ANDERSEN

Age: 23 | US

"I started taking Cymbalta because I was struggling with anhedonia and had been reading extensively about depression. I initially believed I was simply dealing with depression and hoped that the medication would improve my life.

Honestly, I took a few different medications for brief periods and switched between them quite rapidly. I'm not sure why my psychiatrist allowed me to do this, but the order of medications was something like Effexor, Pristiq, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and finally Cymbalta, all within a span of 5-7 days over two to three months.

I took Cymbalta for approximately six days, from December 1, 2021, to December 6, 2021. While on the medication, I experienced a complete emotional shutdown, numbness, and overnight sexual dysfunction. Since then, my condition has deteriorated, including worsening cognitive impairment, anhedonia, negative and obsessive thought patterns, depersonalization, and a complete loss of sensation in my genitals. This has affected my sense of self, identity, interests, memory, cognition, and sleep. My anxiety has become neurotic and significantly worse, and I now feel utterly disconnected from everything. It is a constant struggle to connect with people, focus, comprehend, and communicate effectively.

When I discontinued the medication, some aspects of my life normalized, but a part of me remained lost. Over time, things improved somewhat, but I never fully recovered my old self or body functions. I fight every day to lead a semblance of a normal life.

The difference is that I went from managing a life I could deal with to an existence that is shameful and dysfunctional. I am profoundly unhappy and feel trapped, something I didn't experience before. Previously, I was not great, but I was okay. Now, I am neither of those and have much less control over my life.

This situation is incredibly distressing. I can't even experience the effects of substances anymore, and it's challenging to separate my various issues from each other. It feels like a numbed-out cluster of problems. I implore anyone considering these medications to explore alternatives like psilocybin use before resorting to them. I would give anything to go back to how I was before, even though I was aware of the potential for Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) and still chose to take these drugs because I thought it was a rare outcome.

To me, it seems that anhedonia and PSSD are distinct issues. The numbing sensation I experience is something entirely otherworldly, akin to a profound nervous system numbing. I would not be surprised if it is due to permanent neurotoxicity."