Zensan - Introduction - Abilify

[zensan]

Hello everyone!

My story short.

I was on Abilify 4 months and doctor wanted to try 7,5mg dose for few days. It gave me hypersexuality, huge urge to gamble and constant need to eat something sweet. I mean it was almost like taking Viagra and horny all the time. So we quickly dropped dose back to 5mg. Doctor just told me that these symptoms are really rare such a low dose. I also lost some hair when taking Abilify... and gained 12kg (26 pounds) in 1,5 month... Yes, really... I tapered over 5 weeks. When my dose was 1mg I noticed I couldn´t have any erections... I got really bad insomia too, couldn´t sleep more than 4 hours first two weeks. After that my sleep pattern improved but was sleeping max 5 hours. 8 weeks later my erections came back(!) and I got 6 hours sleep. That would have been great story... but...

... unfortunately I got panic attack 3 months later (don´t know if Abilify withdrawal was causing it) and was given Valdoxan. The doctor increased the dose after 4 days to max 50mg and I got suicidal thoughts. She thought it was psychosis and again I was forced to take Abilify 5mg... Again I was immediately little bit hypersexual. This time the drug gave me metabolic syndrome in 3 weeks(!) and the doctor tapered me off this poison. Doctor also confirmed that this was misdiagnosis... great... but not to worry cause I was only such a little time on it. Well... when we tapered to 1mg again my erections were gone. Only this time when I tried to ejaculate, there was only 2 drops of semen... and my penis is shrunken... sorry for the details...

I guess I’m really sensitive for drugs. I haven’t taken any meds before. So now I’m Not taking any meds and hoping my erection will come back. I’m really scared that this time Valdoxan and Abilify really messed my dopamine system... And the sad thing is that both time I got Abilify was misdiagnosis. Valdoxan would have been great in low dose 25mg, but 50mg gave me instantly suicidal thoughts and my liver enzymes doubled in three weeks. I really hope that my erections will come back...

Is there anyone cured PAPSD? I think it´s really rare to get permanent sexual dysfunction from Abilify but found one case on this forum:
http://www.pssdforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=85

Would like to hear how´s Mike23 is doing?

[anacleta]

very interesting for me that I take abilify and I have heavy and persistent sexual dysfunction from 4-5 years. since I have pssd (I think, caused by citalopram and not by abilify, but now.. ) I have resisted without drugs for a maximum of 3 months, but without seeing the slightest improvement. you have recovered the erections 2 months after suspending abilify, interesting! who knows if you had very high prolactin in those 2 months? you only talk about erections, but what do you say about excitement, sexual sensation and orgasm now? how long have you stopped all medication?

[zensan]

I’m Sorry to hear that you have struggled so long time with sexual dysfuntion. How are you coping with that?

Abilify should not cause high prolactin levels. I also had pretty good testosterone levels and my libido was really high when taking Abilify. Libido was lower when stopping Abilify but came back after six weeks.

It’s only two weeks when I stopped Abilify (Valdoxan 3 weeks ago) so it’s early to say. Libido is definetly lower. Orgasm don’t really know... tried masturbate just to see if it works and had no erection and few drops of semen. Didn’t feel anything really... now suffering insomnia also... Sleeping 4-5 hours but waking like four times every night.

It’s really a horrible drug. It didn’t just took away my erections but I also lost like 40% of my hair! It robbed my manlyhood in every aspect! Still hoping that erections would come back... Will report how things will go.

All the best to you. I think people this forum like you are so brave. It’s been only two weeks but it’s freaking me out already... last time it was only Abilify but now there was also Valdoxan and I’m really afraid that this time my dopamine system is really messed up.

[anacleta]

unfortunately I fail my attempts to suspend abilify because I get a strong anxiety about the horror of pssd and thoughts of suicide. I at most remained without abilify for 3 months, years ago, but without seeing any improvement on the pssd. I now ask myself: if I resisted for 6 months without abilify, would I perhaps begin to see some improvement? but I 6 months without abilify unfortunately I can not get there. maybe the only way is to try to change medication (example moclobemide) ... I trust that in a few weeks you will come here to report your recovery, as happened to you the previous time!

