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Hi all, I'm at a complete loss regarding my situation so I'll start from the beginning. During the summer of 2016 around july I began taking Sertraline 20mg for what I would now describe as mild anxiety, when struggling with initial sides of increased anxiety and sudden insomnia my doctor prescribed me flupentixol which I then took with the sertraline for around 3 months and then went cold turkey on due to severe drowsiness. I continued the sertraline for around 9 months before going cold turkey. I'm so confused regarding my situation because in order to cope with the insomnia I also smoked weed every night whilst taking it to help me sleep which seemed to work wonders. Even after dropping the sertraline I continued smoking weed in order to help me sleep. I had actually never smoked weed prior to this insomnia (I was 26 BTW) and it was a friend's suggestion. Anyway I attempted to quit smoking several times last year after dropping the ssri but noticed an extreme feeling of anxiety at all times whenever I did and and inability to sleep until early hours of the morning. This pattern went on until early this year where I smoked once again before bed internally praying that I would be able to stop somehow. That night and for the next month I suffered the most extreme anxiety attacks I never thought possible, which definitly helped me to cut the weed permanantly. The strange thing is, ever since then I have experienced various symptoms associated with withdrawal which are, Extreme rage/anxiety/depression constantly alternating. Headaches sometimes unbearable migraines. Horrendous restlessness which after reading some accounts on this site I think is akathisia. Burning and aching throughout my body. Extreme hatred towards family and friends which comes and goes. Blurred vison Awful digestive problems (burping nonstop everyday, diarrhea and constipation and bleeding. Bloating Brain fog feels as though someone has hold of my brain smothering it. Vibrating in my ears. Sometimes I spend the entire day crying uncontrollably with anguish twisting my hands and feet with worry and anxiety. Muscles twitching all day and almost zero appetite. I guess my question is, Can withdrawal sometimes take a year to fully manifest? because the weed aswell as cbd oil seemed to keep the anxiety and insomnia at bay then suddenly almost a year after dropping the sertraline I developed all these mental and physical symptoms. Or is there something else wrong with me because I've had cameras in me, been to three different doctors and various homeopaths and they say everything seems fine when it clearly isn't. I've lost my job my friends three stones and it feels as if I've lost control over my entire body and mind. Someone please help lol. I have many other symptoms to an extreme degree but I've actually lost track of everything I'm going through. Still sane though I think.(hope)

Any tardive akathisia success stories? Thought this might be a really nice post of hope for a condition that is usually seen as very hopeless. 🙂 I've seen a few people successfully heal from acute akathesia by changing their dosage etc. But was wondering if there was any success stories on tardive or withdrawal akathesia, especially for those who aren't even on meds anymore? Also if anyone has been in a similar position as me - I haven't been on any drugs since 2018, but I smoked weed for a few days in June 2021, then I was suddenly hit with akathesia 3 months later (I've never even had akathesia before).

I am so glad that I came across this forum! I feel like crying when reading peoples stories and their struggle with coming off the antidepressants! I was prescribed Zoloft for anxiety and Depression which I have been suffering for years! Mainly anxiety and panic disorder! I am otherwise healthy. Zoloft caused PGAD that has caused me so much anguish, I feel like I am living in a nightmare! I only took Zoloft for 3 days 25mg and this happened to me! I wanted to and still have thoughts of suicide! I felt that I was some kind of a freak and pervert! It has been 4 weeks and things have improved but not completely gone! I constantly feel burning sensation, and tingles that drive me crazy! I can deal with the burning sensations but tingles I can not stand! I got better then I took a herbal supplement for anxiety and it has come back today! I am taking fish oil supplement and I wonder if I am now sensitive to fish oil too??? Should I stop or cut back on fish oil? I just don't know what to take anymore! I never could imagine that this could happen to me as I was not aware! The doctor did not mention anything so I had no idea! I am naturally a slim person and my only worry at the time was if I was going to gain weight while on antidepressants, and my doctor reassured me "Very Unlikely". I took her word for it and I took the medication. In did not want to deal with, anxiety, depression and plus weight issues as a result of antidepressants! I told my doctor what happened to me and like many others have reported "she has never heard of it". That made me feel so humiliated and embarrassed. The point is that the doctors are not educated in regards to this issue. I recently went back to her and told her that I am still experiencing issued down below, burning sensation ever since Zoloft and she said that it is a coincidence! I am sick of doctors, they are full of ****! You tell them one thing and they turn it around! I just prey this eventually goes away and settles down! If this does not settle down I would consider removing sensitive part of my anatomy! I hate it! I can't stand it! How is everyone else coping with this? What have you found that helps? I have not felt peaceful down below for the last 4 weeks! I have never heard of this condition prior to taking antidepressants. Please help, Thank you.

