Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
 

I took Prozac in 1997 for social anxiety and it destroyed my sexual functioning completely. Psychiatrists tried to fix it with over 20 something medications but only destroyed my brain. Has anyone else here experienced PSSD or fixed it? The only theory that seems to make sense is using dopamine agonists.

zant808 I think I saw one of your posts on another board some time ago, so I'm assuming your symptoms have been longer lasting than you initially expected. Most responders on these boards indicate or assume post-SSRI sexual dysfunction is a part of the SSRI withdrawal process and once that process is completed, or shortly thereafter, the symptoms disappear. That is not my experience and perhaps not yours. I have been off SSRIs for over 8 years, but my symptoms still persist. In my case, they include penile desensitivity & decreased response to sexual stimuli, extreme difficulty in achieving orgasm, muted orgasm, and difficulty in achieving or maintaining erection. To say this has had an effect on my relationships would be a vast understatement. So you're not alone in your frustration.

I am not a doctor but I did find this interesting. On Wikipedia, when talking about SSRI and sexual dysfuntion it says:

"Stimulation of postsynaptic 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors decreases dopamine release from the substantia nigra. A number of drugs are not associated with sexual side-effects (bupropion, mirtazapine (Remeron), maprotiline (Ludiomil), [31][32] (some of these are also not associated with weight gain). As a result, sexual dysfunction caused by SSRIs can sometimes be mitigated by several different drugs. These include:

bupropion (norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor)
buspirone (serotonin receptor agonist)
cyproheptadine (5-HT2 antagonist)
methylphenidate (stimulant)
mirtazapine (noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA))
amphetamine (stimulant)
amantadine (antiviral drug)
pramipexole (dopamine agonist) and
ropinirole (dopamine agonist)"

I could be wrong but it seems to me that a dopamine agonist would actually make the sexual problems worse. Although SSRIs are indeed known to cause sexual problems; in fact they are commonly used to treat premature ejaculation, I would also look into other meds that you may be taking in combination with the SSRI.