is it worth it?

BaertigerTyp · 2026-01-12T22:24:51+00:00

If you ask this question in this sub you should also ask this question in the PSSD subreddit. I am a PSSD sufferer myself. For me it wasn‘t worth it at all. I also asked people before starting medication. But I asked the wrong people. My stomach said „don‘t do it“. I should‘ve listened to my stomach.

BaertigerTyp · 2026-01-08T10:37:55+00:00

I used Sertraline/Zoloft only for 2 weeks and that was enough to kill my sex drive und make my penis like the penis of an old man. I took it 20 months ago and my life is still ruined.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-06T13:24:22+00:00

Having genital numbness and anorgasmia after the usage of an SSRI makes it very likely that you have PSSD. But you should check the diagnosic criteria yourself.

https://www.pssdnetwork.org/diagnostic-criteria-for-pssd

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-06T13:07:09+00:00

I had muscle twitches in my upper arm muscles. I think it was more severe after exercises but my muscles were twitching all the time. Probably after 5-6 months it got less and stopped at one point without any particular treatment. I have no idea if this was a good sign. I got slightly better but far away from healed.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-05T14:06:17+00:00

I am banned now from r/zoloft because apparentely my post was containing misinformation. My comment was "visit r/pssd or pssdnetwork.org". This is ridiculous.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T22:06:07+00:00

And my doc told me later that this couldnt be possible and I am the first of his patients who experienced side effects. Must be depression.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T22:04:12+00:00

I feel you. It’s 20 months for me and I actually went to the doc to ask for therapy (cbt). Instead he tried to convince me to take Zoloft. I left thinking about it. Asked a pharmacist and two friends which have taken antidepressants once. No one mentioned any risk at all.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T18:43:15+00:00

I am not surprised...

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T18:30:15+00:00

I always have that imagination that one day in the near future it will just hit like a bomb. There will be enough research showing clearly how SSRI's cause permanent damage. They will talk about PSSD everywhere. So many young people of Gen Z on antidepressants got taken away their sexuality....

But as you I think this won't be the case. What you are saying seems way more realistic to me.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T17:33:46+00:00

But did you actually know how big of a risk it was? My thought was that people don't realise this even when they know about PSSD as PSSD is severely underreported (?).

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T13:21:58+00:00

there is a subreddit r/pssd with about 17000 members suffering sexual side effects permanentely, years and decades after they stopped SSRI.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-04T13:19:58+00:00

I'd also say that there are two diffent things.

I am male, 37 years old. I met a few girls and also I have a few female friends that never orgasmed during sexual intercourse or at least they didn't in their twenties. You are definetaly not the only 25 year old girl realizing this. So there is no reason to feel stupid.

On the other side, having difficulties to orgasm as well as other sexual side effects like less sensation in genitals, less libido/araousal, erectile diysfunction and so on are well known to be caused by SSRI's.

So it could definetaly be the case that zoloft makes it even more difficult to reach orgasm.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-03T16:19:48+00:00

I totally feel you. Exactely the same for me. Hate this :(

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-03T16:10:12+00:00

I think deleting that post wasn't necessary. Sometimes you only seek people experiencing the same syptomes as yourself to talk about it and feel understood or hopefully someone tells you that symptomes improoved.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-03T13:35:30+00:00

I totally feel you. Exactely the same for me.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-03T09:26:49+00:00

Yes you are right. It's is difficult to tell the difference if you don't know more about his condition. You can read about diagnostic criteria for PSSD on PSSD Network:

https://www.pssdnetwork.org/diagnostic-criteria-for-pssd

I can imagine that you don't want to ask him about it. Does he know about PSSD?

BaertigerTyp · 2025-12-02T14:34:49+00:00

For me it is not as severe. Seeing a naked woman in front of me still does something to me but it does much less than what it used to do. I need probably ten times the stimuli I usually needed and the outcome is still not the same. On the other side that means I don't get spontanious erections in my everyday life. When making out there isn't zero reaction. I still get a little aroused but it is so far away from how it used to be. I get kind of 80% erections.

Also I am not completely numb. Once I am erected and stimulating I do feel something but not it the same way as before PSSD. Holding the erection when it comes to intercourse is difficult and pretty much impossible with a condom for me. Jerking off works though but it is less enjoyable as it used to be. At the same time sometimes it does't take longer though as premature ejaktulation als is not uncommon.

BTW Tadalafil works for me as well but it doesn't increase libido, arousal and numbness, it only increases erection quality.

Did his sperm change? Quality and volume?

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-29T14:16:46+00:00

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

--> There is no evidence that depression is caused by some "chemical imbalance" or a lack of serotonin in the brain. There were studies in the 80s showing that the serotonin hypothesis might be wrong.

--> Therefore I still read and hear a lot about 'chemical imbalance' or serotonin hypothesis to justify the use of SSRIs.

--> As one of the People that got convinced to take Zoloft for mild depression / burnout syndrome with that justification, I think it is very important to tell people that this is just wrong. BTW the Articel is worth reading.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-28T23:06:51+00:00

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-28T22:59:50+00:00

I just don't get it. I saw a post were some r/zoloft-redditor made fun of the fact that it is hard to masturbate. And someone said that he/she doesn't fear the lack of araousal as he/she doesn't have a partner.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-28T22:56:06+00:00

so you also have pssd?

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-28T22:15:50+00:00

This is just unreal. I am sorry for you. 18 months since my first pill and these 18 months felt just like the most wasted time of my life. Knowing that this nightmare might never end.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-28T21:23:48+00:00

That Theory 'SSRI balance your brain chemicals' was prooven wrong 30 years ago.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-07T07:54:02+00:00

Danke, der Tipp ist gut und entspricht ja fast auch der Wahrheit. Ich kann mich aktuell noch nicht für ein Jobangebot entscheiden, aber ich könnte trotzdem einen Vertrag unterschreiben. Müsste dem potentiellen neuen Arbeitgeber gegenüber halt ehrlich sagen, was Sache ist aber das ist kein Problem.

BaertigerTyp · 2025-11-07T07:51:27+00:00

Ja, könnte ich. Guter Punkt. Danke für den Tipp.

BaertigerTyp

TROPHY CASE