I’m not doing well at all. I feel like I’ve lost my entire life these past 7 months. I’m extremely afraid, depressed and anxious and in so much pain and discomfort on a daily basis. I am unable to work, I can’t eat, I can’t take care of my children. This pain has had a detrimental affect on my husband and children as well as it has robbed them of their mother and wife that they knew. I don’t know how I will live like this. The pain had debilitated me and has caused severe anxiety and depression. I have 3 young children who need their mom well. I don’t have any help and I’ve taken it upon myself to figure this all out. I am really praying and hoping you can help me get the right help so my kids can have their mom well again. It all started for me in June 2020 when I stopped taking an antidepressant. I had been on low dose Mirtazapine (7.5mg) For about 10 months (August 2019 - June 2020) when I decided to stop. With the advice of my doctor I weaned down for 1 week. She told me to reduce the dose to 3.75 mg for 1 week. That was it. A few weeks after stopping the Mirtazapine, I began having intense rectal/vaginal/ perineal pressure. I couldn’t pinpoint where the pain was actually coming from. I thought that it was maybe from the increased bowel movements from the withdrawal. I was having about 5-6 bowel movements a day for about a week. During this time I was also put on Amoxicillin for a possible tick bit. I was a on the Amoxicillin for 14 days. The pressure feeling eventually was less intense (it still happens) but then one day in July I felt like a had a UTI. It can only be described as a tickle down in the ******/clitoris/ urethra like the urethra was holding pee. I kept going to that bathroom and most times not much would come out and after I would pee there was a burning sensation. It was never painful when I peed, only after I urinated. It was a constant feeling like I was needing to pee. I started to notice that some times my urine stream was weaker at times, sometimes it was hard to start the stream, and that the stream was sometimes spasmodic. I immediately started researching and came across something called interstitial cystitis. I called me doctor who ordered some tests (ultrasound, X-ray, urine and swabs) and they all came back normal. I stopped eating in fear that the food would aggravate the possible IC. This did not help the pain. I am still trying to log what I eat to see if it is food related. The urologists I spoke to ran some tests and said it was too soon to come up with a diagnosis of IC and that my symptoms didn’t quite fit with the diagnosis. I went to the emergency a few times to get some help and each time I was told to take some antibiotics even though the urine results were negative. I took one round which didn’t help. I have also had vaginal swabs done to rule out any type of infection. The pain seems to get triggered first thing in the morning after I have a morning pee and bowel movement. The pain can be described as burning, raw, gnawing, throbbing, pinching. I also have a feeling of arousal that I was describing as a tickle/tingle. After that morning pee and bowel movement, the pain stays with me all day and gets more and more aggravated each time I pee, have a bowel movement, sit, and/or drive. It is an intense burning, pinching, gnawing feeling in my ******, sometimes around the entire vulva, the urethra and clitoris, but mainly high up in the ******. Because my mental health has greatly been affected, my doctor put me on Amitriptyline (5 mg/day) in August. I took this for 9 days. It did not help my mood, but in fact it made me feel more doom and gloom and didn’t help me sleep. In September, I started to have orgasms in my dream. These orgasms wake me up. Upon waking I can still feel the throbbing sensation. It feels as if the orgasm throbbing doesn’t go away. This lasts all day and it is accompanied by a burning pain that radiates my whole pelvic area. When I orgasm in my sleep the next few days are really excruciating for me with pain and throbbing discomfort in my urethra and clitoris. It’s as if the muscles are still spasming from the orgasm and I just keep having orgasms all day. The sleep orgasms happen between the hours of 4-6am, and that is usually the time I am ready to have a bowel movement. I can feel the bowel area spasming inside, which is the same feeling as when the sleep orgasms happen. I am afraid to go to sleep because I am afraid this will happen during my sleep. I do not have sex with my husband because I don’t want to be touched in that area at all. It all feels so raw and painful that being touched there is the last thing I want to do. The pain also radiates to my groin area and it can be described as a stabbing, aching pain and it can also be felt in the pubic bones. I have the arousal type feeling some days but it doesn’t make me want to masturbate or relieve myself at all. It’s more like an annoying itch or like a tickle that comes and goes. It seems to be triggered every time I have a bowel movement in the morning and then when I urinate throughout the day. I try to apply ice to relieve the pain but that doesn’t seem to help. There are times when the throbbing just happens and doesn’t stop. I do suffer from leg pain and I have been for 2 years now. It sometimes radiates to my feet. I was tracking it to see if it was related to my cycle, which it seemed to be for some time, but now I am unsure. I do get achy legs, hands, arms during the month a few times, but the doctors I saw about it 2 years ago just called it fibromyaliga. More recently when I sit on the couch with my legs out, I experience a burning sensation in my face, left leg and ankle, foot and head. It’s a tingling burning feeling. Sometimes my left foot feels cold and burning. There are times when the rectal/perineal pressure made me feel constipated and sometimes I was and sometimes I wasn’t. I tried for a while to use suppositories and laxatives to see if that would help relieve the pressure. I was seen by my GI doctor to rule this issue out and he performed a flex-sig and a pelvic MRI and the only thing he saw were internal hemorrhoids. He didn’t think that would cause this issue. I am currently using a vaginal suppository with lidocaine, a muscle relaxant and Valium. It’s only been a few weeks. I can’t really say if it’s working yet as it doesn’t provide relief from the burning and spasming during the day. I don’t take any other medications currently, because of my fear of them now and because nothing has been suggested to me yet that will alleviate all my symptoms. I am only taking natural supplements - vitamin D, B complex, Omega, Vitamin C. I work with an accupuncturist, massage therapist, osteopath, a pelvic physiotherapist and a psychotherapist. These things have not changed my level, intensity or frequency of my pain/discomfort. My pelvic physiotherapist thinks that I have a highly sensitive nervous system, from coming off the meds, and she is working with me to “retrain” the pain sensations to the brain. One pelvic physiotherapist said I have some tension in my pelvis. One doctor, after speaking with me for 10 diagnosed me with PGAD and gave me an expensive ointment, that didn’t work. One doctor I saw says he thinks I have PN on the left side from my child birth 7 years ago. Another doctor said, after doing a Tinel’s test, that it may be Pudendal nerve irritation on the right side. They have suggested a nerve block to see if the symptoms get alleviated. I am left so frustrated, confused and feeling hopeless. I keep getting passed off and I’m left to find my own help and fight for my life. I have no plan, no relief of symptoms and I am spiralling more and more into a deep dark place. I have had an extensive workup done - Flex sigmoidoscopy, pelvic MRI with contrast, head MRI, Spine MRI, sacrum MRI, hormone blood tests, vaginal swabs, urine tests, Pudendal Nerve MNR. I was told that the PN nerve MNR is not a great test as it gives a 70% false negative. Nothing seems to indicate a reason for this problem according to the doctors I have seen. The spine MRI showed - “there is narrowing of the left lateral recess with impingement of the traversing left S1 nerve root which is swollen.” Over the past 2 months I have also developed low back pain, hip, bum and sits bone pain. It is a deep ache and burning. It is also triggered after I have a bowel movement in the morning and then causes pain when I sit throughout the day. I have spent a lot of time sitting for the last 7 months because I have become so paralyzed with fear and anxiety and depression. I also have vulva stabbing/pinching pain on the left side. I’ve lost a lot of weight, my hair is falling out and I have no energy to work to take care of my kids. I’ve complete become a different person. I was never like this. I was a strong, educated woman, and a mother who was able to live a great life before all of this. I’m trying hard to believe in the mind body approach but I just don’t know if there is hope for me. I’ve read sarnos book. I’ve ordered your book. I’ve been in touch with various tms coaches to help me. Nothing is working. I feel like I’m in the fight of my life. I have to win this fight for my kids, my husband and myself so I can get my life back. I need this so badly. I pray for this daily and ask that this suffering stops because I can’t go on like this. It’s destroying my whole being, my life and my family. They mean to world to me. Mirtazapine is a motility agent - meaning it empties your stomach faster. I wonder if that has anything to do with this. I am searching and searching for answers. My family is forcing me back on an antidepressant. I don’t know what to do or which one to take. I know I need something. Any advice? Should I try the mirtazapine again??

