Following her initial report on the lawsuit in may 2024 against the FDA for not responding to a 2018 citizen’s petition, Australian journalist Maryanne Demasi provides an update: the case has unfortunately been dismissed on a technicality. In her latest piece, Demasi sheds light on the ongoing challenges faced by people with PSSD and other harmed patient communities in getting their voices heard and holding powerful institutions like the FDA accountable.

Jan Jekielek is a Senior Editor with The Epoch Times who interviews Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring on American Thought Leaders (Epoch TV) surrounding the concerns of PSSD and Protracted Withdrawal. Witt-Doerring is presented with many questions surrounding PSSD, in which he answers through his knowledge via academic sources and patient testimonies from his Youtube channel. Jekielek and Witt-Doerring both come to an agreement that these drugs are too overprescribed, and there needs to be more transparency surrounding iatrogenic harm.

Yassie Pirani (RSW, RCC) and Travis Salway (PHD) take on a presentation of their latest cross-sectional survey regarding PSSD. While the result was shocking, they both wanted to share their findings, patient testimonies, and further research surrounding the condition at BCCDC. This presentation is very informative for those looking to learn more about PSSD.

The article “Gen Zers says antidepressants have ruined their sex lives — ‘I’m dead inside’” by Rikki Schlott sheds light on the persisting side effects that previous antidepressant users have been suffering with. This story highlights the consequences of drugging toddlers and other young men & women, ultimately resulting in many problems later in life.

The article “What happens when antidepressants kill your sex drive” by Arielle Domb discusses the pros and cons of antidepressants. The article states that antidepressants can be life-saving for many, however some users who discontinue the drugs aren’t so lucky. PSSD is a debilitating condition that arises after stopping an antidepressant drug that currently has no treatment.

The article describes the story of Anna, a young woman who turned to the antidepressant Lexapro during the COVID-19 lockdowns who has experienced devastating and irreversible side effects known as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD). Despite initially seeking help for depression, Anna now grapples with severe genital numbness, emotional blunting, and loss of life quality, which have left her feeling abandoned by the medical community. Her story highlights the lack of awareness and informed consent around such side effects and underscores the urgent need for research, acknowledgment, and solutions for PSSD sufferers.

The article “After Stopping Antidepressants, Sex Problems May Persist” by Michael Castleman helps to clarify the existence and possibility of developing PSSD after stopping antidepressants. A story of a sufferer who has had PSSD since the 90’s shares her experience, and has been working to get this into medical journals since 2006. The conclusion of the article states that optimizing a healthy lifestyle could help distract sufferers from their intense symptoms, however they all seem to say that this does not make a difference for them.

The article “My antidepressants left me with no feelings in my genitals” by Alice Giddings shares the story of a PSSD sufferer who describes how her life was turned upside down. The victim experiences suicidal thoughts on a daily basis due to the tragedy caused by this harrowing condition. Within the article, Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company, is asked about PSSD and it seems as if they dodged the question, similar to their response in a previous article from The Guardian. Dr. David Healy who was interviewed states that 20 people were confirmed to have taken their lives due to PSSD within the past 2 years. Overall, it is imperative that pharmaceutical companies help fund research to accelerate treatments for PSSD. The article also includes Tiktok videos from the PSSDNetwork page, illustrating sufferers’ experiences.

The article “Antidepressants ruined my sex life” by Jessica Rawnsley in the iNews Paper shares some of the brutal experiences endured by PSSD sufferers. The article aims to describe all symptoms of suffering that these harmed patients are describing. Within this piece, a 24 year old woman describes her symptoms as severe and disabling. She suffers from sexual dysfunction as well as cognitive symptoms like cognitive impairment and emotional blunting. She claims that it only took a single pill to give her PSSD. While it is concerning that a single dose can bring on these permanent side effects, there are a lot of anecdotes describing the same situation throughout online forums for PSSD. More research is desperately needed to figure out the underlying cause. Overall, this article is well worth a read and provides one of the most accurate descriptions of this condition.

The article “Pills killed my sex drive forever” by Anna Moore in the ‘You’ Magazine shares a new detailed PSSD experience from a long-time sufferer of almost two decades. The article points out that this sufferer had a high libido and ability to feel attraction to the opposite sex before 2007, around the time he was prescribed an SSRI. He emphasizes on the inability to start a family when all of his peers already have. “This has caused me absolute chaos” he says. PSSD is a crime in itself and desperately needs a treatment for those suffering, especially for the victims who have lost decades of their lives to a drug deemed as ‘Safe and Effective’.

