virtually everyone I've talked to who's been on SSRIs complain of sexual dysfunction...I think 50% is low. I've been saying about 70% for many years...

I have a notable exception to this with a girlfriend in college who went on Zoloft and had spontaneous uncontrollable orgasms on it...she didn't stay on it for that reason!!

I have encountered many of the permanently dysfunctional even after withdrawal in the drug withdrawal circles I travel in...that too is probably higher than understood.

Also it's not talked about as frequently but neuroleptics cause sexual dysfunction too. I did not regain complete sexual function until off both SSRI's and neuroleptics...there was some improvement after the SSRI withdrawal, but boy when I got off the neuroleptics it was a shocking difference because I thought I was the way I was since I had only heard that ADs do it, not the neuroleptics...

drugs numb body mind and soul...there is no disputing this.

Carey Goldberg who wrote the Globe article deserves a lot of credit for hammering away at some of the issues around antidepressants in particular. He has done several good articles. This one about persistent sexual dysfunction is really about something that needs to stop being brushed under the rug. Talk about depressing!

Stands to reason, if you take the wheels off a bike you cannot ride it, nothing more frustrating, particularly if you have been entered into a cycling race.

Frustration breeds anger.

And what of the woman? How neglegted must she feel as her advances to her partner prove fruitless [pun intended]

This isn't bad news for Pharma, it's another 'ailment' they can target.

Taking SSRi's means your train remains on the platform, the only time you enter the tunnel is when you try tapering off the bloody things, and then you are merely searching for a way out of that tunnel... it's the longest tunnel I have ever ventured down.

I'm lucky, I saw the pinprick of light at the end of my tunnel, I walked slowly and precariously until the light became bigger and I reached the other side.

Pharma suppress data, they also suppress the wolf, keeping him from the door so to speak.

Fid

"Psychologist Audrey Bahrick at the University of Iowa said she became concerned when she observed that several clients whom she followed went off SSRIs and "very, very credibly to me, they did not recover" sexually."
(...)
"She became particularly concerned about adolescents put on antidepressants, whose sexuality might never have a chance to develop normally."
"Bahrick began to explore. She found that post-SSRI sexual effects had never been systematically studied, but she came across a Yahoo group called SSRIsex, a support group for people with "persistent SSRI sexual side effects" that now has more than 1,800 members."

I hope that Dr. Bremner, who said to me that never heard about it here and in Bob Fiddaman's blog and to whom I have dedicated a post on this subject, starts to think about PSSD as a real issue.

People are saying on SSRIsex Yahoo Group:

1) men are saying that when they look at beautiful women's naked bodies feels nothing;
2) men and women are saying that they lost their sexual fantasies.

I've read it in 2005 when this group was created. If these testimonies are not enough evidence that something MIGHT be SLIGHTLY strange...

Since suicidal thoughts and suicidal are not taken as a problem I don't believe that sexual problems are of any concern even if adolescents MIGHT never have a chance to develop normally.

With regards to the rates of sexual dysfunction, they range from 30-70%, depending on the sample, the rating scales, and other factors. See the following for more information:

-- Ann Pharmacother. 2002; 36(10):1577-89.
-- J Clin Psychiatry. 2001; 62 Suppl 3:10-21.
-- J Clin Psychiatry. 2006; 67(2):204-10.

Oh, and there's a new study in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (2008; 28(4):418-23) that had some scary findings.

There were three groups:

(1) 86 fertile depressed male patients with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction;
(2) 62 age-matched depressed fertile patients on SSRI's, but without SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction; and
(3) 68 age-matched healthy fertile men who had never received a psychiatric diagnosis were the control group.

They found that 83.7% in (1), 51.6% in (2), and 11.8% in (3) had significantly lower serum levels of LH, FSH, and testosterone. Also, 79.1% in (1) and 43.5% in (2) had elevated prolactin levels.

What is frightening is that subjects in (2) did not report any sexual side effects, and yet had significant hormonal abnormalities. This is in keeping with another study in the Journal of Affective Disorders (2006; 91(1):27-32), which found that in subjects using SSRI's who did not meet the criteria for clinically significant sexual dysfunction, they still had problems in at least one phases of sexual activity (e.g. desire, orgasm, or arousal) on the rating scale used.

All in all, quite serious stuff that patients must be warned about.

yeah, we all know too well that if a doctor has never heard of it then it can't possibly be happening to you...

The last part of this lecture by anthropologist Helen Fisher on romantic love includes a warning on antidepressants:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/helen_fisher_tells_us_why_we_love_cheat.html

yeah, we all know too well that if a doctor has never heard of it then it can't possibly be happening to you...

Exactly! Patients feelings, testimonies and complains are not scientific data. Clinical trials! That's is... SCIENCE!
LOL LOL LOL

Sorry Einstein!
Hope Philip is in a good mood
Sorry Philip! But I've been silent for too long.
I have to try to say something.

For what it's worth I've had exactly the opposite experience - SSRIs have been great for me "down there".

Also - we all know that depression is overdiagnosed because of stupidly lax criteria - what are the criteria for "sexual dysfunction" in this context? Because I'm no more willing to believe that 50% of SSRI users have *serious* sex dys than I am willing to believe that 50% of women have actually been clinically depressed (which is what research using DSM-IV criteria claims - so bad for DSM-IV).

Neuroskeptic, I wonder if you are really on an SSRI or on another class of antidepressant. Wellbutrin maybe? Just curious. I really have not heard of an SSRI ever being sexually stimulating without some other med being involved but I suppose it's possible.

I'm sure Neuroskeptic took all SSRIs and SNRIs and his sexuality have been improved.
Sara,
Have you noticed that some people experience exactly the opposite what the vast majority of all patients have?
It's amazing!
I believe that these are the people who should be recruited to be study since they are minority.

ONCE AGAIN:

"She became particularly concerned about adolescents put on antidepressants, whose sexuality might never have a chance to develop normally."

PLEASE HAVE MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ana:

There is no need to mock Neuroskeptic. If (s)he has found benefit from antidepressants, then that is to be accepted as a valid experience on his part. It is blatantly hypocritical of you to denigrate his experience of benefit while on antidepressants while complaining about those who denigrate those who have negative experiences on them. At least be logically consistent, please.

Also, you write: "Have you noticed that some people experience exactly the opposite what the vast majority of all patients have?" Yes, they are called the minority. Isn't it funny how a minority will experience something different from the majority? Oh wait. That's what "minority" MEANS! :)

Sara: I know my SSRIs from my DNRIs, thank you very much. I'm on citalopram 60mg.

Ana: Well, yeah. But I feel that I may be part of a bit of a "silent majority", you see people like me, with nothing to complain about, don't tend to say anything. Also, we don't tend to volunteer for research - if someone tried to recruit me for an SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction study I'd tell them I don't have time. On the other hand if I were pissed off because I felt that SSRIs had caused me lots of problems I'd probably volunteer. What do you think that study would conclude? Everyone who takes SSRIs hates them. It's amazing they sell so well, if everyone hates them.

dguller: Thanks.

dguller,

Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
I will never discuss with you because I hate war on words. You Socratic method is of any good.
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!
Don't you dare tell me that I'm hypocrite!

citalopram and absolutely nothing else? Seriously I'm interested. I'm a great believer in case studies.

SRI medications can also cause apathy and emotional anesthesia.

Ana:

Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.

SSRI medications can also cause improvement in depression and anxiety.

My shrink recommended medication holidays so people could have a sex life, but then he was hitting on his patients so maybe that was the reason.