Hi everyone, I’d like to share my story and have a question about AP at the end. Hopefully someone can give me advice. Last december I developed severe anxiety which was uncontrollable and led to a depression. I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and put on Sertraline (Zoloft). Because of severe side affects (tinnitus, couldn’t sleep) they also put me on AP (fluanxol) 1mg. After starting AP I felt much better, more calm and relaxed and the tinnitus went away. So decided to stop AD. As I thought the AP was the right medication for me. Two weeks later I also stopped AP as I thought I was calmed down enough. This was in March. Then five days later the tinnitus returned and I started to have pain in my bladder. I didn’t connect the dots. But my psychiatrist adviced to give Sertraline another try. So I went back on it up to 50mg. And to reduce side affects also took the Fluanxol 1mg again. In June the doctor said I could stop the fluanxol. Because I felt better. As soon as I did that anxiety was all over the place. I went hysterical. So again I had to drop the sertraline as the doctor said it wasn’t the right medication for me. To reduce the anxiety I went back on fluanxol again. Halfway June I was on 25mg sertraline. I then also started taking a lower dosis of fluanxol (0,5mg). That’s when the trouble really started. Since then I have pain and burning in my vagina, especially my clitoris. I feel it all day, except when I’m in bed. I’m going mad. Googled and found Pgad. I am so scared right now. Is this my new life? Also the tinnitus is back. Not as bad as it was in March, but I still take a little Fluanxol. At the moment I am entirely off Sertraline. But I still take Fluanxol 0,5mg. As I understand AP calms down the nerve system. So I’m afraid, also due to my previous experience in march, that if I will stop Fluanxol, the tinnitus en Pgad will get much worse. So is there anyone who has experience taking AP to reduce wd symptoms of AD? Can I recover WD from AD, while still taking AP? Point is, the AP makes me so tired so I would like to stop this medication as well. But I’m so scared symptoms will get worse. I don’t think I can handle that… I get Pgad is uncommon, but maybe someone has experience with other withdrawal symptoms. thanx to anyone who replies to my message. So scared my life is over right now. All I can do is cry.

Hi everyone! I’m not a native English speaker but I’ll try to write my story. I was taking Zoloft (Sertraline) and one Russian antipsychotics drug for 3 weeks. 2 weeks - 12,5 mg of Zoloft. 1 week - 25 mg. Then I got an overactive and painful bladder. I didn’t know what happened with me. It wasn’t UTI because of good tests. I cancelled cold turkey all of drugs. And my bladder became ok over 3-4 days. My psychiatrist insisted that I needed to figure out which drug was caused an overactive bladder. I trued one pill of antipsychotics and my bladder became overactive again. I immediately cancelled it and my bladder became ok again. A psychiatrist said that I had an negative reaction to this antipsychotic so I had to cancel it and continue treatment by Zoloft. I was so stupid and believed a psychiatrist. After returning Zoloft (12,5 mg) me bladder became overactive and painful again. I don’t know why 2 different types of drugs were caused problems with a bladder. I immediately stopped taking Zoloft. It seemed that my bladder was getting better but 3 days later I felt a strong spasm in my bladder, lower abdomen, back, sides. IT WAS AWFUL. My bladder was became overactive and painful again. I wanted to urinate really all time. It was a month ago. Of course my psychiatrist said that all of these were symptoms of neurosis. She said that I had to take another drugs but I refused. When my bladder became less overactive, I started to feel something strange. Maybe it’s in a clitoris, maybe it’s in an urethra. I want to urinate and feel arousal at the same time. I have a feeling of urine in my urethra. When I change my position I feel as if something is overflowing in my urethra. I don’t know I have PGAD or smth else. I think it’s not a clitoral sensitivity, I feel arousal a little bit higher than clitoris and on my right side. And I have a normal sensitivity on my left side. I'm able to orgasm very quickly and it does not bring relief and sometimes makes it even worse. I have many WD symptoms now but painful bladder and PGAD are the main. I’m so scared. I read many posts about PGAD and problems with bladder here and I just need some more hope.

Hi, I found this website from someone's post who seemed to be going through the same as what I am. Sorry if this is long but I'm not sure which info is necessary! I was taking Citolapram for alittle over 2 years, mostly 20mg but I upped to 30mg near the end. I weened off them within a week but after almost a month I went back of them (20mg). I only stayed on them for a week and then came off them cold turkey. About 7 or more weeks since, I randomly woke up one day with PGAD. It's a horrible, progressive, non-curable disorder that makes your genitals feel constantly aroused, sometimes stabbing, burning, feeling the need to pee, zap feelings and a lot of throbbing. I've had this for a month now and feels worse these past 2 days (coincidentally I was pescribed Amitriptyline 10mg but after 2 days of taking them I decided I don't want to go back to ADs - apparently PGAD is mostly caused by withdrawing from ADs) I've had so many breakdowns because of this and there is no way I can live with it, especially because it can cause spontaneous orgasms and a lot of pain which I haven't got yet. I'm so scared and my doctors have no idea about the disorder and just try to convince me it's in my head which despite my obvious symptoms and causes I'm hoping it is. My history of OCD could explain it too. Before taking ADs I had a fear of farting in public which as stupid as it sounds, kept me house-bound for years. It went away after I took ADs and started college. Then a year later I had a bad sickness bug which led me to a fear of throwing up, with that I felt sick literally every single day and not always just mildly. I had tests but nothing explained it. Then I started hearing alot about PGAD just before mine started, once mine started my sickness has completely gone (so all this time it must have been in my head which is crazy because I almost threw up it was so bad). And now I'm getting all these symptoms of PGAD constantly. But I'm still not convinced it's all in my head because it is a fact that withdrawing from ADs too fast can cause it, plus I think I have some damage in my pelvice since I went on an exercise bike during my 2nd withdrawals. This gave me what I thought was piles in my perineum which went away after a week and then came back with my PGAD. I have a huge skin tag in my perineum which fills and becomes solid if I'm too active and I start getting a pain around it (in my legs/butt cheeks). I'm thinking I've damaged my pelvic floor and that these things could be connected? Although the PGAD didn't start straight away? I'm sorry this was so long but I am so so terrified of having this disorder, it is honestly such a horrible, embarrassing, painful and hopeless thing to live with and has always been my biggest fear since I learnt about it. I have so many things that could have caused it which makes me think that maybe it isn't just in my head. It's driving me crazy and if anyone has any hope or experience like this I would really love to hear from you. Sorry again for the long post.

