What is PSSD?

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Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) is an under-researched condition involving the persistence of sexual side effects of SSRIs that continue after the discontinuation of the medicine for months, years, or even indefinitely. The conventional wisdom (held by the public at large and promoted by the conventions of psychiatry) is that any SSRI-related sexual dysfunction will stop after you have discontinued the medication. This site is dedicated to those who suspect they may face the lingering sexual side effects of SSRI medication.

Resources will be provided to suffers to give them accurate scientific data on PSSD, allow them to explore current treatment options, and give them appropriate emotional support through their struggle.

A. In Site Resources

  1. PSSD Resources
  2. Diagnostics
  3. So you’re new to PSSD?
  4. What’s Been Tried
  5. Successful Treatments
  6. Why PSSD exists
  7. 5-HT1A Autoreceptor Desensitization Video (Ghost, 2016)
  8. PSSD Journal

B. What we know – Below are a few publications discussing the prevalence of PSSD:

  1. An overview of the phenomenon authored by Audrey Bahrick of University of Iowa. Published in the Open Psychology Journal.
  2. Three case reports of PSSD published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
  3. A larger set of case reports published in the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine.
  4. The prescriber information for Prozac from Eli Lilly’s website. Halfway through the 15th page is a clause which reads, “Symptoms of sexual dysfunction occasionally persist after discontinuation of fluoxetine treatment.” (Note that more SSRIs than fluoxetine have been implicated in PSSD; this is the only example I’ve found so far of the company divulging – if insufficiently and rather vaguely – that such an outcome is possible.

C. Allies and advisors – Below are links to other communities that tackle, at least in part, this problem:

  1. PSSD forum was started by Sonny, a bright light in a dark situation.
  2. Mad In America is the brainchild of Robert Whitaker, a journalist who tackled the growing use of pharmaceutical medication in his book “Anatomy of an Epidemic.” While his blog is not devoted to PSSD per se, I find it to be a well-reasoned and well-researched resource for those who are critical of current aspects of how psychiatry is practiced.
  3. PSSD subreddit is an informal community of PSSD sufferers where questions can be posed openly by all.

D. Governmental Agencies

  1. Regardless of your particular political views about the role of government in America, the FDA is a resource we can use to bring further attention to this issue and secure the safety of future generations of Americans who may consider using SSRI medications.
  2. European Medicines Agency (EMA) – Recognition of PSSD in July 2019.