I didn't think this was possible at my young age and because I actually had some erections prior even on the drugs.

Unfortunately the only treatment they recommended was shockwave. I tried one and it was not comfortable. There was a nurse who spent 10-15 minutes applying around 1000 heavy shocks up and down my genital area. She then told me I should get more and it would take periods of months.

These discoveries are important. They show that it is not "just in my head" like another Doctor told me. The worst part is that the only likely treatment is shockwave and that is expensive, uncomfortable, and rare. I should not require these treatments to regain my natural health but this is the life we are forced to live. I am also uncertain that the shockwaves would even eliminate the problem.

If any male members tried shockwave, I would greatly appreciate their insights. I will keep this sub updated for as long as I am able.

Hello, guys.

I suspect that I might have PSSD. 2 years and 3 months ago I got off SNRI meds which I was on for 10 months.

But I'm not completely sure. Let me ask you a question. Do PSSD completely turn off your libido forever AT THE moment you start taking it, or it allows you to have some periods that you have very intense libido BOTH during the period you take the med and after you stop. Just fluctuating...?

How does this condition work?

Either Lexapro or Prozac gave me PSSD. I’m 18(F), I was put on SSRIs when I was 12 years old, blah blah my life is hell, etc. etc.

I quit Lexapro cold turkey two years ago and both my PSSD and general mental health got much, much worse. Both are terrible at this point and I cannot live this way, so I’m thinking of starting Pristiq as a sort of last resort. (SNRI)

Not that my PSSD can get any worse (because it CANT!😊), but you all know that starting another antidepressant after getting your life torn away from you is terrifying. I’m worried that there’s a chance that starting another antidepressant could limit the possibility of future recovery.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Should I consider ketamine therapy before going back to antidepressants? I know we’re all speculating, but I’d appreciate any input or personal experience.

By the way, stay strong guys. We go through so much and I know very few people could possibly understand but life is still so beautiful around us. I know this condition is blinding and terrible and scary and beyond upsetting, and my heart goes out to each and every one of you. There are so many more pleasures in this life than sexual ones and we gotta seek ‘em out or this bullshit will win and we can’t let that happen. Love to you all.

I’ve been off SSRIs for 6 months now & still feeling all the same sexual bullshit. It sucks.

I had my testosterone measured, it was pretty low (~250). Have other men in this community tried TRT? I’ve read interesting research that SSRIs can lower T levels in men which would certainly contribute to all of the sexual side effects. I’m not used to feeling this way, I was an absolute machine sexually until about 26 years old, so this is pretty depressing for me & it’s more depressing than before I even started these meds.

The rest of my life is honestly pretty good aside from anxiety and depression so I want to start dating but I have no idea how I’d find someone who’s fine with a guy who can’t really do PIV. Through a combination of daily Cialis and natural recovery over three years I can finally get it all the way up again (especially if lying down) but it goes away quickly without constant stimulation so I don’t think I can have sex. I’m mostly looking for companionship and non-sexual intimacy but I still get turned on and would love to satisfy a woman in other ways but I’m 34 with really limited experience (I have autism and social anxiety) so I don’t know how and I’m worried I’ll just embarrass myself. I really don’t want to be alone forever

FWIW I’m hopeful we’ll see new treatments for ED in the future

Since is interested in reducing ssri harms:maybe he might be interested in going further than prevention and try to help create treatments as well as research into ssri-harms biological mechanisms which also might aid both the potential of developing á cure and aid prevention by figuring out who is susceptible to getting pssd from ssri usage, which inevitably will continue on a mass scale even after rfk leaves office due to entrenched interests of pharma, and a psychiatry dependent on embracing medications for their own relevance and legitimacy. Drugs are also a cheap "solution"to human suffering. I am not an american,if anyone can contact the rfk office and explain to them that this would help them achieve their goals. ideally they should think about that populist movements like his die out and their politics gets undone by the next administration or later,its in his interest that he leaves behind solutions that can never be taken away. pssd stories makes his aggressive deprescribing campaign more humane and credible hpefully he actually cares about helping those that are damaged.

PSSD sufferer, Lauren Friedman, recently spoke at the MAHA Summit for Mental Health and Overmedicalization about her life with PSSD. It has since gone viral with over 400k views, 16k likes and 17k shares. Please consider liking, commenting, and sharing this type of representation. From what we heard, the reception in the room was shock, horror, and a drive towards correcting this. This is what will make change happen.