Being Hooked to and having to Withdraw from Antidepressants, especially any that act on the serotonin system, is one of the greatest public health issues of our day. Close to 15 per cent of the population of most Western countries are affected. Peter Groot and colleagues in the Netherlands have done more than anyone to raise the profile of these issues by providing a method … [Read more...] about Withdrawal Mysteries. Jon and Justin’s Journeys
Antidepressants
International Society of Sexual Medicine
This weeks post was supposed to be just about Sexual Mysteries. What's in a Touch? As it was waiting to be posted, a controversy blew up about the International Society of Sexual Medicine and claims by Dr Anita Clayton that there is no such thing as PSSD. There did not seem to be enough for a post in its own right but equally it seemed to make sense to say something and … [Read more...] about International Society of Sexual Medicine
Sexual Mysteries. What is in a Touch?
This is an important post for anyone hunting for a test for PSSD. If the CT fibres mentioned here are not fibres that show up distinctly on either skin biopsy or CCM, then these tests may not pick up a very real problem. We need some research on whether CT fibres show around the ankle or in the cornea. The slide above is from a fascinating lecture on Affective Touch by Francis … [Read more...] about Sexual Mysteries. What is in a Touch?
PSSD Patients Needed for CCM Investigation
A brief recap In October 2022, we ran a blog post aimed at recruiting patients in the UK with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) who could be tested for small fibre neuropathy. This was to be done by skin biopsy which is the standard method for investigating the condition. The project was in response to information provided by a Finnish PSSD group in which several members … [Read more...] about PSSD Patients Needed for CCM Investigation
The Window to the Body and perhaps the Soul
It might sound corny but it has long been said that our Eyes are the Window to our Soul. Whatever about the soul, every medical student gets told by ophthalmologists that the Eyes are the Window to the Body. They claim to be able to detect almost every possible disease by looking at our eyes. Just over a decade ago, Corneal Confocal Microscopy (CCM) came into view. See CCM - … [Read more...] about The Window to the Body and perhaps the Soul
Touch Fibres, Autonomic Fibres and Kissing
Someone, who regularly emails breaking research that I haven't spotted or don't have time to spot, got in touch recently with great insights on an article about Kisspeptin that I had seen. But I had managed to miss several things he spotted that may be important to anyone thinking about PSSD. A Kiss Before Sex The article reported a clinical trial on the Effects of Kisspeptin … [Read more...] about Touch Fibres, Autonomic Fibres and Kissing
DD and AA Groups Similarities and Differences
Illustration: Is There Life After Meds?, © 2014 created by Billiam James DD in this case stands for Drug Damaged. AA for Alcoholics Anonymous. Some of the material in this post is likely to disturb some readers. Reading it in conjunction with Here We Stand We Can Do No Other and Dos Centavos - Veinte Euros may help make sense of material that may not sit well with some … [Read more...] about DD and AA Groups Similarities and Differences
PSSD and Small Fibre Neuropathy Investigation Runs Into Problems
In October 2022, we ran a blog post called “PSSD Patients Needed for Small Fibre Neuropathy Investigation”. It’s worth reading to get some background on the situation before continuing with this post. We had connected with a neurology department in Sheffield, UK, with the aim of recruiting several patients with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) who could be tested for … [Read more...] about PSSD and Small Fibre Neuropathy Investigation Runs Into Problems
Queen’s University PSSD Research Project
Caroline F. Pukall, PhD, CPsych Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sexual Health (CIHR) Professor, Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston ON K7L 3N6, Canada Email: caroline.pukall@queensu.ca Lab website: https://www.sexlab.ca Twitter: @QSexLab; Instagram: qsexlab; Facebook: /sexlab.ca Editor of Human Sexuality: A … [Read more...] about Queen’s University PSSD Research Project
Did My Doctor Make Me Alcoholic or Substance Abusing
AnneMarie Kelly is among the most impressive researchers I have met and I've met Nobel Prize winners like Arvid Carlsson and Julie Axelrod. I have told the story in many venues how she, with no background in healthcare or university research, taught me things about the serotonin system that I, who have a PhD in this system, never knew. She is one of the heroes of Shipwreck … [Read more...] about Did My Doctor Make Me Alcoholic or Substance Abusing