Guest guest Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 proviron. increases free testosterone especially. Antidepressants bind testosterone. the way to get it can be found in any bodybuilding gym i should imagine just ask the biggest s. o. b. there discretely. > > dx: C-PTSD, OCD, Bipolar (some kind). > > Long story short, I had an extremely acute mixed manic episode triggered by a high dose of Effexor (300 mg per day). I was told to stop taking the Effexor cold turkey. About a week later, the mania got so bad that I drove myself to emerge. While I was on the highway, my vision got extremely blurry and I started blacking out (in and out, never completely) so I pulled off to the side of the road and called an ambulance to take me the rest of the way. I was committed on an involuntary basis for about one month. The OCD became very bad as well and seemed to get much worse as I was becoming less manic (possibly it was just that the subject matter was different). Certainly the episode has inflamed the OCD. I became depressed and once again committed myself to a psych. ward (this time on a voluntary basis). This particular unit was not for acute care but they accepted me nonetheless. I was discharged (again) a couple of months ago. I am currently taking lamotrigine (100mg daily) and lorazepam PRNs. > > My mood is basically under control but the OCD is very bad right now. I believe that I also have OCPD tendencies, although this has not been formally diagnosed. Prior to the acute AD-induced mania, I would have moments of peace (even lengthy ones) throughout the day, but there has not even been one moment of peace since I had that episode. I'm at a point where the psychiatric recommendation is that I go on a cocktail of meds to control the manic symptoms and help with the OCD and related anxiety. Here's the catch: I have the following persistent symptoms that have developed from over 8 years of being on and off of Paxil, Effexor and Celexa (Wellbutrin should not have had an effect). > > - Very low libido. > - Premature ejaculation. > - Difficulty starting an erection and keeping it going. > - Decreased response to sexual stimuli. > - No or very little experience of pleasure during orgasm. > - Reduced semen volume. > > I have been on no antidepressants for about one year now and these symptoms have persisted (they have persisted in the past as well). Everytime I discontunue an SSRI, the sexual dysfunction that I experienced while on the med not only remains but other symptoms of sexual dysfunction all of a sudden come up. I have had several opportunities to have sex from the age of 14 (when I started on Paxil - my first AD) and never capitalized on any of them due to my OCD tendencies (because of the ongoing sexual dysfunction the requisite conditions that I fealt were necessary for me to go through with it were always absent). I even avoided any kind of relationship for the same reasons. I had none of these issues before I took any antidepressants and I think that this problem is much more common than most people realize. Some psychiatrists have admitted that it might be the cause of the dysfunction (although it is apparently " extremely rare " and I get the sense the kind of have their doubts) while others have flatly denied it and seem completely disinterested in even the prospect that it might be true (perhaps they are too invested in what they do and in the scripts that they have written). > > Especially after that manic episode, the OCD has turned basically purely-obsessional. To escape the anxiety I construct elaborate fantasies in my mind and live in those fantasies (it's like a mental compulsion). The moment I return back to the real world, I am bombarded with anxious thoughts. Sometimes it gets so bad that I expereince fragments of thoughts (before one can finish another begins). At least that's what it seems like. > > The worst thing is that my obsessions are mainly about my health. It's always excessive and sometimes irrational (like I might feel uncertain about getting lead poisoning as a child since I use to bite on pencils and pens and got ink in my mouth on a few separate occasions). But the PSSD is real. When I try to talk to a psychiatrist about it though, they are automatically skeptical because of how I am. I remember when I discontinued Paxil when I was in grade 10. I remember the day. Not only did the sexual side effects that existed while I was on the drug remain but I now also had acute penile sensitivity, acute premature ejaculation (like 4 to 6 seconds max) and semen was very weird and there wasn't much of it. This got a little better over time (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's where the progress stopped and all of the symptoms seemed to continue. The same thing happened last year when I got off of Celexa and I believe also with Effexor (discontinued even earlier that year) but I recall it being somehow different with Effexor. It's hard to remember