I Lost My Sexual Identity After Prozac

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Even if things had unfolded, unfolded differently, um and my doctor had informed me about the side effects, about the risks, um I wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time or an appropriate stage of maturity to make a serious decision about my future.

[00:00:16]If I had been informed that I could lose my sexuality, even temporarily, um there's no way I would have agreed to taking these pills.

[00:00:26]>> [music] [music] >> I'm Katie. I'm 35 and I'm from the UK.

[00:00:40]I developed PSSD after being prescribed fluoxetine, which has the brand name Prozac, age 21.

[00:00:48]Um I took the drugs for around 3 years with some gaps.

[00:00:52]However, I only realized antidepressants were the cause of my symptoms last year and was able to obtain a formal diagnosis.

[00:01:00]So, my PSSD symptoms include loss of pleasure, physically numb sexual sensation, sexual dysfunction, anorgasmia, and the ability to experience both physical attraction and sustainable romantic attachments.

[00:01:13]My emotional spectrum is also a lot narrower than it used to be.

[00:01:17]Um I had not ever experienced any of these issues prior to taking the drugs.

[00:01:25]Before [clears throat] I took SSRIs, I had a normal healthy interest in sex and I was going as far as saying I had a higher sex drive.

[00:01:32]Um I had a huge emotional spectrum and experienced romance and other emotions easily.

[00:01:39]>> [clears throat] >> One of the reasons I was experiencing difficulties in life which led to being prescribed fluoxetine is because I felt my emotions so intensely.

[00:01:50]I was prescribed fluoxetine because I was going through some challenging temporary life events.

[00:01:55]Um my struggles would have improved with time and support.

[00:01:59]I needed to speak to somebody about the life challenges I was facing, um, but I was instead given Prozac.

[00:02:06]And I had been on SSRIs for around 6 months before I received any real counseling.

[00:02:12]The short GP appointment wasn't enough to delve into the complexity of my situation.

[00:02:18]I'm a woman who was only attracted to women. Uh, this was one factor playing into my struggles.

[00:02:25]It meant my circumstances were different to the people around me. Um, I dropped out of university.

[00:02:31]And I was from a small heteronormative town, um, so wasn't exposed to other people like me.

[00:02:37]Um, when given SSRIs, the sexual issues weren't immediately noticeable because I'd never been in a long-term relationship and I was single.

[00:02:48]When I took antidepressants, my mood initially lifted.

[00:02:52]But I was confused about where my intense feelings had gone.

[00:02:56]Over time, I realized that even though I wasn't feeling so down anymore, um, I also couldn't feel excited or happy or enjoy anything properly.

[00:03:06]And in more time, I also realized that I had a sexual problem, which started while taking fluoxetine.

[00:03:14]Because fluoxetine severely blunted my emotions and sexuality, I was not able to process my issues in therapy properly.

[00:03:23]Um, my trauma was resolvable.

[00:03:26]Um, but to resolve it, I would have had to feel my emotions, experience my sexuality, and have relationships.

[00:03:33]Um, and I could not do that because the drugs were preventing me from doing so.

[00:03:39]Over time, um, this initial trauma that I had previously had before SSRIs, um, became complex because I could not fully resolve it through therapy without the ability to feel.

[00:03:53]I didn't receive informed consent um before I agreed to take SSRIs, I wasn't told about any potential side effects or risks.

[00:04:04]I went back to my GP several times um while I was on fluoxetine and explained I had sexual dysfunction.

[00:04:11]Um nobody told me it could be a side effect of the pills.

[00:04:15]Um it's actually quite a common side effect, so it would have been very easy for them to say "Actually, it's just a side effect. Stop taking the pills." Um but nobody said that.

[00:04:26]>> [snorts] >> Um you know, if they had, um it would have made like it would have would have made it much easier for me to realize and then to um decide to stop taking the pills much sooner.

[00:04:40]I also went back to my GP when my symptoms continued after stopping fluoxetine. At this point, I didn't know it was the drug still.

