The concept of PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction)

[R_1]

PSSD is essentially loss of sexuality after taking SSRI for a period of time.  Some cases are so drastic that individuals completely lost ability to feel sexual attraction and desire for years with no chance of being back. I'd like to know what asexuals think of this concept. Would it be fine for some of them to ID as asexual?

[Dutchy]

I have been taking SSRI's for a long time but I don't feel like they caused my grey/asexuality. I even feel like it gets worse when I'm not taking my SSRI's, because when my depression acts up, I don't even know what sexuality is anymore. 😁

However, I know that SSRI's can cause short term loss of sexual desire, so why not on the long haul...

Edited November 14, 2018 by Dutchy
typo

[4108bn]

3 kind of distinct perspectives, some more constructive and PC than others:

• I've taken SSRIs for a pretty intense (not necessarily extended) period of time. I see it as possible, but my libido personally hasn't been affected long-term (still active, fine, just really hasn't been connected to my sense of attraction to others). Short-term, I've been on medications that have suppressed, enhanced, and also not affected my libido. I've also dissociated a lot in relation to sex (maybe because of DID or related dissociative disorders).
• I suppose that it's a constructive way to look at things (potentially) for some people, in terms of health. However, if a person's content with feeling a lack of sexual desire, it's not otherwise affecting their physical health, and they feel comfortable using the label of asexuality, I think they should be entitled to do so. (Also, I feel like it should never turn into an "interrogation" about the intersection of asexuality and taking SSRIs or having mental illness).
• As a person who's very critical and skeptical of Big Pharma™ (also, with the conspiracy theorist in me), it makes me wonder if using psychotropic medications (especially SSRIs) to affect people's libidos was somehow intentional...

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, R_1 said:

PSSD is essentially loss of sexuality after taking SSRI for a period of time.  Some cases are so drastic that individuals completely lost ability to feel sexual attraction and desire for years with no chance of being back. I'd like to know what asexuals think of this concept. Would it be fine for some of them to ID as asexual?

Yep they killed my libido dead and while it did come back, it's not very strong or very active (and I don't have much of a genital response to my libido. And stimulation of my genitals can't get me aroused or anything.. it's like the wiring inside got all messed up or something). I was actually worse on SSRIs emotionally than I ever was off them, it's sad how many people report feeling this way.

 

I think someone in the situation you described could easily identify as 'functionally asexual' and if someone asks what that is, one would explain that they're practically asexual but it was bought about from SSRI use instead of being something one was worth is.

 

This horrible effect of SSRI's has actually led some sexual people to be more depressed and suicidal than they were before they started taking the meds. It's disgusting that docs don't take this very real issue more seriously. And even worse that they give these meds to kids and teens who haven't even had a chance to develop sexually yet. There are other alternatives (ie welbutrin) but docs seem to prefer SSRIs despite the vast array of negative (and sometimes permanent) side effects.

[everywhere and nowhere]

1 hour ago, R_1 said:

Would it be fine for some of them to ID as asexual?

For me definitely "yes".

First: I don't believe that acquired sexualities are not valid enough and can't "count" as orientations.

Second: I don't perceive asexuality as an absolute category, one second of sexual attraction and don't you dare call yourself asexual! Some people's sexualities are stable, but in some people they might change due to factors such as illness, trauma, medication or sometimes even with no discernible reason. Well, OK - if a person feels sexual attraction once a month or so, it's not asexuality, but rather low libido or a fluid sexuality ("abrosexual"?). But if one used to feel sexual attraction, then stopped for whatever reason - perhaps, like in this example, due to using SSRIs - and hasn't felt sexual attraction for years, it is reasonable for such a person to identify as asexual. In fact, it's more reasonable than to identify as allosexual even if it's technically correct if we take asexuality to be exclusively absolute, lifelong zero sexual attraction. Such a person doesn't feel sexual attraction. They can't even know whether they will feel it again and if yes, then what could trigger it. Perhaps they have long ago managed to get used to not feeling sexual attraction and accept it. If they desire a relationship, it would be quite misleading for them to call themself "heterosexual", or "homosexual", or "bisexual", if in practice they never feel sexual desire and have a completely unfunctioning libido...

[R_1]

2 hours ago, oldsoulvocalist said:

3 kind of distinct perspectives, some more constructive and PC than others:

• I suppose that it's a constructive way to look at things (potentially) for some people, in terms of health. However, if a person's content with feeling a lack of sexual desire, it's not otherwise affecting their physical health, and they feel comfortable using the label of asexuality, I think they should be entitled to do so. (Also, I feel like it should never turn into an "interrogation" about the intersection of asexuality and taking SSRIs or having mental illness).

I have to say, that I do agree that it should never turn into the status where asexuality is reduced to things related to mental illness or SSRIs, but however, I think that there should really be more acceptance about asexuality in general no matter where it comes from and promoting more focus on healthy activities that aren't just related to sex in really drastic cases where all hopes of getting sexuality back can be abandoned. Sadly, that's not the current situation. If someone orientation shifts direction rather than intensity due to some brain changes, they'll be more accepted in a way that focus on accepting the new feelings would be accepted rather than trying to recover it back.

 

2 hours ago, FictoCannibal. said:

This horrible effect of SSRI's has actually led some sexual people to be more depressed and suicidal than they were before they started taking the meds. It's disgusting that docs don't take this very real issue more seriously. And even worse that they give these meds to kids and teens who haven't even had a chance to develop sexually yet. There are other alternatives (ie welbutrin) but docs seem to prefer SSRIs despite the vast array of negative (and sometimes permanent) side effects.

