Does Wellbutrin carry a high risk of PSSD?

[Answerit]

My life has been a series of peaks and valleys over the last 5 years. I've experienced so much more anxiety and depression than happiness, and while I'm not suicidal, I feel as though emotionally there is not much left in me. I'm afraid of wasting my life and not experiencing true happiness and enjoying my time alive.

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My doctor and therapist (7 months) are both encouraging me to try a low (10mg) dose of Prozac to see if it helps. I really really want to take them, however I am absolutely terrified of getting PSSD. I'm single and in my 30's and am trying to find a GF/wife. Not being able to have sex, enjoy orgasm, enjoy my body and share it with others sounds so terrifying.

I've been told Wellbutrin is better for sexual side-effects?

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I feel like I'm at a point of either trying them or accepting this emotional numbness that I've been experiencing for years now.

[naiverat]

I wouldn't recommend fluoxetine/Prozac. While your chances of developing PSSD are very, very low (we all got extremely unlucky), there is a very *high* chance that you will develop sexual dysfunction while on the meds, whether that is ED, low libido, numbness, anorgasmia -- or if you're really lucky, all of the above. Thes are not conducive to having a good dating life.

Every drug that manipulates your neurochemistry carries risk, but it seems Wellbutrin is one of the safer ones, along with moclobemide, vortioxetine, and St. John's Wort (often prescribed as a first-line med in Europe).

I'd start with St. John's Wort (Perika brand - important because it's standardized to the right chemical) and then evaluate if you need anything stronger. Avoid 5-HTP.

Good luck.

[victorpl]

Hi,

I'm glad that you endured so long without meds and that you are doing good research before you decide to put very potent chemical substance into your body. That means you are a cleaver and resistant guy.

In my humble opinion drugs are a loose-loose situation. There is almost zero chances that you will be one of few, who managed to have remission after drug treatment. On the other hand there is very high possibilty that drugs won't do anything to you or just cover symptoms for time of use, what will prevent you from working on your thoughts and behavior. Not mentioning that you could not only get PSSD as you understand it, but that you could have life disabling neurological problems and your life could be ruined after taking even only one pill. Unfortunately these things happen to people when they take psychiatric drugs.

The only way to be happy in life and to allow yourself to live it fully is a holistic approach to so called "mental illness". You see, I've always made big mistake when it comes to human mental state. I've always thought that everything is just in my head and the only thing I can do is to work with my thoughts and behavior. This approach was ok for mild cases of negative mental periods in my life, but was not enough for severe ones. Severe states rewuire much more effort. Your mind is tightly connected with your body, didnt understand it well. Your mind is literally just a result of what your brain does and your brain is dependent on your body. You have to work with your body and your mind simultaneously.

Try to implement a good diet, preferably Keto one. Work with your breathe, Wim Hoff method is very good. Meditate, do 8 week mindfullness course. Engage in social interaction. Start exercising. Engage 100% in every method that helps you with your mental state. As you said yourself, it is a fight for your life, there is nothing more valuable you can do than take care of your body and your mind.

Accept your anxiety. It is something that you should be proud and happy of. Don't fight it. It helps you with life, it prevents you from failure, danger, it makes you more reasonable and more effective. You just reached the point that "the volume" of your anxiety is a bit too loud, you have to turn it down a bit. Your anxiety probably savrd your life, it made you write a post here and it will make you consider your decision once again. It is your friend, very wise and caring friend.

[succubus76]

Just smoke some weed, or do shrooms or lsd, stay away from any psych med, pssd is not only the ED, anorgasmia bla bla etc,it is also the psychologically aspect of sexuallity, you also lose the willines of being in a relationship, is hard to explain. I was suicidal before ssris ñ, and now i even more because of this lol.

[Numby]

I can’t recommend Wellbutrin for anxiety. I didn’t have any anxiety issues before taking Wellbutrin. Now I sometimes feel anxious in situations where this wasn’t the case before. I can’t really recommend anything else because anxiety is not my main issue.

[AnhedonicApe]

Please please please try a keto diet before you try meds. I wish i had known before trying meds, it cleared up all my ocd and anxiety within one/two weeks.