[00:04:50]Um doctors then told me my sexual problems were due to low self-esteem, um trauma, depression, other things like that. Um but I'd experienced low confidence and trauma and everything else before taking fluoxetine, and I didn't have any problems with sex, attraction, or emotional connection before the medication.

[00:05:11]Before SSRIs, I experienced these very normally.

[00:05:16]Because nobody told me it could be a side effect, I internalized my SSRI-induced symptoms and believed there was something wrong with me personally at a critical stage of development. Um I believed I was fundamentally different from my peers, um that I was abnormal, which had a lasting impact on me psychologically.

[00:05:36]Even when I was at my lowest point in life emotionally before SSRIs, um I still had feelings, a sex drive, and was sexually functional.

[00:05:46]When speaking to doctors about my issues after SSRIs, um one health professional even told me to look into asexuality and consider that I might be asexual.

[00:05:57]I don't identify as being asexual. Um I have a sexual problem from fluoxetine.

[00:06:04]I remember what it's like to have sexual feelings and desires, but I can't actually access these functions anymore.

[00:06:11]Um I've experienced this loss for 14 years because it started while I was taking SSRIs.

[00:06:18]Um it's a medical problem. Um it's not a sexual orientation.

[00:06:24]Around the same time as taking fluoxetine, um I had just come out as being gay to my family and friends.

[00:06:31]Um but because I lost my sexual function shortly afterwards, this didn't amount to anything.

[00:06:38]Um I did go back to university and complete a master's degree after taking SSRIs.

[00:06:44]Um but I noticed I wasn't developing any crushes.

[00:06:47]Um and I felt different from my peers and I was confused about why that was.

[00:06:53]Um I'd also gained a lot of weight due to SSRIs, which lowered my confidence even more.

[00:07:00]I lost my adult formative years and spent the years that I should have been having relationships and developing a sense of self being isolated due to my SSRI-induced symptoms.

[00:07:12]Um I lost the right I had to establish my sexual identity, um and I missed out on my own life experiences because of these drugs.

[00:07:21]Um I have experienced the personal and societal challenges queer people typically face while also then being put in an impossible position with PSSD.

[00:07:32]Um I've uprooted my life and moved locations many times. Part of the reason being to have access to queer communities only to then discover all the stress and expense wasn't going to be worth it um because of PSSD.

[00:07:47]Now, being in queer environments can feel isolating to me um because sexuality is central to identity and conversation.

[00:07:55]Um I hear other queer people say they couldn't move back to a heteronormative place and to go back into the closet.

[00:08:01]But because of SSRIs, um I never really got to leave it properly.

[00:08:06]Um I feel as though my life um and my potential have been wasted.

[00:08:13]I have tried to have relationships several times as an adult um but it doesn't work because of PSSD.

[00:08:22]Um on both a personal and practical level, um this makes life difficult.

[00:08:27]Living on a single income um is tough.

[00:08:30]Um I ended up I've ended up taking a pause in my career um because working all the time with no relief led to burnout.

[00:08:39]Um in my experience, uh when I was prescribed these pills, my doctor didn't ask enough questions to consider what impact it might have on my life.

[00:08:49]Um the conversation wasn't a two-way sharing of information. Uh it was my GP's opinion um and I was 100% dependent on and trusting of my GP's opinion at the time um from my perspective.

[00:09:03]I had no reason to doubt my GP or to think otherwise.

[00:09:07]Um even if things had unfolded unfolded differently um and my doctor had informed me about the side effects, about the risks, um I wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time or at an appropriate stage of maturity to make a serious decision about my future.

[00:09:25]If I had been informed that I could lose my sexuality even temporarily, um there's no way I would have agreed to taking these pills.

[00:09:35]But um I wasn't given informed consent.

[00:09:39]Um, that prescription, it changed the entire trajectory of my life, um, and it's made life very challenging for me.

[00:09:47]Um, I don't know what options I actually have.

[00:09:51]Um, if I'd known I could lose an essential part of who I am, um, I never would have agreed to take these drugs.

[00:09:59]>> [music] [music] [music]