I may never enjoy sex because a pill that millions take has left me with completely numb genitals. By the time I learned about this devastating side effect, it was too late… and others aren’t being warned

Lauren Friedman recalls her ‘first time’ vividly – not as a treasured milestone, but as the moment she realized something was terribly wrong with her body.

She was 23 and had been with her partner for three months – but almost as soon as they became intimate, she knew something wasn’t right.

‘I couldn’t feel anything,’ says California-native Lauren. ‘I remember thinking, “Has it actually happened?” I genuinely couldn’t tell.’

At first, she put it down to nerves or inexperience.

But months later, when she felt almost no discomfort during the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) – a procedure many women find painful – doctors were so surprised they asked whether she had previously given birth.

‘That’s when I knew the numbness I was experiencing wasn’t normal,’ she says.

Searching online for answers, Lauren quickly found scores of eerily similar accounts from women and men who believed they had been left with lasting sexual problems by antidepressant medication. Many mentioned sertraline – sold under the brand name Zoloft – the very medication she had been prescribed three years earlier and took on and off until 2024.

Most disturbing of all were the accounts suggesting the loss of sensation could be permanent.

‘I was horrified by what I found,’ she says. ‘I dropped my phone and just started crying. I kept thinking, ‘Have I lost the ability to enjoy sex for the rest of my life?”

As shocking as Lauren’s story is, she is also far from alone. 

She is one of a growing number of Americans suffering from post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, or PSSD. 

The poorly understood condition is thought to be triggered by a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa) and paroxetine (Paxil).

Sexual side effects while taking SSRIs are common and well recognized. From 30 to 70 percent of patients on the drugs have a lower sex drive.

Depression itself can reduce libido and make it harder to become aroused or reach orgasm, while the medications can also dampen sexual function. For most patients, these problems improve after the drug is stopped or the dose is reduced.

PSSD is different. Those affected say the symptoms persist for months or even years after they stop taking the medication – and in some cases may be permanent.

Symptoms can include genital numbness, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, difficulty reaching orgasm or orgasms that feel muted or pleasureless. 

Many sufferers also describe emotional blunting, saying they no longer experience romantic attraction or emotional connection in the same way, with devastating consequences for relationships and family life.

Although reports of PSSD have circulated since the 1990s, the condition is now recognized by regulators in Europe, the UK and Australia. 

In the UK, reports of PSSD prompted drugs regulators to update patient information leaflets carried by SSRIs, warning that sexual dysfunction may persist after treatment stops. Separately, doctors are advised to warn patients that these drugs can cause sexual side effects.

In the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statitical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), issued by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to help psychiatrists diagnose conditions, it states: ‘In some cases, SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction may persist after the agent is discontinued.’

Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to formally acknowledge the condition, despite years of campaigning by scientists and patient groups calling for stronger warning labels, better patient information and more research into the condition. 

Around one in 10 American adults takes an antidepressant, and the majority are prescribed SSRIs. 

Early clinical trials suggested fewer than five percent of users experienced sexual side effects, but more recent studies indicate the true figure may be closer to 15 percent, with some estimates higher depending on how patients are questioned.

The PSSD Network, a support group for sufferers, now has 20,000 members from all over the world.

Lauren was first prescribed sertraline having being diagnosed with depression and anxiety after a short telemedicine appointment in 2022. 

Then 20, she found the drugs worked well to begin with, dampening the intrusive self-doubt that plagued her. 

She noticed her interest in sex also disappeared – but admits she wasn’t all that concerned.

‘I mentioned this to my doctor and was told it would just return once I was off the drug, so I just thought it was something that I could sort out later,’ she says.

But things didn’t return to normal.

‘Not long after I stopped taking the medication, I woke up and something just felt different,’ she said.

‘It was as though a switch had been flipped in my brain. From that day on, I’ve felt emotionally flat and disconnected from the world around me.

