A 23-year-old got candid about how medication ruined her sex life. How common is that?

Show Caption

WASHINGTON — In a bustling ballroom in an upscale hotel, Laura Friedman, 23, sat onstage to talk about her sex life. Specifically, sexual dysfunction.The Vanderbilt University senior explained that after stopping antidepressants, she experienced what she described as a “chemical castration,” with complete loss of feeling in her genitals.She’s also lost her sense of emotional connection. “I can't feel love for my own mother, which is the hardest thing on Earth.”Friedman’s story riveted the audience at an event hosted by the MAHA Institute, a group of enthusiasts of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, about the “overmedicalization” of mental health.Other young people accompanied Friedman, who said they also faced unintended challenges with psychiatric medications and SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of antidepressants.SSRIs can be life-changing for people struggling with mental health issues. There are several types of antidepressants, but SSRIs are usually the first choice by healthcare providers, according to Cleveland Clinic, because they tend to cause "fewer and milder side effects compared to other options."Friedman was, admittedly, a reluctant participant, never planning to become a spokesperson for post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, or PSSD, a condition not formally recognized in the United States. People like Friedman are sounding the alarm.“I think it's pretty clear I don't want to be here,” she said. “I feel so deeply humiliated and dehumanized to share to groups of strangers and the press, and inevitably the internet, that I'm quite literally sexually defunct and emotionally lobotomized, which is the antithesis of who I was before this.”But she was there to make a specific point: She doesn’t want PSSD to happen to others.SSRIs have become a hot-button issue for the MAHA movement − including at the event, where speakers argued these medications are overprescribed.The monthly antidepressant dispensing rate for young people increased by 66.3% from January 2016 to December 2022, according to a 2024 study in the journal Pediatrics, as depression rates have risen.Speakers at the event pushed for a bigger focus on non-medication treatment methods for depression including psychotherapy and lifestyle changes like improved sleep hygiene, exercise and diet. But when alternative treatments like talk therapy alone aren’t working (or someone lacks access to this kind of support), antidepressants can be vital options for those struggling with depression, OCD, anxiety and other mental health conditions, though they should always be monitored closely by a doctor.What should you know about PSSD? Here's what experts say.What is PSSD?Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction can present differently between patients, but it's mostly defined by the emergence or persistence of sexual dysfunction following the use of SSRIs, according to doctors who have studied the condition."Most of us expect if we're on a drug and have side effects, we stop the drug, we stop the side effects, but it's the opposite of this," explained Dr. Kenneth Peters, chief of urology at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan and medical director of the Beaumont Women's Urology and Pelvic Health Center.Side effects − which may include genital numbness, trouble getting an erection or difficulty reaching orgasm − can even increase after stopping the medication, Peters said.And it's not always just sexual side effects. Peters said some patients lose interest in things they used to love, can struggle with emotional connection or suffer physical symptoms like changes in bladder and bowel function."It is a striking thing when you see it as a clinician," he said.For years, the explanation for this shift was the original mood issues in which the SSRI was prescribed for, according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, head physician, co-founder and director of San Diego Sexual Medicine. But he explained his research has found physiological changes in those who experience PSSD, including nerve function and tissue damage.Peters points out people have also reported similar issues after stopping other, non-psychiatric medications for skin health and hair loss.In 2019, PSSD was recognized by the European Medical Agency, a regulatory authority similar to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. The same recognition doesn't exist in the U.S., and there aren't formalized diagnosis criteria, explained Peters.How MAHA has leaned into the SSRI debateImmediately following RFK Jr.’s confirmation as health secretary, President Donald Trump instructed his administration to assess the “threat” posed to children by the prescription of SSRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and stimulants.An executive order aimed to end the “over-reliance on medication and treatments” caused panic among individuals reliant on SSRIs and other psychiatric medications to manage their mental health."Literally would not be alive today without my SSRI,” one user posted on X following the executive order. “If they take these medications away, it will cause mass tragedies," wrote another X user.Kennedy has shared conspiracy theories that falsely linked antidepressants to school shootings, for example, all while promoting the idea he’s focused on “gold standard science.”But is there a way to balance raising awareness for PSSD while still making SSRIs accessible to those who need them? Experts think so."We don't want to eliminate the drugs, I want to make that clear," Goldstein said. "But we don't want to cause this PSSD problem, it's a separate and bad condition."How common is PSSD?About one in six Americans is on an SSRI. Those who develop PSSD seem to be a very small percentage, according to Goldstein, though he said it's difficult to estimate."Not everybody who takes a drug gets these problems," he said. "It could be 1%, it could be 4%. We don't really know how to assess it."But small percentages nor lack or official recognition shouldn't discredit the condition, Goldstein said.Peters went a step further, saying it's dangerous to not listen to patients who experience this. In an international survey on PSSD he put out with Corewell Health, he said the majority of participants said they sought medical care for their symptoms but over 50% of clinicians they saw dismissed it.Are there treatment options?While PSSD symptoms can subside after months or years for some, for others, it can "last a lifetime," Peters said, and no official treatment exists."I think most patients get their medical information off of subreddit accounts, where people who have this, who tried a million different things talk about their experience," he said, adding people have explored everything from hormonal manipulation to electrical stimulation. Though health-related subreddits help many people feel seen and heard, it's important to remember not all health information on social media or the internet at large is credible.While solutions are a long-term goal, he and Goldstein hope research in the short-term can identity those who are most at-risk for PSSD."The problem is funding," Peters said, adding most PSSD research that exists is patient-funded. He's hoping a grant from the National Institutes of Health he's applying for will lead to more research.In the meantime, experts and advocates are pushing for more information on potential risks to be shared with patients who are prescribed these medications."You don't want to scare people from taking something that could be potentially life-saving for them either," Peters said.