Additional potential long-term side effects include, but are not limited to, weight gain, feeling emotionally numb, and an increased suicided risk. Furthermore, there's the SSRI discontinuation syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation...
To add to this, a tiny one-sentence note about post-SSRI sexual dysfunction is actually buried in the prescribing information for Prozac. It’s not just something on Wikipedia, it’s a known issue in the mainstream medical community (albeit maybe not as widely known or discussed as it should be).
Half of the side effects are also the side effects of abating depressions.
It's theorized that the suicide risk from most anti-depressants are from transitioning from so depressed that you have no motivation to do anything, to having enough motivation, but still feeling the related pain from depression.
Likewise with weight-gain. For many depressed people they have a suppression of appetite, and relieving the depression causes return of appetite.
AFAIK, neither the sexual side effects nor the withdraw symptoms are generally considered to be long term much less permanent.
AFAIK, neither the sexual side effects nor the withdraw symptoms are generally considered to be long term much less permanent.
They’re often not permanent, but particularly with sexual problems there is a significant minority of people who do not get better after they stop the drugs. The term to search for is “PSSD” (post-SSRI sexual dysfunction).
I've been off them for a while, but in addition to permanently worsened tinnitus, I've also been left with reduced "tingly" sensations like those experienced during ASMR and orgasms. I experienced no benefit from the half dozen that I tried. It really, really, really sucks, and if I could go back, I would have never taken them. Ironically, they were prescribed to me because my doctor was too afraid to prescribe anything else for fear of side effects.