exactly with the Effexor because I was completely out of my mind and I felt hypersexual due to the mania. I think I still had premature ejaculation problems but the erections might have been okay after the Effexor. But there's too many factors to consider. The point is, certainly after Celexa (later that year), the same thing happened over again with the PE and the sensitivity and the semen being weird and the other side effects remaining (shitty erections that are hard to keep, low libido, etc.). The sexual dysfunction is now worse than it ever was previously. > > I have some other worries that I feel are also rational and would be consistent with the possibility of the antidepressants lowering testosterone levels. As an example, my legs are full of coarse, dark, long hair. They're loaded with it. These are terminal hairs. It is the increase in androgenic hormones (mainly dihydrotestosterone, which comes from testosterone, and testosterone itself). These hairs came in before I started on Paxil (my first SSRI). For around 90% of the time from 14 to 22 years of age, I was on some SSRI/SNRI. Even though my legs are full of these hairs, I have few chest hairs (literally) and very little facial hair. In fact, I had a " surge " of facial hair grow in last year after I discontinued the Effexor cold turkey and this is when the few chest hairs grew in as well (before then I just had two long black hairs on each nipple). A bunch of long, black hairs also popped up spontaneously at the extremities of each of my shoulders. At the time, I remember thinking to myself and telling my psychologist that these hairs must be growing in because I'm growing as a person (I thought that some kind of transformation was happening, like a was becoming a super hero or something). I was very manic at the time. > > I guess I'm wondering if all of this is somehow related to having lower testosterone levels while on the antidepressants. It doesn't make sense that I have so much terminal hair on my legs and that this is so inconsistent with other parts of my body. The chronology of events (along with the awkward growth pattern described above - at age 22) makes the whole thing kind of suspect. I've also heard that SSRIs have caused permanent low-T for many people (or lower than what they would have had). > > This whole thing has just been a terrible experience. Especially for someone like me... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 hi! i read your post and i can only imagine what you are going through. although i had a manic episode too. i had a psychosis when i was 19. drug and alcohol induced + sleep deprivation. i was hospitalised and put on antipsychotics along with ssris. there were a lot of drugs. i dont remember all of them. after discharge i was on prozac for the longest period of time. about 1 yr. then my doc switched to cipralex which gave me some skin problems so i stopped that and went on fevarin. i was on ssris for about 2 yrs. now im almost 24 yrs old. i am almost fully recovered. its been about 1.5yr that im off ssris. your story is much scarrier. it makes me feel very sad because we are practically peers by age and these should be the best days of your life.but dont give up. find someone who cares. your body is a very resiliant thing. have faith. try to live as healthy as u can. i read u have anxiety and ocd. try to put them under control. i cant tell u how. i have a close friend with ocd,but nothing as severe as u described.but i know that there are safe drugs for anxiety. i was on one of them,its called rivotril in my country. (croatia) i had no side-effects on that. i hope u will get well. best wishes, jinx > > dx: C-PTSD, OCD, Bipolar (some kind). > > Long story short, I had an extremely acute mixed manic episode triggered by a high dose of Effexor (300 mg per day). I was told to stop taking the Effexor cold turkey. About a week later, the mania got so bad that I drove myself to emerge. While I was on the highway, my vision got extremely blurry and I started blacking out (in and out, never completely) so I pulled off to the side of the road and called an ambulance to take me the rest of the way. I was committed on an involuntary basis for about one month. The OCD became very bad as well and seemed to get much worse as I was becoming less manic (possibly it was just that the subject matter was different). Certainly the episode has inflamed the OCD. I became depressed and once again committed myself to a psych. ward (this time on a voluntary basis). This particular unit was not for acute care but they accepted me nonetheless. I was discharged (again) a couple of months ago. I am currently taking lamotrigine (100mg daily) and lorazepam PRNs. > > My mood is basically under control but the OCD is very bad right now. I believe that I also have OCPD tendencies, although this has not been formally diagnosed. Prior to the acute AD-induced mania, I would have moments of peace (even lengthy ones) throughout