Dear all, I took Sertraline 50 (French name for Zoloft). for only a month and I have developped PGAD (Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder) following a too fast withdrawal. I read the story of some of your members who had PGAD when they withdrew from an antidepressant and their stories looked like mine and gave me hope and I hope they can confort me and assist me because I am in a very dark place. I read the stories of Hopefull anf Broken. Are they still on the forum ? How are they doing ? Until December 2016, I had never taken any antidepressant or a benzo in my entire life. I was leading an happy life with my husband and son in the West of France. We had a chemical accident in december. I mixed 2 products while cleaning my house, bleach and a cleaning product with acid and stupidly burnt my lungs and got a toxic choc on the 27th of december. My doctor thought I was anxious afer the accident and put me on Xanax 0.25, half a pill at night. I took it for a month in January 2017 and was sent to a psychiatrist who put me on Lisanxia 10, a pill a day. I felt suicidal because i didnt understand I was suffering from the Xanax withdrawal the doctors kept changing the pill without any tappering, I stayed on Lysanxia 10, a pill a day the whole February , then another psychiatrist decided to put me on Bromazepan 6 (4 quarter a day). I stayed on Bromazepan the entire March and he put me back on Xanax, all of that cold turkey. And that how I met my worse nightmare, the Sertraline AD: I was feeling very agitated on benzos, my lungs and entire skin were burning and everybody told me it was in my head. I didn't agree so I was hospitalised againt my wish in a psychiatrist hospital. There, they made me stop my Xanax 0.25 cold turkey and put me on Sertraline 50. This happened on Easter monday 2017 (April 17 th). After 2 weeks, I was sent home and started feeling very ill, I had tremors, agitation, fatigue, shakes, flu like symptoms and suicidal thoughts. I went to see a GP who told me I could drop the Sertraline to 25 because I had only been on it for 2 weeks and I could slowly stop it. I went on the 25 pill and then I started having violent withdrawal side effects (I don't know which ones came from Xanax or from Sertraline) : My symptoms : Sensitivity to light and smells, burning skin, hyperacusis, agitation, akathisia, tinnitus and when I thought it couldn't get worse, I started peeing every 10 minutes, got a hyperactive bladder, terrible pains in my genitalias, bladder and pelvic area and the worse of it permanent arousal. Since I have kept the tinnitus in my left ear, the akatisia and PGAD. I was sent to another mental hospital at the beginning of June because I thought they could help me with PGAD. They put me on Risperidone for a week while they made me stop the Sertraline very fast (they made me take it every 2 days for a week then they replaced it with Anafranil 25 that I kept for a week. My tinnitus got worse and my PGAD stayed the same. I was getting sicker and sicker so the psychiatrist stopped the Anafranil and the Risperidone and I was put back on Xanax. I am now back at home, my PGAD symptoms are terrible and I am considered manic and hypocondriac. My doctor wants to put me back in a mental hospital. I can't look after my family and Iam in a very dark place with suicidal thoughts My 3 main withdrawal symptoms : high pitched tinnitus, agitation and PGAD. Pins and needles in my lower back, legs and arms when the PGAD crisis start. . MY PGAD symptoms : Overactive bladder, ongoing arousal sensations in and around the genitals, having to go to the toilets every 10 minutes, pelvic pains, Pins and needle, shaking. It is atrocious and it makes me suicidal. I take 3 Xanax 0.25 a day and a Zopiclone 7 to sleep. I cannot sit because the symptoms get worse and I can barely walk because my bladder hurts. I spend my days crying on my bed with an ice pack on my lower parts. At night I cannot sleep well because of the tinnitus. I went to see an urologist, I had a cystoscopy done and they told me it is not an interstitial cysticis and gave me Lyrica (I am scared of taking it because I fear it will make my tinnitus worse). Nobody knows this symptom in France and people think i am crazy. Thank you for reading my story. Please can you reassure me ? I am terrified and I am suffering greatly. Would it go away ? Is it a withdrawal symptom ? Thank you so much for having this site on the internet. It gave me a lot of confort. Cathyfrench (I am french so I hope my English is not too bad, my apologies for my grammatical errors)

Hello everybody. I was on lexapro 20mg for 20 months due to a high stress situation. after months of therapy for stress management I decided to come off lexapro as I felt I had dealt with the issues. Both my therapist and doctor came up with a 6 week taper method . I am now 6 1/2 months off and I am suffering dearly with severe anxiety , fear , depression , and a very odd depersonalized state , plus other symptoms. I know now I tapered way too fast and I am very much past the window for reinstatement. I've had to quit work and can barely function at all. I have noticed that everyday seems like it's getting worse. I used to get windows that were half of a day long , but those have stopped two weeks ago. I'm looking for hope and encouragement as I have a little girl who needs her daddy to be alive. I fear that I'm going to die or become severely disabled for EVER. I'm trying to accept that this will take a very long time to heal from , but I am very very scared that I'll never be the same. I don't take any other drugs , but I do use an ecig with only 1 mg of nicotine. which is about 5% of a regular cigarette. Is it normal to get worse after 6 months off ? Will it get even more worse later ? Does it reach a peak and then get better ? I am very grateful for this site. I only wish I found it before I chose to come off.

Hi everyone. I hope you are coping okay and moving in a positive direction towards recovery. I'd like to share my experience if you don't mind and would like to hear from anyone who may advice or relevant experience. In November of 2021, I was prescribed the SSRI paroxetine and the benzodiazepine clotiazepam for anxiety and rumination. I didn't know what the medicines were exactly, but cautiously decided to take one as prescribed, I chose (basically at random) the clotiazepam. After two weeks taking the benzodiazepine, I discovered what the medicine was and decided to stop taking it. I suffered severe withdrawals. I consulted the doctor again who advised me to take both medicines and taper off the benzo. So I reinstated the benzo and began the paroxetine. After a few weeks of taking both medicines I started having bizarre, painful erections in the night. But I was suffering so many unpleasant side effects I didn't think much of it. In February this year, after about three months tapering the benzodiazepine and taking a costant dose of around 2.5mg paroxetine, I decided to start tapering the paroxetine too. When I dropped the dose of paroxetine to 2mg, I began suffering painful erections all night. This got worse when I completely stopped the paroxetine. Now, in June, I have painful erections all night. Basically, as soon as I fall asleep I get an erection. These are not normal erections, they are constant and painful and are not associated with sexual arousal. I wake up every hour or so to try to get the painful erection to go down by moving around and apply a cold towel. It has severely impacted my sleep. I have discovered the condition is called Sleep-related Painful Erections (SRPE). I am seeking assistance to recover from the injuries I feel I have suffered from paroxetine and a benzodiazepine.

