After Depression Meds, She Lost Her Sexuality

Jul 7, 2025

Guest

Caroline Pukall

Guest

David Healy

Guest

Emily Gray

Emily Gray, a co-founder of PSSD Canada, shares her six-year battle with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, advocating for awareness of its severe impacts. Dr. David Healy, a psychiatry professor with extensive SSRI research, discusses the pharmaceutical complexities behind antidepressants and their side effects. Meanwhile, Dr. Caroline Pukall, a sexual health expert, highlights the stigma surrounding sexual well-being post-medication. Together, they address the urgent need for better communication between healthcare providers and patients regarding these often-overlooked issues.

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ANECDOTE

Emily Gray's PSSD Experience

Emily Gray woke up one morning during SSRI withdrawal and instantly realized she had lost all sexual sensation in her body.
This loss of sexuality has persisted for six years and profoundly affected her life and relationships.

INSIGHT

The Silent Epidemic: Lifetime Sexual Dysfunction After Antidepressants

Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) can cause a total and permanent loss of sexual sensation and function, persisting for years after stopping antidepressants like SSRIs. Emily Gray, a sufferer for six years, describes waking up one day losing all sexual sensation, which "feels like your genitals are your elbow." This condition, often dismissed or unknown by many doctors, profoundly impacts self-esteem, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Though SSRIs are widely prescribed (20% of Canadian women and 10% of men), these extreme side effects can be lifelong and are vastly underreported due to stigma and medical skepticism. Experts emphasize that PSSD is not merely a loss of libido due to depression but likely involves some form of neuropathy affecting sensory receptors.

Greater awareness, research, and informed consent are urgently needed so patients can understand the risks and so medical professionals can better support sufferers like Emily.

INSIGHT

Persistent Sexual Side Effects Explained

Many know SSRIs have sexual side effects but think they only last during use.
Emily Gray's persistent loss of sexual sensation years after stopping SSRIs reveals a deeper, lasting condition.

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Emily Grey’s been living with a condition known as PSSD for six years now. PSSD can lead to the effective erasure of a person's sexual sensation and functioning.

The SSRIs that seem to be at the heart of this condition are selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, a group of antidepressant drugs that have been around for decades. The latest numbers indicate that nearly 20% of Canadian women and 10% of Canadian men are now taking these drugs.

It is generally known that potential side effects include a loss of libido. But what we're talking about today and what advocates like Emily have been saying for years is that the side effects can be very extreme. They might persist even after you stop taking SSRIs.

We'll also be speaking with Dr. David Healy, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cardiff in Wales. Dr. Healy has been involved in SSRI research for decades. He's the author of over a dozen books on psychopharmacology, including Let Them Eat Prozac, the Unhealthy Relationship Between The Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression.

Also on our panel is Dr. Caroline Pukall professor of psychology at Queen's University whose research focuses on sexual wellbeing and includes sexual psychophysiology.

Credits:

Host: Jesse Brown

Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading

PSSD website

Dr. David Healy

Dr. Caroline Pukall

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