the day, but there has not even been one moment of peace since I had that episode. I'm at a point where the psychiatric recommendation is that I go on a cocktail of meds to control the manic symptoms and help with the OCD and related anxiety. Here's the catch: I have the following persistent symptoms that have developed from over 8 years of being on and off of Paxil, Effexor and Celexa (Wellbutrin should not have had an effect). > > - Very low libido. > - Premature ejaculation. > - Difficulty starting an erection and keeping it going. > - Decreased response to sexual stimuli. > - No or very little experience of pleasure during orgasm. > - Reduced semen volume. > > I have been on no antidepressants for about one year now and these symptoms have persisted (they have persisted in the past as well). Everytime I discontunue an SSRI, the sexual dysfunction that I experienced while on the med not only remains but other symptoms of sexual dysfunction all of a sudden come up. I have had several opportunities to have sex from the age of 14 (when I started on Paxil - my first AD) and never capitalized on any of them due to my OCD tendencies (because of the ongoing sexual dysfunction the requisite conditions that I fealt were necessary for me to go through with it were always absent). I even avoided any kind of relationship for the same reasons. I had none of these issues before I took any antidepressants and I think that this problem is much more common than most people realize. Some psychiatrists have admitted that it might be the cause of the dysfunction (although it is apparently " extremely rare " and I get the sense the kind of have their doubts) while others have flatly denied it and seem completely disinterested in even the prospect that it might be true (perhaps they are too invested in what they do and in the scripts that they have written). > > Especially after that manic episode, the OCD has turned basically purely-obsessional. To escape the anxiety I construct elaborate fantasies in my mind and live in those fantasies (it's like a mental compulsion). The moment I return back to the real world, I am bombarded with anxious thoughts. Sometimes it gets so bad that I expereince fragments of thoughts (before one can finish another begins). At least that's what it seems like. > > The worst thing is that my obsessions are mainly about my health. It's always excessive and sometimes irrational (like I might feel uncertain about getting lead poisoning as a child since I use to bite on pencils and pens and got ink in my mouth on a few separate occasions). But the PSSD is real. When I try to talk to a psychiatrist about it though, they are automatically skeptical because of how I am. I remember when I discontinued Paxil when I was in grade 10. I remember the day. Not only did the sexual side effects that existed while I was on the drug remain but I now also had acute penile sensitivity, acute premature ejaculation (like 4 to 6 seconds max) and semen was very weird and there wasn't much of it. This got a little better over time (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's where the progress stopped and all of the symptoms seemed to continue. The same thing happened last year when I got off of Celexa and I believe also with Effexor (discontinued even earlier that year) but I recall it being somehow different with Effexor. It's hard to remember exactly with the Effexor because I was completely out of my mind and I felt hypersexual due to the mania. I think I still had premature ejaculation problems but the erections might have been okay after the Effexor. But there's too many factors to consider. The point is, certainly after Celexa (later that year), the same thing happened over again with the PE and the sensitivity and the semen being weird and the other side effects remaining (shitty erections that are hard to keep, low libido, etc.). The sexual dysfunction is now worse than it ever was previously. > > I have some other worries that I feel are also rational and would be consistent with the possibility of the antidepressants lowering testosterone levels. As an example, my legs are full of coarse, dark, long hair. They're loaded with it. These are terminal hairs. It is the increase in androgenic hormones (mainly dihydrotestosterone, which comes from testosterone, and testosterone itself). These hairs came in before I started on Paxil (my first SSRI). For around 90% of the time from 14 to 22 years of age, I was on some SSRI/SNRI. Even though my legs are full of these hairs, I have few chest hairs (literally) and very little facial hair. In fact, I had a " surge " of facial hair grow in last year after I discontinued the Effexor cold turkey and this is when the few chest hairs grew in as well (before then I just had two long black hairs on each nipple). A bunch of long, black hairs also popped up spontaneously at the extremities of each of my shoulders. At the time, I remember thinking to myself