[zensan]

Thank you for your kind words anacleta. I really hope I will recover the sama way like before. And I really, really, hope you will find the way to recover and get that poison out of your system. It really destroyed my life only In 4 months. Was really athletic and healthly person before... don’t drink or smoke and doing sport a lot. Now I’m still litte bit overweighted althougt I lost 4kg in two weeks after stoping Abilify. It really destroys your metabolism. I still have high blood pressure and my chlolesterol is sky high. Before meds they were excellent. Still hoping they will normalize... Blood sugar went really high also but luckily went back to normal after stopping. Hairloss... well that’s really rare side effect but I got it also. Never thought I would lose my hair. Still above all these I just want my sexuality back!!! You can fix blood pressure and cholesterol or get hairtransplant but there is no cure for PAPSD. I regret that I ever went to get some ”help” to mine mild depression.

BTW one Interesting part was also that last time I recovered my erections were harder than before and libido was higher also. I think it was something to do with black maca i took. I also didn’t watch any porn or anything stimulating for 8 weeks. Then suddenly I got really strong nocturnal erection and sex dream and things went normal. During that 8 weeks I also tried one night mucuna pruriens and it gave me nocturnal erection. This was one time experiment and it confirmed to me that the problem was In dopamine system. I didn’t take it after that because I was thinking it’s better to let dopamine levels go back to normal in natural way. If things are not getting better after 8 weeks I’ll definetly will try mucuna pruriens and black maca again.

[zensan]

Last night I got really weak nocturnal erection. Don’t know whatta hell is going on... last time I didn’t have any erections for 8 weeks. I hope this is a good sign... I just fucking hate these meds. I was just mild depressed and was given Mirtazapine 15mg to help me sleep. Then the dose was upped to 30mg (don’t know why) and I got really weird side effects. Doctor didn’t believe me and the dose was upped to 45mg(!!!). Then I got suicidle thoughts (?!) and doctor forced me to take Abilify... i wish I had never went to ”seek help”... Now I’m complete mess and more depressed than
ever before. My sex life was really good before this crap.

[zensan]

So is there anyone heard persistent sexual dysfuntion from taking Abilify? Any suggested protocols other than just wait. I’m already starting to fall deep depression (I know it’s a withdrawal too) and my doctor was suggesting to start Brintellix (Trintellix). First they fuck up your mind giving too much medicine (I got mild depression and was given 15mg Mirtazapine, but due to mistake upped to 45mg in a week, and then got suicidle thoughts, got hospitilized and was misdiagnosed as psychosis) and then they try to fix you just giving you more ”medicine”. And now your levy more miserable with limb dick. Great!

[zensan]

So... I panicked and after 3 weeks with no improvements I started Abilify again. Stupid me. I got slight improvement, weak erections but no strong erections at all. I took Abilify 2 weeks but with no real improvements stopped again. Started Brintellix 10mg for my depression two weeks ago. Interesting part is that I started also Mirtazapine 7,5mg to help me sleep and now I have weak nocturnal erections?! I know I should have waited but I got really depressed about the situation...

[zensan]

So I stopped Brintellix because I started feel numb and low libido. I got 7 days good nocturnal erections while taking Mirtazapine 7,5mg (but no erections at daytime). But now Mirtazapine doesn’t help me sleep and the nocturnal erections are gone. Tested prolactine and that’s fine 182 (range 50 - 300). So just don’t know what to do next. Still depressed about situation obviously but Brintellix didn’t help at all... So I just have to wait? I hate this shit. I’v already got my erections back and now they are gone just because of the stupid mistake doctor made... and all they saying that’s all in my head. That these medicines won’t harm your sexuality when you stop the medicine. Yeah right...

[zensan]

Last Sunday I was really anxious and I took one pill Abilify (5mg). Two hours later I got boner out of nowhere! The next night I also got nocturnal erection! But next day no nocturnal erection but daytime erection was fine... Whatta hell is going on?!!! Any ideas?