‘It’s not just that I’ve lost the sexual side of things. I feel as though I’ve lost emotions that used to come naturally – the ability to feel excitement, joy and connection. I don’t know how to get those feelings back.’ 

It is not clear what causes PSSD, but doctors have said that it may be triggered by the drugs changing how the brain functions. 

However, some experts caution that depression itself can cause sexual dysfunction and currently there is no proven biological mechanism for the disease.

Others say, however, that they are seeing ever more patients suffering from PSSD.

Psychiatrist and researcher Dr Josef Witt-Doerring, who has studied the condition, said: ‘PSSD is horrific. It’s the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to someone as a side effect from antidepressants.’

Witt-Doerring, who has treated at least 20 PSSD patients, added: ‘In depression, sexual problems can be utter exhaustion. 

‘It’s like, the plumbing still works, but you just don’t care enough because you are so worn out or fatigued. With anxiety, patients generally describe sexual anxiety around sex. 

‘On SSRIs, they can describe decreased sensations and difficulty maintaining erections, which typically subside after coming off the drugs.

‘But with PSSD, patients describe full genital anesthesia – they are unable to feel their sexual organs.’

Preliminary research published this year has also hinted that PSSD may be associated with physical changes. In a study of 20 men with the condition, researchers found ultrasound evidence of abnormalities in erectile tissue that were not seen in healthy volunteers. Exactly what caused these changes – or whether they are a consequence of the condition – remains unclear. 

Author Dr Irwin Goldstein said in an interview that he suspected further studies would show similar changes to genital tissues in women with PSSD.

A spokesman for the PSSD Network said: ‘PSSD can have a profound impact on people’s lives. 

‘Beyond the sexual symptoms, many patients report losing their emotions, with effects on relationships, self-esteem and family planning. For some, the condition persists for years or decades after stopping the medication.

‘One of the most distressing aspects reported by patients is not only the symptoms themselves, but the experience of seeking medical help. 

‘Many say they have been told the symptoms are psychological, attributed to their underlying condition, or informed that persistent symptoms after stopping antidepressants are not possible. 

‘As a result, some patients spend years searching for answers before discovering that others have reported the same pattern of symptoms.

‘While awareness has improved in recent years, significant gaps remain.’

Experts told the Daily Mail that they had heard that the FDA was once again looking into PSSD, and had been speaking to patients. They said a new report from the agency could be published in the coming months. 

Sertraline was developed by Pfizer and first sold under the brand name Zoloft. 

Today, Zoloft is marketed by Viatris, while generic sertraline is manufactured by numerous pharmaceutical companies. 

A spokesman for this company said: ‘Patient safety and the appropriate use of our medicines are top priorities for Viatris.

‘We are committed to ensuring the appropriate communication of important safety information to healthcare professionals and patients, and guidance regarding appropriate and safe use of this medicine is noted in the US.’

They pointed the Daily Mail to the prescribing label for sertraline, which warns that SSRIs may cause symptoms of sexual dysfunction during treatment.

Lauren first shared her experience on the drug at the MAHA Summit for Mental Health and Overmedicalization in May this year. 

Now a year-and-a-half on from the second time she stopped taking the medication, Friedman says that she is still struggling with sexual dysfunction and dulled emotions.

‘I understand now why people take their lives who have this condition,’ she said, ‘It’s not because you’re depressed, it’s because you just can’t feel anything. 

‘I am so angry with my doctor. I went back to him six months after coming off the drug and said I can’t feel my genitals, I feel asexual, I can’t feel normal emotions. 

‘I asked him: “Have you heard of PSSD?”

‘He said: “Oh yes, but I didn’t think you’d get it because it is so rare”. It turned out he actually already had another patient who had the condition too.’ 

Lauren’s sex life and drive to have sex remain dulled to this day, but she hopes that they may somehow recover.

‘Part of the reason for speaking out is to call for funding and research into this, so that scientists can start to develop treatments,’ she said. ‘We should not just be left to suffer in silence.’

Experts urge patients not to stop taking antidepressants without first consulting with their doctor.