Hi folks, Just looking for a bit of advice. I'd been on Prozac, 25mg a day, for 9 months, for depression and wanted to come off them. I was advised by my doctor to take a 25mg tablet on alternating days for 1 month and then stop completely. I did this and have now been off for 4 weeks. Asides from some rather severe depression symptoms my main withdrawal issue has been PGAD (Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder), something which I suffered with 2 years ago. What I'm wondering is, does this mean I tapered off too quickly? I should also mention I have M.E. and tend to respond strongly to drugs. Is the best plan of action to just ride this out and hope the symptoms go or to go back on the Prozac and taper off again much slower? (my doctor did tell me if I go back on the Prozac I'd have to stay on for 2 years but I really don't want to do that.) Any advice appreciated, Thanks

MOD NOTE: contains content which may be triggering for some members Hi, I have been "stalking" this website for a while now, I saw a couple stories that were a lot like mine. I never knew how much harm these darn medications could do, moreover, I was so glad I found that I was not alone in this. I felt like crying tears of relief when I found this community. Im not sure where to start so I will just give a basic "run-down" of my history; I came from an abusive background. My father abused me when I was younger, and my neighbor "took advantage" of me when I was 8, repeatedly. Im thankful I am not in that situation anymore, but those experiences did leave me with some "battle scars." I was diagnosed in early 2014 as having OCD, Anxiety, Depression, Panic Disorder, PTSD, and ADD. I knew I had some things from childhood, like the OCD, Depression, Anxiety and of course the ADD (That one is a bit hard to miss) But I was so shocked to find what had happened to me did give me PTSD. It was such a shock. I was hospitalized in late 2014 for a suicide attempt and that was my first introduction into the Antidepressants. To be honest they never really helped me. I was put on Prozac, not sure the dose, but I quit cold turkey after 3 maybe 4 weeks on it now that I think back to it. No side effects. No nothing. Then I was prescribed with several things back to back, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Effexor, I would only take 1 or 2 pills before not taking them anymore as I just felt the medication just masked the problem without actually fixing it. The only one that really did help a bit was Effexor but I got so jittery it was ridiculous I stopped after 2 days of use. again, no side effects, I was blessed. I was given Xanax for my panic attacks, i took it sparingly. Then I was given medication for my ADD, I thought "why not" and gave it a try since I was having trouble focusing especially in the workplace. I was given focalin. It completely destroyed me. I had a OCD flare up like no other. I ended up hospitalized from early May to late July/ Early August. It was a nightmare even though it did make me perform better, it was OCD hell. I recovered in a few days and was put on Paxil. 40 mg. and Trazadone for sleep which was switched with another type of sleep medication. I would take a combination of Trazadone and a cocktail of other sleep medications on and off. The doctor never warned me of the side effects of these stupid medications. I started having Nervous sweats, shaking which I believe to be called "akathesia", hypersensitivity, more panic attacks, PTSD episodes, OCD episodes. and weird sensations in my private parts that from what I have been reading, is called "PGAD" , horrible insomnia, sensations that are not there, so severe somatization, tinnitus that comes and goes, depersonalization, less able to focus, and an increase in paranoia. I ended up worse than when I started with this mess.. I have been though enough. Since I have been stalking this website I have been following a few stories that were a lot like mine and trying to mimic them in their withdrawal. I went from 40mg of Paxil to 21 mg. Probably too fast. I have been following Hopefull, ASkyFullOfHappy, MamaP, Gentle Steps, Petunia, MollyN especially since some of their stories really mirror mine in one way or another. Im sorry for stalking ya'll, I am actually very embarrassed, but I was recently given the courage to make my own account since I feel like I still don't know what I am doing sometimes, and honestly my symptoms, although they have improved a slight bit, they are not where I need them to be. I hope with some guidance I can get on the right track here, and maybe help a couple people out as well.

Hi Everybody, I registrated because i have been sufferig from PGAD. I tried a couple of ssri’s, first was Lexapro but i was doing oke at that time and it wasn’t worth the side affects because i could function without Lexapro. So i stopped that (only took it for 2 weeks) after about 3 months i tried Zoloft because i was functioning but i still had a lot of anxiety problemen. When i started taking zoloft i noticed symptoms of PGAD, after 2 weeks i stopped with this ssri as well. But since then the PGAD stayed and it is really wrecking my life, i am sorry. I only took this for 2 weeks and now i have had PGAD for almost 5 months and there is not a lot to do about is. I was wondering what other people are doing for the symptoms. If you take medication what kind of medication. Does anybody think that starting with an ssri again can make a difference? I take clonazepam (rivotril) 0,5 Mg but it doesn’t do much. Also my anxiety is through the rough right now so i think i do need to go on some medication again (especially for social anxiety). Please let me know what your experiences are. Xxx Fay

Hello I am a 1st time poster and am very frightened by my symptoms after withdrawing from 10 mg Paroxetine from September 2015 to December 2016. After 2 months at 0 mg I developed PGAD and intense anxiety. I reinstated 1mg at the end of January 2017 but it didn't help and gave me bad diarrhea; then I increased to 2.5 mg in June 2017, but I now have had akathisia, numbness and pain in feet, and worsening depression. I am spending more and more time in bed and I am frightened to go out. Please could you give me any advice as to whether I should taper again or hold to stabilise? I am also suffering badly from insomnia and take benadryl quite often.

Hello everybody, I've been taking antidepressants since 2011, and never had neurological issues from prescriptions until recently. In January I started Lexapro 20mg (took it for a little over a month), and then in late February I started weaning off it fairly fast over a period of a couple weeks, as I wasn't having any adverse reaction to the weaning process whatsoever. In fact, I didn't feel any change in my mind or body when taking Lexapro. It felt like a sugar pill. Then one day in March (about three weeks after I had completely been off Lexapro) I developed mono and had to take Zofran to control the nausea so that I could eat. In early April I started noticing that I was aroused much more easily, and that the lightest pressure on my genitals would cause arousal. It continued to get more intense during that month, and so I decided to quit Zofran after I learned about PGAD and how it can be caused by drugs affecting serotonin levels (Zofran is a drug that works on serotonin precursor receptors). My PGAD symptoms got better, but did not go away. I started taking .5mg Klonopin every day to help deal with the symptoms, and I'm still taking it today. It doesn't really help with the PGAD symptoms, but it helps me not get too anxious about my PGAD (anxiety makes my PGAD worse). I tried Cymbalta, since case studies have suggested it may help, and I already started feeling happier within the first couple days, but it made my PGAD worse, so I couldn't tolerate it. I do have a question for anyone out there about treatment for PGAD symptoms. My urologist prescribed me Elavil (or Amitriptyline), because apparently it has helped people in the past. I've even seen a couple of posts on here about that drug helping. So here is my question: Has anyone experienced symptoms getting worse before they get better when taking a drug that may help PGAD symptoms? I want to give Elavil a good try, but if it makes my symptoms worse initially, then does that mean it will just not work at all, period? My urologist wants me to give it a try for a month, but I don't want to be on it for a month if my PGAD is much worse the whole time I know antidepressants can take up to 4 weeks to fully work, but is that true for alleviating PGAD symptoms? I tried Cymbalta already, and it made the symptoms so much worse that I couldn't take it for more than a few days. But I'm not sure if the "pain" relieving affects of Cymbalta would take longer to kick in than whatever aspect of the drug was making it worse. Please let me know if you guys have any personal experience, or advice in this situation. Thanks for your help in advance!

