This explains my entire adult life: I was on Effexor years before I ever became involved with anyone. Hearing that the side effects may be permanent is somewhat depressing, to put it mildly.

As a former patient and young man who has been on exactly every SSRI drug, I find this deeply troubling. No one has to tell me about this particular effect. Every, and I repeat, every SSRI drug I took (which is all of them) completely obliterated my sex drive and caused sexual dysfunction. My Harvard-faculty psychiatrist did not believe me early on many years ago, because the profession hadn't admitted to itself yet this problem existed. The dysfunction always continued for several months past the time I stopped the drug, but I'm sure that had something to do with the protracted withdrawal reactions I often had.

And in light of this obscene news about Nemeroff, you have to wonder. Is someone at the complete height of recognition in his field who is getting paid well well over 2 million dollars by these companies going to give a shit-enough to study the side effects of these drugs they so vigorously deny? The answer is no. But I hope Nemeroff's descent into his own self-created pit of scientific and professional ruin will speed the process along.

You look at real medical specialties and you see comparatively little contoversy and general good results for patients, considering many factors. But this is a totally different story. At this point psychiatry has little credibility and while the more thoughtful practioners recognize most or all of what is wrong, they always want to preserve in a self-defeating way vestiges of the things that don't work because -- 'well, maybe we can have serious change in someone else's lifetime.'

Psychiatry suffers from an excess of unuseful information and a lack of science and it's patients suffer.

Dearest Philip:

I guess this another one of those post I won't be getting excited, stimulated,, standing at attention, or winking at gopher holes over. And just when you start to think it is safe to cross the street as a bipolar too {laughing}. I'm sure the next bit of bad news streaming down the pipeline will be abnormal hair growth in unsightly places. Sure glad I stay far away from those pesky anti-depressants {smirk}.
Yours Truly,
Stan

70 percent. Wow. I know I have had some trouble in the past when on different antidepressants. Prozac was the worst by far. I am now on Wellbutrin and have no trouble at all. I can also say that the troubles I had with other medicines all subsided when the med got out of my system.

Actually, Effexor not only raised my depressive "floor", making living each day worth while, but it has taken the neediness and anxiety out of my sexuality. Now for me, sex is a beautiful bonus, and not a soul-crusher when absent. So, for me at least, the side effect is a very welcome one!