Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
My name is Stephen, and I’m writing to you from the United States about a devastating and still largely unacknowledged condition known as Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). I know you’ve faced considerable backlash for speaking publicly about the risks of antidepressants, and I want to thank you for your courage. Your willingness to challenge dominant medical narratives is rare and deeply appreciated by many of us who have been harmed and silenced.
PSSD is a condition that causes persistent sexual, cognitive, and emotional dysfunction following the use—and especially the discontinuation—of SSRIs or SNRIs. It has quietly dismantled thousands of lives, including my own.
In 2007, I was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety and remained on it for over 15 years. After a slow and supervised taper in 2023, I briefly restarted the drug for one week after being encouraged by a therapist. I experienced immediate side effects—insomnia and night sweats—and stopped. Ten days later, I lost all sexual function overnight. But that was only the beginning.
Since October 2023, just before my 38th birthday, I’ve been living with:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Total genital numbness and shrinkage
- Pleasureless ejaculation and reduced semen volume
- Loss of libido and sexual desire
- Emotional numbness, including inability to feel love or sadness
- Severe memory loss, brain fog, and cognitive dysfunction
- Derealization and disconnection from reality
- Physical numbness in hands and feet
- No hunger, thirst, or satiety cues
- Low testosterone, hair loss, and extreme fatigue
- Sleep disruption and circadian dysfunction
- Difficulty forming thoughts or speaking clearly
PSSD is not just about sexual dysfunction—it is a complete erasure of identity for many sufferers. I have lost my ability to feel emotions, to connect with others, to think clearly, to experience my own body or even the world around me. It is as though my entire human experience has been flattened and numbed. Before this, I was active, creative, social, and emotionally rich. Now I feel like a ghost of the person I was.
While some individuals do report partial or full recovery over time, many others, like myself, have seen no improvement—or are even worsening. There is no reliable treatment. No medical consensus. No roadmap. Most doctors dismiss us or admit they have never heard of the condition. And yet, the suffering is real, severe, and tragically underreported. Some have died by suicide.
I believe the public deserves to know this is happening—and that those harmed deserve recognition, validation, and hope. Given your history of speaking out despite criticism, I believe your voice could be especially powerful in helping expose this issue, particularly in Poland where conversations around mental health and pharmaceuticals are still evolving.
Below are resources and medical literature on PSSD if you’d like to learn more:
- https://www.pssdnetwork.org
- https://rxisk.org/post-ssri-sexual-dysfunction-pssd/
- https://www.pssdnetwork.org/literature
- https://rxisk.org/pssd-literature/
- https://www.pssd-uk.org
- https://www.pssdcanada.ca
- https://pssd-hilfe.jimdofree.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/ (Over 16,000 members)
If there is anything you can do to help, it would be deeply appreciated.
Thank you again for your willingness to explore difficult truths. If you ever wish to speak further or need more information, I would be grateful to hear from you.
