Mild NSFW warning: this post mentions sexual side effects of medication.

SSRIs are the most common type of antidepressant (examples are Prozac/fluoxetine, Zoloft/sertraline, Paxil/paroxetine).

If you have experience with them, do you think they’re a good idea?

I came across a paper about side effects which I haven’t heard discussed before. Many people know that SSRIs have sexual effects, but apparently they also affect fertility.

This paper describes SSRIs as “gonadotoxic”, leading to effects like “decreased sperm concentration and motility, increased [DNA] fragmentation, and decreased reproductive organ weights”.

The paper does say “this effect does seem to be reversible”, so if you stop SSRIs, your sex organs should apparently go back to normal. But still, some people are on SSRIs for long periods of time, right?

I would be interested to hear others’ thoughts, if you have any.

Edit: Thanks for the replies to this post, they’re interesting.

  • shneancy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    though it only coincidentally related SSRIs fucked me up in a different way (which still affected my libido tbf). i didn’t even get to a month of treatment before i decided to quit - they were supposed to help with my anxiety, but instead of helping they made it significantly worse, to the point where i felt as if i was spending my time edging a panic attack at all times of the day. At first i thought i was just getting worse normally, but then i noticed i felt better in the evenings (i was taking them in the mornings). i just couldn’t keep going it was awful

    there’s plenty of people for whom SSRIs are life changers, but sadly i’m not in that group

    • wise_pancakeEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Mine worked out well but was much worse than I expected. The doctor said I might feel “slightly more” anxiety as normal, which is the understatement of the century.

      My first two and a half weeks were absolute hell like that, plus lots of digestive issues. Week 3 that faded but I had some depression, fuzzy thinking, and suicidal thoughts (more impulses). At this point I was no longer actively feeling anxious so I decided to continue. Week 4/5 I felt I had a lot more energy and wasn’t getting anxiety from my usual triggers.

      I know they don’t work for everyone, but I’m at week 6 and it feels life changing to me. I feel much sharper, more focused, and happier than I have in 15 years or more.

      Hopefully you find a solution that works for you. There’s no substitute for trying something and knowing it’s not working for you, so I don’t mean to diminish your experience.

      I’d read a lot of negative things online about SSRIs and it was quite discouraging for me. People are very vocal about disliking them. I’m trying to toss out my own experience so it hopefully encourages people to try meds.

      So far I don’t have weight gain, I’m within my normal range for the last 7 years, weight gain was a big fear I had.

      • shneancy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        i’m glad it worked out for you! :)

        for me it was a gradual climb of worsening anxiety until those near panic attacks kicked in with no signs of improvement

        soon ish i’ll be trying adhd meds since i suspect my anxiety is caused by rejection sensitivity dysphoria and feeling of overall inadequacy and uselessness. And on them i’ll be hopefully able to do things and slowly prove to myself that i’m not useless

        • wise_pancakeEnglish
          2·
          2 months ago

          I didn’t realize how much depression was affecting me, so probably very different underlying issues to you.

      • shneancy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        nah it was just general light anxiety, and strong situational anxiety. both stemming semi-directly from adhd