The FDA is being sued for allegedly ignoring evidence that anti-depressants leave patients’ sex lives permanently ruined – even years after stopping the meds.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) drugs like Prozac and Zoloft began carrying a label warning telling users they may cause erectile dysfunction, low libido, vaginal dryness and trouble orgasming only after patients began complaining of sexual side effects to their doctors in the 80s and 90s.
But thousands of former patients say they have been left completely asexual, numb below the waist, and unable to enjoy sex or sustain romantic relationships. Some patients have even experienced shrinkage of their genitals.
The FDA is now being sued by a team of scientists who say the agency has ignored their petition asking for a warning about permanent sexual side effects since 2018 and is asking the agency to warn doctors and patients about the long-term risks.
An estimated one in 10 Americans aged 12 and up takes an antidepressant.
The lawsuit was filed by Dr Antonei B. Csoka, a molecular biologist at Howard University.
The specific condition that Dr Csoka references in his complaint is Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), which can also cause genital numbness, premature ejaculation, and emotional blunting.
The agency said in 2018 that it would further review the science and get back to him, but it never did.
The FDA’s alleged lack of follow-up contradicted its own protocol, which says that citizens’ petitions require a response within 180 days.
While the FDA has neglected to add the proposed warning label, regulatory agencies in Europe and Canada already have.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13448013/fda-sued-antidepressants-ssri-sexual-effects.html