I Can't Feel My Penis. I'm on Anti-Depressants. This Is My Life.

"SSRIs, used by nearly 12 percent of Americans, work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain, increasing serotonergic activity between nerve cells, with the intended result of easing anxiety and depression. The specter of the small print, however, is sexual dysfunction. A significant number of patients experience adverse intimate side effects, including erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, and low libido."

"I hardly feel anything in my penis. Touching it is as unextraordinary as touching the tip of my elbow. It's like it's been slathered in lidocaine or injected with anesthetic. My penis doesn't feel like genitalia, just generic skin. This intense dullness is, to the best of my knowledge and that of the therapist, doctors, and psychiatrists I've seen, caused by SSRIs."

"It's often caveated that many people with depression (around 35 to 50 percent, according to one study) experience sexual dysfunction regardless of the drugs. But before taking SSRIs, I did not have the double whammy of genital numbness and delayed orgasm."

SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed antidepressants used by nearly 12 percent of Americans, frequently cause sexual dysfunction as a side effect. While these medications work by increasing serotonin activity to treat depression and anxiety, they often result in erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, low libido, and genital numbness. The author experiences severe penile desensitization from SSRI use, describing the sensation as comparable to touching an elbow. Although depression itself causes sexual dysfunction in 35-50 percent of patients, the author's symptoms began only after starting SSRIs. This creates a difficult paradox where medications that improve mental health significantly impair sexual function and sensation.

Read at Esquire