and telling my psychologist that these hairs must be growing in because I'm growing as a person (I thought that some kind of transformation was happening, like a was becoming a super hero or something). I was very manic at the time. > > I guess I'm wondering if all of this is somehow related to having lower testosterone levels while on the antidepressants. It doesn't make sense that I have so much terminal hair on my legs and that this is so inconsistent with other parts of my body. The chronology of events (along with the awkward growth pattern described above - at age 22) makes the whole thing kind of suspect. I've also heard that SSRIs have caused permanent low-T for many people (or lower than what they would have had). > > This whole thing has just been a terrible experience. Especially for someone like me... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 I have severe OCD and minor bipolar. been hospitalized for it 3 times in my life. I have been working hard on my OCD in some on line support groups that I found extremely helpful. I never thought I could get better and I did, I am functioning and working. I read freedom from obsessive compulsive disorder, great book, recommend it. If you are interested email me personally and maybe I can direct you to other helpful hints. The meds are awful and have helped the OCD but ruined some many other areas in my life. Subject: Please help.To: SSRIsex Date: Friday, May 8, 2009, 3:51 PM dx: C-PTSD, OCD, Bipolar (some kind).Long story short, I had an extremely acute mixed manic episode triggered by a high dose of Effexor (300 mg per day). I was told to stop taking the Effexor cold turkey. About a week later, the mania got so bad that I drove myself to emerge. While I was on the highway, my vision got extremely blurry and I started blacking out (in and out, never completely) so I pulled off to the side of the road and called an ambulance to take me the rest of the way. I was committed on an involuntary basis for about one month. The OCD became very bad as well and seemed to get much worse as I was becoming less manic (possibly it was just that the subject matter was different). Certainly the episode has inflamed the OCD. I became depressed and once again committed myself to a psych. ward (this time on a voluntary basis). This particular unit was not for acute care but they accepted me nonetheless. I was discharged (again) a couple of months ago. I am currently taking lamotrigine (100mg daily) and lorazepam PRNs.My mood is basically under control but the OCD is very bad right now. I believe that I also have OCPD tendencies, although this has not been formally diagnosed. Prior to the acute AD-induced mania, I would have moments of peace (even lengthy ones) throughout the day, but there has not even been one moment of peace since I had that episode. I'm at a point where the psychiatric recommendation is that I go on a cocktail of meds to control the manic symptoms and help with the OCD and related anxiety. Here's the catch: I have the following persistent symptoms that have developed from over 8 years of being on and off of Paxil, Effexor and Celexa (Wellbutrin should not have had an effect).- Very low libido.- Premature ejaculation.- Difficulty starting an erection and keeping it going.- Decreased response to sexual stimuli.- No or very little experience of pleasure during orgasm.- Reduced semen volume.I have been on no antidepressants for about one year now and these symptoms have persisted (they have persisted in the past as well). Everytime I discontunue an SSRI, the sexual dysfunction that I experienced while on the med not only remains but other symptoms of sexual dysfunction all of a sudden come up. I have had several opportunities to have sex from the age of 14 (when I started on Paxil - my first AD) and never capitalized on any of them due to my OCD tendencies (because of the ongoing sexual dysfunction the requisite conditions that I fealt were necessary for me to go through with it were always absent). I even avoided any kind of relationship for the same reasons. I had none of these issues before I took any antidepressants and I think that this problem is much more common than most people realize. Some psychiatrists have admitted that it might be the cause of the dysfunction (although it is apparently "extremely rare" and I get the sense the kind of have their doubts) while others have flatly denied it and seem completely disinterested in even the prospect that it might be true (perhaps they are too invested in what they do and in the scripts that they have written).Especially after that manic episode, the OCD has turned basically purely-obsessional. To escape the anxiety I construct elaborate fantasies in my mind and live in those fantasies (it's like a mental compulsion). The moment I return back to the real world, I am bombarded with anxious thoughts. Sometimes it gets so bad that I expereince fragments of thoughts (before one can finish