I have developed PGAD 8 times in my life while on a variety of antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Pristiq, Lexapro, Seroquel, Lamotrigine, and most recently Amitryptiline). On Prozac it was severe and lasted 2 years. The other times it went away within days/weeks of stopping the drugs. I’ve currently had a mild case caused by Amytripline for 3 weeks now. I stopped the drug two weeks after starting it as soon as I felt the pgad begin. I am worried this time it won’t go away which is terrifying because there isn’t really a successful treatment for it. This is my fear every time I get it. My issue is that I have severe depression, anxiety and depersonalization disorder and feel I cannot get better without psych meds. Each time I try a new psych med it either gives me PGAD or doesn’t help my depression/anxiety. I am at a loss for what to do. I have an amazing life that I can’t enjoy and since I can’t seem to tolerate any drugs even a partial recovery seems hopeless. Any advice would be appreciated! Not sure what to do anymore.

Hey guys First of all I’m astounded by the amount of compassion members give to each other on this site. You’re all very beautiful people and I thank you for doing what you do. My drug history can be found in my signature but basically I've been on Zoloft/Sertraline 150 mg for OCD for almost 2 years now and I've experienced very mild side effects, namely increased sweating, yawning and eyes watering. My condition had improved tremendously - before then I was constantly plagued by my worries and could not function, so I decided to begin tapering off. In November 2017 I reduced my dose to 125 mg (on GP's advice). On December 14 2017 I masturbated for the first time in years, then felt extremely guilty afterwards as I have read online that people have developed PGAD due to sertraline. Ever since I stumbled upon stories about PGAD in the 8th grade, I've been afraid of this disorder. I hoped that the feelings of arousal would go away in a few minutes, as they always did in the past after I 'entertained', so I tried to calm myself down and distract myself by playing video games. To my dread the feelings were still there. There's a constant urge to urinate, throbbing, pulsing sensations in my genitals, clitoris whatever it is. I just graduated from high school and I'm still a virgin so I have no idea what an actual orgasm is like, but after that incident I just randomly experience the 'climaxes' I get during masturbation. I believed it was nerve related because if I tried to do an activity that was more intellectually stimulating, the arousal feelings would become stronger. It was very difficult to concentrate. However I noticed that the arousal feelings were weaker at around dinnertime, before I take my daily dose but came back after I took the sertraline. These symptoms arose just as I was on holiday overseas to a third world country where psychiatry isn’t really practised safely if at all, so I couldn’t see a doctor. Distressed and desperate to do something about it, I skipped my meds for a day (NEVER DO THIS) and the feelings disappeared, which confirmed my theory that sertraline was causing the PGAD-like sensations. On 27 December 2017 I stupidly reduced the dose to 100 mg without a doctor’s consultation, not knowing it was likely a symptom of withdrawal. This in itself did not make the sensations go away, but I was able to change my ‘mindset’. January 2018: Seeing as the feelings were less noticeable when I was under pressure to socialise, I began to force myself to ‘think quick’ and pretend that I was under that same pressure. With this mindset, the PGAD feelings were completely gone and I was ecstatic. However on the plane ride back home, this mindset caused me to have migraines, so I no longer adopted that mindset, yet the PGAD did not come back! Another win! However this was proved wrong as after a few days it returned and with it, the hopelessness and depression. My GP suggested that I go back up to 150 mg and I was so down and suicidal that my mum and I agreed. I felt weird and uncoordinated on such a high dose so I went down to 125 mg which I am currently at. I’m going to see a new psychiatrist soon hopefully. Applying a different mindset doesn’t keep the PGAD at bay any longer. Before I even started the meds I’ve had almost constant migraines which is most likely anxiety related. Recently I’ve been able to make the PGAD go away by thinking about my headaches in a different way (it’s really complicated and difficult to describe), so it is probably due to the meds changing my brain chemistry, changing nerve pathways. I’m currently more emotionally stable. I want to ask does staying at 125 mg for another month sound like a good plan, then tapering off veery slowly (I didn’t know about the 10% rule back then)?

Hi everyone, I'm new here. Im 19, hoping to one day become a doctor, but right now that seems impossible. I have always been very bad with medicine, i forget to take them, or i just don't care enough to take them. In my junior year of high-school 2015, I had a suicide attempt which put me 2 weeks in the hospital and on prozac, I don't remember the dose. I stopped taking it cold turkey after one week it made me feel fake happy, I felt like I was faking everything. Then I finally got myself a good psychologist, and a " meh" psychiatrist which led me down a road of several antidepressants, , most of the time I just took the medicine for 2 days to a week, and then stopped cold turkey. I would fake symptoms and tell my psychiatrist I was doing fine on them when in reality I was not taking any of them. I did his with Cymbalta, Effexor, and Douloxetine, I think thats what its called. Then I was put on pristiq, again, it made me fake happy, so I stopped after a month, I never had bad side effects from quitting, just starting them was what made me have all sorts of shaking and vomiting etc. This summer, I had another breakdown, turns out I have OCD, well i was put on Paxil, surprisingly I had no side effects coming into it. It was great I was feeling better. I took it for a week and a half or maybe 2 and then i started forgetting to take it. After a week or so of not taking it I started to feel aroused all the time. like the slightest touch or sexual thing would make me want to "have some fun" with myself. It was weird. I felt very odd about it because for like the past month I had been anything but sexual, I was actually very afraid of sex. and the medication had made me numb down there. Then i started getting tingles in my lady parts, they felt inside me, and I was also peeing a lot which made the tingles kinda hurt. So I took a UTI test..... I have a UTI.... but I would get weird throbbing and tingling inside me as well, and in my lower back and in my anus, it was very odd. I searched up what it could be and PGAD came up, I read all the suicide stories and people that had it for years with no relief I was so worried I would soon start having uncontrollable orgasms. I began to check and hyperfocus on my lady parts. I started taking Paxil again, 4 days later it was gone but I was left so worried it would come back, i became hyper aware of my lady bits. for 3 days I was okay.... then i started feeling aroused, I was scared, i didn't know whether it was PGAD or me being me. I cant orgasm at all. then some tingling by my clitoris after I peed sometimes. sometimes its slight twinges inside me, or feeling "stimulated" when i cross my legs even loud noises make me twinge down there....Its not as bad as when I was "withdrawing" but still Im so scared it will come back one day. Anyway . Im stuck. Do I get off the meds? what if the PGAD comes back? I really don't know what to do. Im starting university again in a week and Im so scared.