I did read in reddit where his friend has stopped using SSRI, but he lost all feelings of sexuality and ended up actually committing suicide just because of that issue. So, it is definitely something of a issue, but that's more due to lack of support towards making it easier to live with functional asexuality by directing their focus on other activities which improves their well-being. I was never suicidal or depressed when I was in the state of losing sexuality, but given that I see a lot of people value their sexuality so much, I can definitely see why would some people have strong feelings about losing their sexuality.

 

I'm not too sure why would someone say "Hey, I'm functionally asexual" rather than "I'm asexual", and leaving it just there. I mean, the only thing people want to know if that you'd be up to having sex with males, females, and/or both/others. It doesn't matter to most people where it came from unless they really need to know. But, that's beside the point.

[daveb]

Moved from Hot Box

 

DaveB

Hot Box co-mod

[Guest]

1 hour ago, R_1 said:

I'm not too sure why would someone say "Hey, I'm functionally asexual" rather than "I'm asexual", and leaving it just there.

It really depends because it would technically be inaccurate visibility of asexuality if someone was identifying as asexual, then went on to explain that they're asexual as a result of drugs. That's actually more a form of involuntary celibacy than actual asexuality, and we wouldn't want to give people the impression that asexuality is something that happens as a result of drugs or whatever. Actual asexuality is something one is born with, it's an innate part of someones makeup the same way hetero or homosexuality are. I personally would most definitely only identify as functionally asexual or involuntarily celibate in the same situation. I mean, I AM functionally asexual at the moment but I just identify as celibate (celibate by choice).. I don't even mention asexuality when referring to my own sexual identity at all despite being functionally asexual and having been physically celibate for 7 years now. It's just an individual preference thing though I guess.

 

1 hour ago, R_1 said:

I mean, the only thing people want to know if that you'd be up to having sex with males, females, and/or both/others. It doesn't matter to most people where it came from unless they really need to know. But, that's beside the point.

 

It's worth noting here then whenever one identifies themselves as asexual to anyone outside of the ace community, there will almost certainly be questions about how you became asexual, whether you masturbate, how many people you've had sex with, if maybe you haven't just met the right person yet, if you've had your hormones checked, if you've been abused etc etc. Just identifying as asexual is rarely if ever enough info for most people unfortunately 😕 People seem to think that if you identify as ace that suddenly means they have permission to ask you all kinds of bizarre personal questions and give you medical advice too *sigh*

 

1 hour ago, R_1 said:

but that's more due to lack of support towards making it easier to live with functional asexuality by directing their focus on other activities which improves their well-being.

It depends on how much importance one places on sexual intimacy. For many sexual people, it's the most intimate way to be close to another person and when they lose that, they feel like a vital part of their enjoyment in life (and a part of their ability to connect with someone they love) has been ripped away from them. Nothing else can fill that void and they end up in a horrendous downward spiral. Though I agree there most definitely isn't enough support regardless of how much importance one personally places on sex.

[R_1]

9 minutes ago, FictoCannibal. said:

It really depends because it would technically be inaccurate visibility of asexuality if someone was identifying as asexual, then went on to explain that they're asexual as a result of drugs. That's actually more a form of involuntary celibacy than actual asexuality, and we wouldn't want to give people the impression that asexuality is something that happens as a result of drugs or whatever. Actual asexuality is something one is born with, it's an innate part of someones makeup the same way hetero or homosexuality are. I personally would most definitely only identify as functionally😕 asexual or involuntarily celibate in the same situation. I mean, I AM functionally asexual at the moment but I just identify as celibate (celibate by choice).. I don't even mention asexuality when referring to my own sexual identity at all despite being functionally asexual and having been physically celibate for 7 years now. It's just an individual preference thing though I guess.

 

But, what exactly makes actual asexuality different than functional asexuality that's more likely to be permanent than not while there's no choice involved in the functional asexual? The only difference is the functional asexual might have memories of being a sexual, but at some point, it becomes so alien that those memories may very well be of another person, so that difference can be nullified.  The ones that are okay with "actual asexuality", and "functional asexuality" all exhibit the similar psychology and feelings about sexuality. Yes, I wouldn't want to give the impression that asexuality is automatically due to alteration to brain structure, chemicals, and makeups, but at the same time, acknowledgment of sexual preferences changes as a result of brain changes does improve the well-being of those who has no choices due to alteration of those things, and the same time, also help other acknowledge that sexuality is no different than personality or sight and so on and they all can be altered and we should respect individuals who may had alterations. Some people are once sighted, but go blind either due to trauma or other things. Some of those people are pretty uncomfortable with the fact that they may never go back to who they are just because of the leading statement that "actual sexuality is something that you're born with", and they may go through denial just like I did, but I can't rule permanent sexuality changes at all.

[Pandark]

Wow, hadn't considered this. I used to eat those things like candies during my teens.

[Janus the Fox]

Before, during and after SSRI long term treatment sexual desires and libido has stayed about the same, no sexual attraction and a fluid libido.  Gender feelings has stayed about the same as well.

 

Being on Mood Stabilizers for now about 3 years, same before and during no sexual attraction and a irregular libido the same way when on SSRI's.  Been questioning gender more or probably more recognising gender more clearly as the medication can also bring down any anxieties about the self.

 

Can't see it being any different if the drug was stopped, it's been over a week without libido currently, it's more likely than not the chemical depression phase of Manic-Depression than the medication itself for me.

[R_1]

This thread is about people who lost sexuality through SSRI,  it doesn't happen to everybody after SSRI. Serotonin does seem to play a role in sexuality.

[Quentino]

I have never took SSRI , how do you feel now?

[Janus the Fox]

Thread locked due to Thread Necromancy, it is over 12 months old, feel free to open a new thread on the same topic.

 

Janus DarkFox, Questions about Asexuality & Open Mic Moderator