another begins). At least that's what it seems like.The worst thing is that my obsessions are mainly about my health. It's always excessive and sometimes irrational (like I might feel uncertain about getting lead poisoning as a child since I use to bite on pencils and pens and got ink in my mouth on a few separate occasions). But the PSSD is real. When I try to talk to a psychiatrist about it though, they are automatically skeptical because of how I am. I remember when I discontinued Paxil when I was in grade 10. I remember the day. Not only did the sexual side effects that existed while I was on the drug remain but I now also had acute penile sensitivity, acute premature ejaculation (like 4 to 6 seconds max) and semen was very weird and there wasn't much of it. This got a little better over time (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's where the progress stopped and all of the symptoms seemed to continue. The same thing happened last year when I got off of Celexa and I believe also with Effexor (discontinued even earlier that year) but I recall it being somehow different with Effexor. It's hard to remember exactly with the Effexor because I was completely out of my mind and I felt hypersexual due to the mania. I think I still had premature ejaculation problems but the erections might have been okay after the Effexor. But there's too many factors to consider. The point is, certainly after Celexa (later that year), the same thing happened over again with the PE and the sensitivity and the semen being weird and the other side effects remaining (shitty erections that are hard to keep, low libido, etc.). The sexual dysfunction is now worse than it ever was previously.I have some other worries that I feel are also rational and would be consistent with the possibility of the antidepressants lowering testosterone levels. As an example, my legs are full of coarse, dark, long hair. They're loaded with it. These are terminal hairs. It is the increase in androgenic hormones (mainly dihydrotestosterone , which comes from testosterone, and testosterone itself). These hairs came in before I started on Paxil (my first SSRI). For around 90% of the time from 14 to 22 years of age, I was on some SSRI/SNRI. Even though my legs are full of these hairs, I have few chest hairs (literally) and very little facial hair. In fact, I had a "surge" of facial hair grow in last year after I discontinued the Effexor cold turkey and this is when the few chest hairs grew in as well (before then I just had two long black hairs on each nipple). A bunch of long, black hairs also popped up spontaneously at the extremities of each of my shoulders. At the time, I remember thinking to myself and telling my psychologist that these hairs must be growing in because I'm growing as a person (I thought that some kind of transformation was happening, like a was becoming a super hero or something). I was very manic at the time.I guess I'm wondering if all of this is somehow related to having lower testosterone levels while on the antidepressants. It doesn't make sense that I have so much terminal hair on my legs and that this is so inconsistent with other parts of my body. The chronology of events (along with the awkward growth pattern described above - at age 22) makes the whole thing kind of suspect. I've also heard that SSRIs have caused permanent low-T for many people (or lower than what they would have had).This whole thing has just been a terrible experience. Especially for someone like me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Hi Shane, if the leg hair grew before you started taking antidepressants and the other hair came only after you stopped, it does sound like they dropped your testosterone levels, or maybe they just played around with the system a bit. Also, in general leg hair is more prevalent than other bodily hair, at least in my experience it arrived first and is the thickest, so it might be nothing at all but a normal growing process.Your experiences with getting worse after you've come off SSRIs sound familiar, but I can only really compare it to a drug comedown. When you're taking antidepressants, while they may be creating problems, the serotonin is elevated and so there is always some saving grace, but when you stop there's no such thing and your mind is left raw and to its' own designs. The problems will always persist but when they start to get better it's a whole system thing, not just an artificial perk up. The sobriety route is the hardest but the most effective.Vinky was talking about Clonazepam, a benzo, just to clarify his statement since I doubt you live in Croatia I've had anxiety but not OCD so I can't really relate, but I'm naturally against taking a cocktail of drugs for a condition, both because it's a ball & chain and it has the potential to do more damage. That one's up to you to decide.Hope any of this helped, I didn't quite know how to respond to your post. From: shane.caplan <shane.caplan@ yahoo.com>Subject: Please help.To: SSRIsex@yahoogroups .comDate: Friday, May 8, 2009, 3:51 PM dx: C-PTSD, OCD, Bipolar (some kind).Long story short, I had an extremely acute mixed manic episode triggered by a high dose of Effexor (300 mg per day). I was told to stop taking the Effexor cold turkey. About a week later, the mania got so bad that I drove myself to emerge. While I was on the highway, my vision got extremely blurry and I started blacking out (in and out, never completely) so I pulled off to the side of the road and called an ambulance to take me the rest of the way. I was committed on an involuntary basis for about one month. The OCD became very bad as well and seemed to get much worse as I was becoming less manic (possibly it was just that the subject matter was different). Certainly the episode has inflamed the OCD. I became depressed and once again committed myself to a psych. ward (this time on a voluntary basis). This particular unit was not for acute care but they accepted me nonetheless. I was discharged (again) a couple of months ago. I am currently taking lamotrigine (100mg daily) and lorazepam PRNs.My mood is basically under control but the OCD is very bad right now. I believe that I also have OCPD tendencies, although this has not been formally diagnosed. Prior to the acute AD-induced mania, I would have moments of peace (even lengthy ones) throughout the day, but there has not even been one moment of peace since I had that episode.. I'm at a point where the psychiatric recommendation is that I go on a cocktail of meds to control the manic symptoms and help with the OCD and related anxiety. Here's the catch: I have the following persistent symptoms that have developed from over 8 years of being on and off of Paxil, Effexor and Celexa (Wellbutrin should not have had an effect).- Very low libido.- Premature ejaculation.- Difficulty starting an erection and keeping it going.- Decreased response to sexual stimuli.- No or very little experience of pleasure during orgasm.- Reduced semen volume.I have been on no antidepressants for about one year now and these symptoms have persisted (they have persisted in the past as well). Everytime I discontunue an SSRI, the sexual dysfunction that I experienced while on the med not only remains but other symptoms of sexual dysfunction all of a sudden come up. I have had several opportunities to have sex from the age of 14 (when I started on Paxil - my first AD) and never capitalized on any of them due to my OCD tendencies (because of the ongoing sexual dysfunction the requisite conditions that I fealt were necessary for me to go through with it were always absent). I even avoided any kind of relationship for the same reasons. I had none of these issues before I took any antidepressants and I think that this problem is much more common than most people realize. Some psychiatrists have admitted that it might be the cause of the dysfunction (although it is apparently "extremely rare" and I get the sense the kind of have their doubts) while others have flatly denied it and seem completely disinterested in even the prospect that it might be true (perhaps they are too invested in what they do and in the scripts that they have written).Especially after that manic episode, the OCD has turned basically purely-obsessional. To escape the anxiety I construct elaborate fantasies in my mind and live in those fantasies (it's like a mental compulsion). The moment I return back to the real world, I am bombarded with anxious thoughts. Sometimes it gets so bad that I expereince fragments of thoughts (before one can finish another begins). At least that's what it seems like.The worst thing is that my obsessions are mainly about my health. It's always excessive and sometimes irrational (like I might feel uncertain about getting lead poisoning as a child since I use to bite on pencils and pens and got ink in my mouth on a few separate occasions). But the PSSD is real. When I try to talk to a psychiatrist about it though, they are automatically skeptical because of how I am. I remember when I discontinued Paxil when I was in grade 10. I remember the day. Not only did the sexual side effects that existed while I was on the drug remain but I now also had acute penile sensitivity, acute premature ejaculation (like 4 to 6 seconds max) and semen was very weird and there wasn't much of it. This got a little better over time (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's where the progress stopped and all of the symptoms seemed to continue. The same thing happened last year when I got off of Celexa and I believe also with Effexor (discontinued even earlier that year) but I recall it being somehow different with Effexor. It's hard to remember exactly with the Effexor because I was completely out of my mind and I felt hypersexual due to the mania. I think I still had premature ejaculation problems but the erections might have been okay after the