Symptoms: Emotional blunting, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, insomnia, depersonalization/derealization, suicidal ideation, tinnitus, anhedonia, hair loss
In college I was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety. Initially I perceived that it helped, and I just stayed on the medication for many years.
At a certain point, I felt it was no longer working and went back to therapy. The nurse practitioner who I met with decided I would come off the medication by tapering. I did so and had no problems, made lifestyle changes, and was doing very well.
Seven months later, due to some life circumstances, my anxiety was a bit high again. The therapy session I had that week was with the doctor rather than the nurse practitioner I normally met with—he suggested I go back on Lexapro at a low dose. I reluctantly agreed. After six days I experienced severe night sweats and insomnia, so I stopped the medication, expecting that things would return to their norm.
What followed was a total destruction of my life. My sexual functioning went to zero and my genitals went completely numb. I lost all my feelings, have severe cognitive impairment, and my hair all fell out. I cannot feel motivation and am virtually disabled. My personality has been erased and I cannot care for myself. PSSD has destroyed my life and hopes and dreams completely.