Hi, my name is nadia and I'm 16 , I've been put on zoloft 25mg and I've taken about 8 days worth and I am experiencing PGAD. If I mention this to my doctor and get put off zoloft, will my pgad go away? I was already very suicidal before this and the PGAD is making it worse, I don't think I can live with this forever. Also, if it is something that will go away if I get taken off zoloft, what can I do to manage it in the meantime? Any help is appreciated

Has anyone else here experienced sudden unset pudendal neuralgia symptoms after being on an SSRI for a period of time? I was on sertraline for ~2 weeks (1 week 50mg, 1 week 100mg) when I began to experience moderate to severe pelvic burning and discomfort characteristic of pudendal neuralgia. Since the onset of the symptoms, I have tapered off the sertraline. Yet my PN-esque symptoms have not gone away (aside from an unexplainable 5 day period). It has been about a month since I began to experience these hellish symptoms, and although I've only been in pain for about 3 weeks, it's been one of the most uncomfortable things that I've ever experienced in my life, and I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my days. I'm only 18, and I just want this **** to go away. I want my life back. Hence my question: has anyone else ever had PN or PN-esque symptoms only for it to spontaneously go away (as mysteriously as the symptoms came about?

Hi everyone, I'm new around here. From looking through the archives, it seems like a few of you have had the unfortunate experience of PGAD that began shortly after beginning SSRIs. I'm in the same boat. I begin Lexapro (escitalopram) 5mg in November, and after 4 days, I experienced a sudden onset of PGAD. I immediately stopped taking the Lexapro, and now (3 months later), the PGAD has definitely lessened, but it's not totally gone. It's manageable at this point, and I feel like it will probably continue to fade over time, but man it was really, really awful when it was at its worst. Difficult to function with it. The problem is that the depression, anxiety, and OCD for which I was originally prescribed the Lexapro are slowly worsening. I've tried everything. Cognitive behavioral therapy (been going steadily for 2 years), exercise (intense exercise 3-5 times a week, every week, for the last 2 or 3 years), meditation/mindfulness, yoga, "positive thinking", clean eating, no caffeine, no alcohol, etc... and despite it all, I can feel myself slipping deeper and deeper into the darkness. The doc who prescribed the Lex gave me Wellbutrin to try when the Lex didn't work out, and that was a nightmare for me. I was on it for about a week but I experienced anxiety, panic, depersonalization, and obsessions so bad that I really thought I might harm myself just to escape the hell. I knew you're supposed to wait those things out for 2 weeks to see if the initial side effects "settle down", but I was truly worried about my safety. My question is, has anyone ever experienced PGAD from an SSRI, and then tried a different SSRI with success? I'd like to try a different one to see if it can help lift this depression, but I'm terrified of the PGAD coming back full force. At this point, I'd be willing to put up with most of the crappy SSRI side effects and the possibility of discontinuation syndrome to have the anxiety and depression fade somewhat, but the PGAD made it impossible to sleep or focus on work. I know everyone here is generally anti-pharmaceuticals, which I totally get, given how bad some of the drug experiences can be. I'm just feeling totally out of options. Thanks for your help and support.

Hi. I began suffering from pgad last week. It's quite awful. I arrived at this forum looking for information on this, and it seems many on here have had this problem. I am not currently on or coming off of antidepressants. I was on them as a teen (a long time ago). I'm 33. I was also on ativan and/or clonazepam, and temazepam, up until about a year and a half ago. I wish I could get back on one of these as I wonder if it wouldn't help--I saw a couple people on threads who I *think* were saying clonazepam helped. However, I don't think I could get one of these anyway, as doctors are so reluctant to prescribe them now. Any thoughts on this? Another question I have is could my recent lortab usage have anything to do with the onset of this? Should I stop using this med; and if I do, might it go away, or have I started something that will now stay with me (I realize no one can answer any of this for sure; but I'm interested in your opinions)? Finally, has anyone used topical anesthetics to help with this condition and had any success? I'm considering buying some EMLA or tattooing anesthetic to see if it will help. It's hard to find info on if these are safe for genitals--but one would think so since these are also made for alleviating body-piercing pain and some get their genitals pierced (ouch). Oh and I have had restless leg like some others with this (as does my mother). And this does *feel* a lot like restless leg!! I wish like hell it was in my legs now. I also have been experiencing bladder trouble. In fact, the bladder trouble came about a week or two before the pgad. I have had bladder trouble in the past, however, on and off again in my life (like the restless leg, which has also been off and on again). I hope the pgad will follow suit and be on again off again. . . I'll be ever-grateful for *any* advice and opinions! And I know this is an anti-med site. I totally applaud everyone for getting off the ssri merry go round. I am glad I am off of these and never intend to go back on them. But please if you know of any other kind of med that might help at all, please please let me know. . .