Effexor. But there's too many factors to consider. The point is, certainly after Celexa (later that year), the same thing happened over again with the PE and the sensitivity and the semen being weird and the other side effects remaining (shitty erections that are hard to keep, low libido, etc.). The sexual dysfunction is now worse than it ever was previously.I have some other worries that I feel are also rational and would be consistent with the possibility of the antidepressants lowering testosterone levels. As an example, my legs are full of coarse, dark, long hair. They're loaded with it. These are terminal hairs. It is the increase in androgenic hormones (mainly dihydrotestosterone , which comes from testosterone, and testosterone itself). These hairs came in before I started on Paxil (my first SSRI). For around 90% of the time from 14 to 22 years of age, I was on some SSRI/SNRI. Even though my legs are full of these hairs, I have few chest hairs (literally) and very little facial hair. In fact, I had a "surge" of facial hair grow in last year after I discontinued the Effexor cold turkey and this is when the few chest hairs grew in as well (before then I just had two long black hairs on each nipple). A bunch of long, black hairs also popped up spontaneously at the extremities of each of my shoulders. At the time, I remember thinking to myself and telling my psychologist that these hairs must be growing in because I'm growing as a person (I thought that some kind of transformation was happening, like a was becoming a super hero or something). I was very manic at the time.I guess I'm wondering if all of this is somehow related to having lower testosterone levels while on the antidepressants. It doesn't make sense that I have so much terminal hair on my legs and that this is so inconsistent with other parts of my body. The chronology of events (along with the awkward growth pattern described above - at age 22) makes the whole thing kind of suspect. I've also heard that SSRIs have caused permanent low-T for many people (or lower than what they would have had).This whole thing has just been a terrible experience. Especially for someone like me... Chat right from the comfort of your inbox. Show me how.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thank you for the responses. I also remember after getting off Effexor the first time (before I went to university.. never finished) that my skin got very oily and my acne started coming back. I'm sure my hormones were messed around with. This is very depressing. I should go see an endocrinologist. > > From: shane.caplan <shane.caplan@ yahoo.com> > Subject: Please help. > To: SSRIsex@yahoogroups .com > Date: Friday, May 8, 2009, 3:51 PM > > > > > dx: C-PTSD, OCD, Bipolar (some kind). > > Long story short, I had an extremely acute mixed manic episode triggered by a high dose of Effexor (300 mg per day). I was told to stop taking the Effexor cold turkey. About a week later, the mania got so bad that I drove myself to emerge. While I was on the highway, my vision got extremely blurry and I started blacking out (in and out, never completely) so I pulled off to the side of the road and called an ambulance to take me the rest of the way. I was committed on an involuntary basis for about one month. The OCD became very bad as well and seemed to get much worse as I was becoming less manic (possibly it was just that the subject matter was different). Certainly the episode has inflamed the OCD. I became depressed and once again committed myself to a psych. ward (this time on a voluntary basis). This particular unit was not for acute care but they accepted me nonetheless. I was discharged (again) a > couple of months ago. I am currently taking lamotrigine (100mg daily) and lorazepam PRNs. > > My mood is basically under control but the OCD is very bad right now. I believe that I also have OCPD tendencies, although this has not been formally diagnosed. Prior to the acute AD-induced mania, I would have moments of peace (even lengthy ones) throughout the day, but there has not even been one moment of peace since I had that episode. I'm at a point where the psychiatric recommendation is that I go on a cocktail of meds to control the manic symptoms and help with the OCD and related anxiety. Here's the catch: I have the following persistent symptoms that have developed from over 8 years of being on and off of Paxil, Effexor and Celexa (Wellbutrin should not have had an effect). > > - Very low libido. > - Premature ejaculation. > - Difficulty starting an erection and keeping it going. > - Decreased response to sexual stimuli. > - No or very little > experience of pleasure during orgasm. > - Reduced semen volume. > > I have been on no antidepressants for about one year now and these symptoms have persisted (they have persisted in the past as well). Everytime I discontunue an SSRI, the sexual dysfunction that I experienced while on the med not only remains but other symptoms of