Antidepressants and semen desctruction

Hello. I am 25 years old, male, and I feel that I suffer from depression, obsessive thinking and social anxiety. I read on the internet that antidepressants such as SSRIs cause decreased sperm concentration and motility, and damaged DNA in semen and generally fertility problems. Do you know if this is true and if it is permanent destruction of the semen? Thank you very much.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4463894/

This study showed some parameters of sperm quality appeared to be adversely affected, but that the affects appeared to recover after discontinuation of the SSRI.

I've a feeling that the studies so far made have not been extensive enough to draw firm conclusions from, but would tend to regard any overall risks as likely within the same realm of parallel risks encountered in the course of normal activity, given that the SSRIs have been in use for a long enough period for a generation of users to have engaged in parenthood.

Thank you. I have also found this one

Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors reduces fertility in men

not allowed to post its link.

I think that there's a restriction on posting URL links until you've made some number of posts on the forum - keeps the link spammers at bay. Fortunately the text you quoted, is enough for a google:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...111/andr.12184

That study appears to describe some of the other factors that make it tricky to draw conclusions from relatively small scale study groups - namely, the physical & psychological effects that the depression/anxiety can cause to reproductive function, before the SSRIs may have their own effects.

Treatments are actions & actions often have unintended consequences - in the end, it becomes a matter of which compromises you can choose to live with.

I took paxil and had retroejaculation.

I think you're making some important points here, especially about the potential effects of uncontrolled depression and anxiety on fertility. Those effects might be direct (ie, through the physiological consequences of elevated cortisol, etc) or indirect--for example, people who are depressed and anxious tend not to take care of themselves as well as they should. So if your depression is uncontrolled and you smoke, drink, and eat poorly, that might impact your fertility more than being on an SSRI.

I personally have had concerns about SSRIs and sperm function because my wife and I tried for years--unsuccessfully--to conceive. Those concerns were one of the reasons I tried to taper off of Zoloft. Unfortunately, my depression and anxiety returned with a vengeance. What I have decided is that I'm going to be on SSRIs indefinitely, that I will try to take the lowest dose possible to control my condition, and that I'll do my best to optimize my fertility otherwise, including through diet and exercise. There are also some vitamins that fertility experts recommend.

Thank you. That's exactly the point. You have to choose between a better life and a chance of sperm destruction. (u cant use your sperm if you have depression, noone wants you :P)

I'll admit that your last bit in brackets got a wry smile out of me...
I'll just say that experience has shown me otherwise, but that depression sure makes that journey one heck of a lot harder to navigate.

Could you explain the last sentence?

Despite feeling that no one could possibly see anything of value in me, there's been a few occasions when someone did.

Have u used antidepressants? Are you female or male?

Yes (fluoxetine for about 1/2 year, before that just periods with St Johns Wort & the like) and I'm a male.

Have you felt better?

Yes - more here: https://forums.psychcentral.com/psyc...e-anxiety.html

How about yourself? Have you yet used ADs?

Hello. Yes. I have visited the doctor two days ago... Now I receive 5 drops of seropram every night (only after my meal). They have not affected me though yet...

I've no experience of seropram or drops, but it might take a few weeks before you start to feel any improvement. Hope you have good luck with it.

Thank you very much. : )

As time passes, does someone need more doses?

Does their dose need to be increased?

It seems to be an entirely individual thing - some folks need to increase their dose for the AD to work effectively, whilst others find that their AD works best at a lower dose (or that side effects at a higher dose start to outweigh the benefits). Others still, find that they need to change their dose (up or down) over time, or even move to a different AD or combination.

Basically, between you & your pdoc, it's probably a case of gradually tweaking things to try to get the best results for you.

Thank you very much. So I have to wait.

Do you take any medication?

Yeah, in my case the changes were very gradual - I only really noticed them over time. The fluoxetine is the only medication that I currently use regularly.

I'm not a male, but I did a lot of research before I chose which antidepressant I thought I would like to try first. My psychiatrist was fine with my choice. It is called buproprion or Wellbutrin, and is sometimes used for those who experience sexual disfunction from SSRIs. Check out drugs.com reviews for this drug where reviewers have stated their sexual problems disappeared (especially for men). It is also weight neutral. I have only been on it for 3 days, and have experienced some minor anxiety, but that is supposed to subside within a couple of weeks, so I can bear with it knowing it is temporary. I don't actually know if it helps with semen issues, but your doc may know that. If you are a smoker, will also help with quitting, which will help with sperm issues.

Ok. Do you feel that sometimes they do not affect you? I mean, do you feel sporadically depressed?

Yes - the meds don't completely remove/prevent the depression, but instead reduce the likelihood of something triggering it & the depth that it may reach.

I receive 5 drops of seropram every day (12 days so far) but I keep feeling mostly depressed with some joy breaks. Doctor had told me that 10 days are needed to act.