Hello everyone, I'm LemonBerry and I'll tell my story here and will also try to help others hopefully. Also I'm from The Netherlands so sorry if I make mistakes in the sentences or that some medicine has a different name here. It all started when I was 16 and got sick, my heart was beating 180 and I was diagnosed with 'supraventricular tachycardia'. Though this was quickly fixed by a surgery except I kept thinking after the surgery I was going to die of heartattacks and what not. So for over 4 months I struggled with anxiety and atleast one day a week I was at the emergency department because I really thought I was having a heartattack. After a while the docter decided to prescribe me Venlafaxine.I don't remember the dose anymore, it's too long ago. This didn't work out quite well, I woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares with a tingling tongue and ******. Also I was extremely angry sometimes. The docter decided this wasn't the right medicine for me. So they put me on Sertraline, 50MG. In 2014 I ended in the hospital twice. First time was when they increased the dose of Sertraline to 100mg (which they did because they thought I was depressed). I was having my school final (loads of stress probably) I was twitching on one side of my body. The hospital said they couldnt find anything wrong with my body but it could be a side effect of the Sertraline. In the end atleast I still got my diploma when I re-did my final. A few months later I was a weekend alone and also ended in the hospital because I couldn't stop thinking I was having a heart attack. In the end it was also because I had alot of stress about deciding wether I want to continue studying or find job. After this was figured out and everything was taking the right turn I decided to quit Sertraline. Everything was going well the only withdrawal symptom I had was the 'electric shocks' (not sure how to describe it). At the start of 2015 things were quite alright except the fact I was quite down being not able to find a job and broke up with my boyfriend. I went to a person to talk to every week but this didn't really have much effect. Things were clearing up though because I found a really nice job so I decided to stop going to the psychologist since I didn't have much time as I'd be working fulltime from now on. Things were going great till people got fired left and right, my manager was leaving and everything got really busy. This was were the anxiety started comming back. First all I thought about was work 24/7 after that when I felt something like a little bit of a sore throat I thought I had the worst things. I started going to the docter almost every week. They said it was stress (which it was) and I should try to relax a bit more. But having problems with anxiety you don't even believe the docter anymore. Then my legs started to cramp up and I started googling my symptoms. NEVER google your symptoms, this only makes things worse. I started to think I actually had the worst things like MS or ALS. This was when the docter decided to rpescribe me antidepressants again, This time Escitalopram, 10MG. I did not react well to this. I was feeling super happy and super horny right after the first day I took it. After I took it my whole skin was turning red and I had difficulty breathing. Yet the docters at the emergency place told me to keep taking it since you can't just quit antidepressants. Plus people find it harder to believe you since you have anxiety problem. After 2 days I couldnt take it anymore, this was also in the weekend so I couldnt contact my own docter but the emergency docter agreed I took half of it. So I took 5MG and called my own docter right away monday. She didn't really know what to do since on one side Escitalopram is known for bad side effects in the beginning but on the other side these were quite severe. So she called a psychiatrist, which I could see and talk to the next day. The next day he told me to quit the Escitalopram as it seemed to make manic. Also being super horny doesn't really fir the image of anti depressants as it seems most do the opposit. Also since I was dealing with great anxiety still he advised me to take sertraline as I took it before and take some more intensive therapy for my anxiety. I thought this was a good idea since I don't remember having very bad side effects from Setraline. Even on 12,5MG the 3 days were horrible. I couldnt eat a thing and I barely slept. Also I was having a weird feeling in my ****** again. So I quit this aswell perhaps without the approval of my docter but I was done with all the medication. and my therapy starts the 8th of september. This is where the whole meberassing thing starts. After a few days of quitting Sertraline, I didn't sleep anymore and so I was having extreme anxiety of never being able to sleep again and dieing of lack of sleep. So I took 5mg of Oxazepam in the morning to calm down but I collapsed/fainted an hour later. Perhaps because of lack of sleep or worrying so much or the combination of it. So we (me and my mother) went to the emergency room again, the docter told me to take the other half of the Oxazepam and a Temazepam to sleep. I slept like a rose that night atleast so the worry of never being able to sleep again was gone. The day after I went to the docter and she advised me to take the Temazepam for a week so I could get a nice sleep rythm. When I got home I realized my ****** was feeling weird so I started googling thinks about anti depressants and the ******. This was also not a good idea. Like I said before googling things makes things worse and I get to the point I believe I have it. So I found an article about the relation between PGAD and SSRI's AKA the medicine I took the past 2 weeks. So I completely broke down. Atleast I took the courage to go to my mom and talk about it and asked her if she'd never stop believing me. Which she atleast agreed to do. When I got home I decided to take a look at my ****** and noticed it was white. So my rationality pulled me back to the earth and I realized I might just have an infection from all the stress. So I called the docter and she prescribed me some kind of cream. I have been using the cream for a week now but don't really notice an improvement. My lower abdomen and back also hurt like hell. They also tested if I had Cystitits, which I did not. So Now I'm scared I have PGAD which is an insult to people that do have it if I don't and if I just have a stupid infection. Yesterday I felt a weird feeling in my ear and got super dizzy. I nearly fainted and got super workedup. I started googling (again, why do I even do that) about extreme low blood pressure and found things about Septic Shock and was convinved I was going to die from that. But here I am, still alive the next day. Worrying about PGAD again instead since the cream doesn't have much effect and the stupid cramps in my abdomen are unbearable. So this is my story thus far. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them if I can. Any advice is also very welcome. I really really really do hope it gets better with this stupid anxiety. Atleast I have a supporting mom and a loving boyfriend (we got back together again). But wanting the anxiety to go away and being done with everythign is appereantly not enough to solve it. I also have NO intention to suicide or whatsoever. It's more the opposit, that I'm paranoid of death. Also sorry about the censoring and everything and I don't know if I put it in the right forum but it's certainly not meant sexual in any way.

Drs. Leiblum and Goldmeier have written several papers on PGAD. J Sex Marital Ther. 2008;34(2):150-9. doi: 10.1080/00926230701636205. Persistent genital arousal disorder in women: case reports of association with anti-depressant usage and withdrawal. Leiblum SR1, Goldmeier D. Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18224549 Full text requested from Dr. Goldmeier Little is known with certitude about the triggers of persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) in women, although there appears to be certain common features of the disorder. Women complain of unbidden feelings of genital arousal that are qualitatively different from sexual arousal that is preceded by sexual desire/and or subjective arousal. The majority of women find PGAD distressing and report only brief relief with orgasm. In this article, we describe five women who believe they developed PGAD either after withdrawing from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressants or while using them. We discuss these sexual symptoms in relation to what is already known about prolonged SSRI withdrawal syndromes and the possible etiologies of these conditions. While not a common cause of PGAD, it is possible that use of, and withdrawal from, pharmacological agents contributes to the development of PGAD.

SSRI usage or withdrawal is implicated in many cases of PGAD. Int J STD AIDS. 2009 Jun;20(6):373-7. doi: 10.1258/ijsa.2009.009087. Persistent genital arousal disorder: a review of the literature and recommendations for management. Goldmeier D1, Mears A, Hiller J, Crowley T; BASHH Special Interest Group for Sexual Dysfunction. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19451319 Full text PDF ‎‎http://www.bashh.org/documents/2428.pdf Persistent genital arousal disorder is a newly recognized condition that is poorly understood. There is a paucity of research in this area and there are concerns as to the validity of the results of what little research there has been. This article aims to draw together current literature on this topic and provide readers with guidance on the management of this condition. This includes a working definition, an exploration of possible aetiologies within the confines of current knowledge, practical advice regarding assessment, management and auditable outcomes of practice. From the paper: .... Role of antidepressants Of the first 364 women who took part in the above web surveys,8,11,12 five clearly identified the onset of PGAD with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant usage or withdrawal in response to the question ‘what do you believe may have contributed to the initial development of your PGAD?’.9 The authors acknowledge that clinical details of these women are incomplete.9 In three of the cases, the PGAD onset was contemporaneous with venlafaxine with- drawal (in one of these only lasting for a few weeks), in another secondary to sertraline withdrawal, and in the fifth woman the PGAD occurred in sequential response to being on fluoxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline and escitalopram. A brief letter from a PGAD sufferer reported that 10 of 15 women using the PSAS chat room on line had suffered PSAS (sic) after coming off SSRI antidepressants.24 A further case reported PGAD symptoms while on high-dose (350 mg per day) venlafaxine for depression. She was also talking the anti- psychotic quetiapin, which may have been implicated in that it has alpha adrenergic blocking activity.15 Some features of PGAD may overlap with clitoral priapism. This may be precipi- tated by the use of trazodone, citalopram, nefazodone or olan- zapine.4 Cessation of trazodone associated with non-priapism PGAD has been reported to cause marked improvement of PGAD in one case.4 The mechanism of antidepressants causing PGAD, in particular the SSRIs, might be part of a withdrawal syndrome upon stopping them.9 Another hypothesis is an increase in atrial natriuretic peptide (a profound vasodilator) that is produced on cessation of SSRI antidepressants.25 .... also see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4587-persistent-genital-arousal-disorder-pgad/