sexual dysfunction all of a sudden come up. I have had several opportunities to have sex from the age of 14 (when I started on Paxil - my first AD) and never capitalized on any of them due to my OCD tendencies (because of the ongoing sexual dysfunction the requisite conditions that I fealt were necessary for me to go through with it were always absent). I even avoided any kind of relationship for the same reasons. I had none of these issues before I took any antidepressants and I think that this problem is much more common than most people realize. Some psychiatrists have admitted that it might be the cause of the > dysfunction (although it is apparently " extremely rare " and I get the sense the kind of have their doubts) while others have flatly denied it and seem completely disinterested in even the prospect that it might be true (perhaps they are too invested in what they do and in the scripts that they have written). > > Especially after that manic episode, the OCD has turned basically purely-obsessional. To escape the anxiety I construct elaborate fantasies in my mind and live in those fantasies (it's like a mental compulsion). The moment I return back to the real world, I am bombarded with anxious thoughts. Sometimes it gets so bad that I expereince fragments of thoughts (before one can finish another begins). At least that's what it seems like. > > The worst thing is that my obsessions are mainly about my health. It's always excessive and sometimes irrational (like I might feel uncertain about getting lead poisoning as a child since I use to bite on > pencils and pens and got ink in my mouth on a few separate occasions). But the PSSD is real. When I try to talk to a psychiatrist about it though, they are automatically skeptical because of how I am. I remember when I discontinued Paxil when I was in grade 10. I remember the day. Not only did the sexual side effects that existed while I was on the drug remain but I now also had acute penile sensitivity, acute premature ejaculation (like 4 to 6 seconds max) and semen was very weird and there wasn't much of it. This got a little better over time (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's where the progress stopped and all of the symptoms seemed to continue. The same thing happened last year when I got off of Celexa and I believe also with Effexor (discontinued even earlier that year) but I recall it being somehow different with Effexor. It's hard to remember exactly with the Effexor because I was completely out of my mind and I felt hypersexual due to the > mania. I think I still had premature ejaculation problems but the erections might have been okay after the Effexor. But there's too many factors to consider. The point is, certainly after Celexa (later that year), the same thing happened over again with the PE and the sensitivity and the semen being weird and the other side effects remaining (shitty erections that are hard to keep, low libido, etc.). The sexual dysfunction is now worse than it ever was previously. > > I have some other worries that I feel are also rational and would be consistent with the possibility of the antidepressants lowering testosterone levels. As an example, my legs are full of coarse, dark, long hair. They're loaded with it. These are terminal hairs. It is the increase in androgenic hormones (mainly dihydrotestosterone , which comes from testosterone, and testosterone itself). These hairs came in before I started on Paxil (my first SSRI). For around 90% of the time from 14 > to 22 years of age, I was on some SSRI/SNRI. Even though my legs are full of these hairs, I have few chest hairs (literally) and very little facial hair. In fact, I had a " surge " of facial hair grow in last year after I discontinued the Effexor cold turkey and this is when the few chest hairs grew in as well (before then I just had two long black hairs on each nipple). A bunch of long, black hairs also popped up spontaneously at the extremities of each of my shoulders. At the time, I remember thinking to myself and telling my psychologist that these hairs must be growing in because I'm growing as a person (I thought that some kind of transformation was happening, like a was becoming a super hero or something). I was very manic at the time. > > I guess I'm wondering if all of this is somehow related to having lower testosterone levels while on the antidepressants. It doesn't make sense that I have so much terminal hair on my legs and that this is so > inconsistent with other parts of my body. The chronology of events (along with the awkward growth pattern described above - at age 22) makes the whole thing kind of suspect. I've also heard that SSRIs have caused permanent low-T for many people (or lower than what they would have had). > > This whole thing has just been a terrible experience. Especially for someone like me... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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