My life ruining experience with Zoloft

[Ausguy222]

What a chance encounter it was finding this place! I feel lucky to say I haven't had it as bad as some of you guys and girls have but it seems we all share the same problems brought on by this utter poison. How it is able to be sold and handed out like candy is beyond me.

I'm 29 at the moment. As a young guy, I was literally invincible. And like most, had this libido that was beyond insane. Just being close to a woman would make me concrete levels of hard, and I could have sex easily 5 times a day if I wanted to.

Around 25 I got a little bout of anxiety (runs in the family) and haphazardly took Zoloft of my mums that she had for depression after losing her mum. Day 1 - bliss. Anxiety lowered to 1 and a strange outlook on life as if nothing bothered me. Day 2 - could seemingly last forever in bed. Wow this is interesting I thought. Continued my 100mg dosing for a few days hoping to enjoy this side effect as I was a quicker finisher than I'd liked.

A few days later once the drug built up - welcome to hell.

EVERY single side effect you could possibly name. Sweats. Anxiety turned up to 1000. Mood swings. Nightmares, sleep paralysis, brain zaps, zombie feeling, insatiable hunger and an absolutely utterly annihilated sex drive. Dick like a gummy worm. Of course, the doctor after a visit would not let me stop suddenly and simply prescribed Viagra for the sex problems, but I ignored advice and went cold turkey. The shakes upon waking up expecting to get that dose of Zoloft (which would normally make them disappear) was utter hell. This stuff is so hardcore that it beggars belief.

The withdrawal after just a few days or weeks was insane but the doctor assured me things would go back to normal. I gave it months. I gave it years. It didn't.

My sex drive and wood were sporadic as a breeze. Came back raring one day, gone as quickly the next for weeks. So long having sex 5 times a day, and welcome having sex once a WEEK or month if I could manage it, then I would be dead between the legs for weeks. A model could be ravaging me and I could still do nothing, and feel only slightly interested. My well endowed member also seems to have lost a little size and as others have stated - neurological ability. Flexing kegel muscles is bloody difficult, and they wear out SO fast. Building them up is near impossible, it's as if the muscle has atrophied permanently. Insane brain fog and tiredness too. Could literally get up after 12 hours, do the dishes and feel like I've been hit by a train, and ready to sleep for another 12. A 10 minute weight session would almost make me pass out. My body would just shut down and I'd struggle to breathe and function.

At around 27.5 I decided enough was enough and showing all the other signs of low T, I went to the Endo for a blood test. Congrats kid, you have the Testosterone level of an 85 year old, and your body doesn't seem to make Leutinizng Hormone properly. Most likely pituitary damage from the Zoloft. Awesome.

Onto TRT therapy I went. Things got better slowly (up to a year) and started somewhat resembling me pre Zoloft. Anxiety all but decimated, mood, wellbeing and mental function pretty good but unfortunately STILL not perfect especially as far as sex goes. I can be on TRT plus another Androgenic DHT compound PLUS 100mg High Dose Viagra and an erection can STILL be inconsistent even with hormone levels where they should be. Morning wood is still as sporadic as ever. Drive comes and goes.

And as others have said, there's some light switch that just flicks on and off. Sometimes it all comes roaring back perfectly and then the clock starts ticking until it disappears again just as quickly for who knows how long? There simply HAS to be some Serotogenic feedback loop going on here. An interesting thing I have noted is that we have all made the Finasteride connection as far as side effects (DHT loop) and other highly androgenic (DHT) steroid hormone compounds - for example like Trenbolone, have been known to carry much of the same side effects. Right down to disinterest in sex, dead penis and even sleep paralysis and nightmares.

If you can turn this switch off, there simply MUST be a way to turn it back on. It's so frustrating that I have never ever been the same since I took that poison, and as others have said - ONE single dose is enough of this stuff to destroy a life.

I actually have (had) a bad back, and one thing to note is that I feel the best on Tramadol, which is a dopamagenic opioid. The dopamine antagonist Cabergoline also had limited success but not enough to rave about (and unneeded as my
Prolactin is not high).

I still insist this is neurotransmitter related, and hence, as they are intrinsically difficult to measure and assess, why it is so unknown and difficult to fix.

[marsupial]

Hey man. I share like 90% of your story... Hold on

[Ausguy222]

Cool, I'll go through some of your old posts

[lost_soul]

I'm sorry. I can relate to what you said about your pre pssd libido. Even if I get normal function back I do not think I will ever get back to that point of instantly getting rock hard in the close vicinity of an attractive woman. I wish they had warned us all about this. It is interesting that the zoloft damaged your testosterone levels. That seems to be hit and miss, mine are still high as they have always been but I still have pssd to the point of being physically incapable of penetration at the age of 21.

[Ghost]

Welcome to the forum!

[Ausguy222]

I'm sorry. I can relate to what you said about your pre pssd libido. Even if I get normal function back I do not think I will ever get back to that point of instantly getting rock hard in the close vicinity of an attractive woman. I wish they had warned us all about this. It is interesting that the zoloft damaged your testosterone levels. That seems to be hit and miss, mine are still high as they have always been but I still have pssd to the point of being physically incapable of penetration at the age of 21.

You had blood tests? How's your DHT levels?

The most frustrating thing to me is the neuro aspect of this and the struggle of being able to measure or get a gauge on it. Even when docs prescribe AD's, they say how some might now work and the only way is to test and trail and change. Not right.

[lost_soul]

I'm sorry. I can relate to what you said about your pre pssd libido. Even if I get normal function back I do not think I will ever get back to that point of instantly getting rock hard in the close vicinity of an attractive woman. I wish they had warned us all about this. It is interesting that the zoloft damaged your testosterone levels. That seems to be hit and miss, mine are still high as they have always been but I still have pssd to the point of being physically incapable of penetration at the age of 21.

You had blood tests? How's your DHT levels?

The most frustrating thing to me is the neuro aspect of this and the struggle of being able to measure or get a gauge on it. Even when docs prescribe AD's, they say how some might now work and the only way is to test and trail and change. Not right.

I don't know my hormone levels apart from testosterone. I got my prolactin levels tested a while back while on APs and it was apparently at the high end of the normal range.

[Ausguy222]

Prolactin can kill sexual function dead. Always good to get a full
Endocrine panel blood test.

[Ausguy222]

Interesting note to add to this after reading lots of other threads. I have always had (and still do) OCD and also more than ever post sari have INSANE restless legs. I could sit here bouncing my legs all day long nonstop if I didn't consciously stop. Doesn't bother me at night though.