Posted by Chairman_MAO on June 26, 2005, at 11:00:25
In reply to SSRI Permanent or Persistent Sexual Side Effects, posted by Nezirov on June 24, 2005, at 3:02:35
I am so glad I got off of those drugs when I did. Spending two years on them was long enough. During one of my worst episodes, I briefly tried them again over a period of a few months, and eventually ended up emancipating my brain from all meds, vowing that I would not take anything except an MAOI from then on. My mind started to feel disturbingly "straightjacketed" by them, as if my "life force" (Freud's "LIBIDO" concept, BTW!) was being snubbed out by pharmacracy (ok, that's a bit overdramatic, but still, heh).
As it is now, my libido on Nardil is depressed somewhat, and orgasm is extremely hard to come by (and there is some MINOR blunting of sensation down there, but I would not call it anesthesia, despite also having the equiv of 20-30mg of parenteral morphine in my blood at all times!) but it does not seem to be like what SSRI users are reporting. I only hope--like all of those here--that my sexual functioning is not permanently compromised (I don't think it is). As a matter of fact, I always had premature ejaculation problems while not on medications, so in a way sex is more satisfying this way even when I cannot have an orgasm. I mean, at least my g/f does, and that satisfies me! With premature ejaculation, I never could last long enough to have truly satisfying intercourse.
Plus, there is still immense pleasure on the off chance that after a million hours of stimulation I DO manage to have an orgasm! Reading that study about the 26-year-old guy with the persisting sexual problems from Zoloft really made me feel for all of those who suffer as a result of the SSRIs. MAOIs are not totally benign, but at least I can say they put more life in me than they've sucked out! What I've read in this thread just gives me more impetus in urging people to dump the toxic SSRIs and go with the drugs out there that actually help. Which would you rather have, dietary restrictions and drug interactions with decongestants OR a possibly irreversibly depressed sex life? My psychopharm professor told me that whenenver one takes a drug long-term, one should ideally always pick the OLDEST drug that works, since the most is known about its long-term effects on human tissue of all kinds--not just brain tissue. I'm starting to see exactly how important that advice is; and that is one more reason I feel safest being on a drug with over 40 years of clinical use.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:517876
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050622/msgs/519203.html