Alejandro

Age: 23 | Colombia

"I am a young man of Latin American origin, Colombian nationality, who decided to go to the family doctor for a state of stress and some anxiety because my family told me that I should go. I was immediately prescribed an antidepressant called sertraline. I took this medication for 4 days and developed a total disconnection with emotions and some low libido, and I did not take it again.

After 25 days I developed an anxiety disorder, blank mind, temperature changes and problems sleeping. I was so scared that I went to a psychiatrist who prescribed me generic brand escitalopram, that's where the horrible nightmare began; Nervousness, memory deterioration reaching the point of symptoms similar to dementia. This is why my mother got so scared that we decided to go to another psychiatrist with the intention of him informing us how to stop taking the medication, but the result was the opposite. He manipulated me, telling me that I was seriously ill and that my illness was hereditary.

After the brief consultation, I left with a cocktail of medications, Pristiq and Seroquel to sleep and Pregabalin for anxiety that did not manifest itself in panic attacks or high severity. I was experiencing adverse effects of these medications. I started taking the treatment and immediately felt; Severe cognitive impairment, I couldn't get my words, phrases out of my memory, severe sexual dysfunction and total genital anesthesia with some pain. I only took these medications for about 15 days. I stopped taking them and my sexual functioning did not return to normal.

In the midst of fear and despair, I discovered that Wellbutrin could reverse it according to my doctor. I then took that medication for 6 weeks and developed extreme sweating, cold hands and feet, and short-term memory deteriorated much more. Sexual dysfunction was reversed by about 20%, however I never returned to my normal baseline. I stopped taking the medication and as of now a long time has passed by. At this point, a total remission should’ve already happened...

Nobody in my family circle believes me about PSSD. My persistent symptoms are; sexual dysfunction, genitalia pain, anorgasmia, total disconnection from the body, persistent tinnitus in both ears, insomnia, anhedonia, extreme fatigue that comes in waves, cognitive impairment. I believe my emotions have returned but they are not how they used to be. The doctors still keep trying to tell me that this is depression, which is not the case since I had no traces of depression at all and no sexual problems before introducing these drugs into my life.

Day and night my brain is desperate to get back to normal. These medications have left me wanting to commit suicide, which I have never felt in my life prior to starting them. I used to be a guy with a high intellectual capacity at my young age, and a student who was passionate about sports and healthy living, with a totally healthy sexuality.

I don't even recognize myself anymore and I feel like a person totally lobotomized by these drugs.