Apathy And Loss Of Libido As A Side Effect Of Ssri (in My Case Prozac)

[Aylion]

Hello,

I am already over 2 months off prozac, which I took during about 7 months in two periods, and I still feel the side effecs that I got from it (apathy and loss of libido).

The apathy makes it hard to care about things, feel enthusiasm, do things, etc. When before prozac I was completely the opposite, the anxious-type person that can't stop worrying about the smallest thing.

The lack of libido is also very bothering and I had not experienced it even in my lowest moments of anxiety/depression/ptsd before prozac.

Is there someone out there who relates to this?,
How long do you think that I have to wait until I get those parts of myself back?

 

[PollyScotland]

hi, I don't take Prozac, however I do take Zoloft / Sertraline and have the same feeling of apathy, and lack of libido. I just don't feel much! However, I can still cry when upset about personal stuff. I just don't seem to feel much towards others, or even maintain decent thought patterns sometimes!
I was telling my therapist yesterday that my thoughts are likes flotsam on a river - passing me by, just out of reach! In the past they use to be stuck in constant whirlpools of thinking. He liked that imagery. :)
I'm not sure how long it takes to get out of your system, but 2 months seems a long time. Perhaps your system is used to this way of being? Is it possible to ask a Dr / pharmacist?

 

[Aylion]

Yes, probably I don't have prozac left inside my system, but I feel like the changes made by the prozac still persist, I guess I need to wait more.

I am done with my psychiatrist and I won't ever walk in his office again, he just listened to me for 5 minutes and then prescibed prozac, so I think it is not worth it.

The lack of libido is deffinitely related with medication because I never suffered from that before even in the moments in which my self steem was the lowest, and I am a healthy male in his early twenties, so deffinitely not normal.

And now more than 2 months off and there is no change... I feel like I should have been warned, and I am very angry with the psychiatrist that prescribed prozac as if it was candy to me.

 

[Barberian]

The Sri, Ssri, or Snri wore off for me in a day usually enough to get the job done. I'd take a "holiday" once a week for a little fun. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Are you taking any other medications that could affect your libido? If not, and it's been two months, I'd ask a doc about it.

 

[Mit]

I was on Sertraline and diazepam for three years. It took at least 6 months for me to really notice any change, including recovery of my libido after coming off it. And I believe it can take longer than that in many cases. I'd talk to your GP about it.

 

[Anarchy]

Some of the guys here talk about still getting zaps like electric shocks through their brains, for into seven to nine months after coming off SSRIs. Ie "positive" side effects in terms of something that wasn't there before.
I'll make a big and in a lot of ways unfounded guess, that "negative" side effects (things that were there before but aren't there now) could be even slower to clear.

I don't think there can be such a thing as unbiased advice or information (long sociological and epistemological argument behind that opinion).

My personal and biased opinion is to ask yourself what a medical practitioner is likely to know, care,or offer you... More pills? Tell you that he thinks you are odd or a complainer?

Again personal and biased; Ruminating about it will upset you. No two ways about it, it will.

Deliberately trying not to think about something doesn't work; try an exercise of spending a couple of minutes trying not to think about a purple elephant, you'll really need to try, and hope that the purple elephant you're not thinking about, doesn't have straight hairs growing out of its ears...

Look up the mindful way through depression audiobook on YouTube, download the file, and begin listening to about ten or 20 minutes a day and practising. Use that as an alternative to ruminating.

You can still reconnect socially without using libido, it's a valuable skill, and you are not limited to your own age group and settings likely to result in a snog or a date. You can use it as an opportunity to learn how to initiate and continue conversations with people of all sorts of ages backgrounds and interests.

In terms of people who would have been the subject of libidinous desire... There will probably be some who will welcome friendly conversation that isn't motivated or pressured by whatever body parts they might have in their underwear.

You will also have time and money to devote to other interests and hobbies.

Hope this is some help
@

 

[Aylion]

Hello guys,

I am not going to go to the doctor for this, there is nothing he can do.
And yes, I guess that rumiating over this is not helping, but it just bothers me quite a lot, since my libido was always high before prozac and I feel a bit empty without it.

"It took at least 6 months for me to really notice any change, including recovery of my libido after coming off it"
Ok, so it's deffinitely normal that the changes made by ssri persist some time after the drug has left your body, that's good.

Anyways, thank you for your answers, when I notice changes I will post it here