The article “Doctors Reveal Antidepressants Can Permanently Destroy Your Sex Life” by Katinka Newman, shares more PSSD experiences from sufferers crying out for help. The article conveys the lived experiences of permanent emotional blunting, cognitive impairment, numb genitals, and more. The article states that one sufferer felt these effects after the first pill. More research is needed to understand the severity of PSSD and why it’s still afflicting harm on many.

PSSD has reached a mainstream American live television broadcast, NBC News. As a Psychiatrist is interviewed on persistent sexual dysfunction during and after antidepressant use, he discusses how concerning it is that this is happening. As he lists off the 1/216 prevalence study, he accidentally quotes the wrong statistic as seen on the live broadcast. The Psychiatrist recommends making your doctor aware of the issue as they may not know about PSSD just yet.

The article “Regulator moves to require SSRI antidepressants to carry product warnings on the risk of long-lasting sexual side effects” by Natasha Robinson covers the added warnings in Australia regarding persistent sexual dysfunction for all SSRIs and SNRIs. The updated warning encourages health professionals to be alert to the issue and to report cases they associate antidepressant use with sexual dysfunction. Reporting adverse side effects can lead to increase warnings and labeling and are essential for raising interest in the issue.

The article “We became asexual after taking antidepressants for just a few WEEKS - now our genitals have shrunk and we’re worried we’ll never have sex again” by Cassidy Morrison, shares a few stories of PSSD sufferers who are saying that only a couple weeks of antidepressant exposure has left them with permanent sexual dysfunction. In the literature, PSSD can occur with only one dose, multiple doses, or after years of exposure. It is still unclear why antidepressants can cause PSSD shortly after starting these drugs.

The article “I couldn’t orgasm: Why anti-depressants could ruin your sex life” by Gwyneth Rees speaks out about sexual dysfunction on antidepressants and persisting sexual dysfunction (PSSD), and gives a sufferer the spotlight to share their story about how PSSD ruined their life. The article also points to PSSD as a hidden long-term risk, since the FDA lawsuit is also mentioned. As the article concludes, patients share their experience of gaslighting and how it added distress onto this already distressing condition. The author eventually states that she would never go back on antidepressants after finding out this information.

The Australian regulator has added warnings about persistent sexual dysfunction for all SSRIs and SNRIs. The updated warning encourages health professionals to be alert to the issue and to report cases they associate antidepressant use with sexual dysfunction. Reporting adverse side effects can lead to increased warnings and labeling, which are essential for raising interest in PSSD.

The article “These anti-depressants have been prescribed to millions - but have a hidden side effect that is worse than death ” by Cassidy Morrison discusses the FDA lawsuit that was filed by Public Citizen. The article features multiple TikTok videos of patient experiences posted by the PSSDNetwork. The patients in the videos describe feeling ‘completely altered’ and explain the feeling of attraction as nothing more than looking at a wall. The article also points out that the falling fertility rate may play a role in the rising number of PSSD cases.

The article “FDA Ignored Petition for Labels Warning Popular Antidepressants May Cause Long-Term Sexual Dysfunction” by Maryanne Demasi reviews the lawsuit regarding the FDA’s ignorance and willful blindness to PSSD. The FDA is now being forced to respond to the petition that was on hold for 6 years. The article also mentions a lawsuit pertaining to a PFS (Post-Finasteride Syndrome) petition, which was similarly ignored by the FDA for 4 years.

The article “FDA sued by scientist urging sexual side effects warning for widely used depression drugs” by Brendan Pierson highlights the FDA lawsuit from Public Citizen in Washington D.C. Despite the article mentioning that the FDA has declined to comment on the lawsuit, they will have a limited amount of time to respond and investigate the permanent side effects of antidepressants that have been causing suicide and disability for decades.

The article “SSRI Sexual Dysfunction Label Petition Was Unanswered, Suit Says” by Shweta Watwe has reported on the FDA lawsuit that took place after 6 years of ignorance. Despite posting the petition in 2018 for public comment, the FDA still hasn’t granted or denied it.