‘It feels like we’ve been lobotomised’: the possible sexual consequences of SSRIs

THE GUARDIAN – Long-term sexual dysfunction is a recognised side-effect for some patients who take these widely prescribed antidepressants, and can leave sufferers devastated. So why is there so little help available?

During Melbourne’s strict lockdown of 2020, Rosie Tilli, a then 20-year-old nurse living and working in the city, began to experience growing anxiety and depression.

Visiting her GP, she was quickly prescribed escitalopram, a commonly used drug from a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

These medicines attempt to treat depressive symptoms by boosting the levels of the hormone serotonin in the brain and rank among the most widely prescribed drugs.

In the first 11 months of 2023 alone, more than 80m prescriptions for antidepressants were issued by the NHS.

“Nearly four years on … I can’t experience any physiological sexual response. No arousal even when physically touched.” – Rosie Tilli

Tilli was nervous about escitalopram but, reassured by a psychiatrist, she began taking the tablets. However, rather than experiencing relief, she soon noticed a worrying drop in her libido combined with an inability to feel any sexual sensations at all.

A quick Google search alerted her to a condition known as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), where both men and women who have taken various SSRIs have been left with sexual problems, persisting for years or even decades. Alarmed, she began tapering off the medication after four months, but there was no change.

“My clitoris feels like my elbow now … “

“I reassured myself that I would be fine as soon as I fully ceased the medication, but I wasn’t,” she says. “Now nearly four years on, I’ve learned to put on a sunny disposition, but internally I am riddled with psychological grief and anguish.

“I can’t experience any physiological sexual response. No arousal even when physically touched. It’s as if the entire electrical hardwiring of the sexual system has been short circuited. My clitoris feels like my elbow now, and there’s nothing I can do to reverse it … ” SOURCE. 

SSRIs currently prescribed in the United States – check labels:

Source: CLEVELAND CLINIC

“The antidepressants market size has grown steadily in recent years. It will grow to $17 billion in 2024. The growth can be attributed to increasing prevalence of mental health disorders, growing awareness and reduced stigma, advancements in diagnostic practices, expansion of treatment options, government initiatives and mental health policies.” – The Business Research Company, Jan 2024