When the Prescription Ends but the Side Effects Continue
Sign The Petition to Demand NIH Research and FDA Warnings
If you have been harmed and are struggling with ongoing symptoms after taking an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant drug — such as sexual dysfunction, emotional numbness, social withdrawal, feeling detached from reality, brain fog, memory issues, worsening depression, severe anxiety, or severe inner restlessness — you may be experiencing an antidepressant injury.
An antidepressant injury refers to serious, lasting changes in brain function, nerves, and body systems caused by SSRI or SNRI antidepressants.
These impairments can produce both physical and psychological/cognitive effects that often begin as withdrawal symptoms but continue long past the time the drug has left the body and do not simply resolve once the prescription has ended.
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Common signs of antidepressant injury include:
Evidence of lasting harm:
A 2025 medical study of 43 young men with persistent sexual problems after antidepressants found 92% had reduced genital sensation, 89% showed objective abnormalities on sensory nerve testing, and ultrasound revealed changes in penile erectile tissue — even though their hormone levels were completely normal. These problems continued long after stopping the drug. (Goldstein et al., The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2025)
Significant under-recognition exists because many patients are unaware their persistent symptoms are linked to prior antidepressant use, compounded by a lack of public education and healthcare provider awareness. (Healy & Mangin, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 2024)
A 2024 large survey of over 1,100 people experiencing antidepressant withdrawal found very high rates of ongoing symptoms such as brain fog (93%), memory problems (88%), emotional numbing, and depersonalization (77%), with many effects lasting months or years. (Moncrieff et al., Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2024)
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Our requests to the NIH and FDA
To the National Institutes of Health (NIH): Because antidepressant injury involves measurable biological changes (nerve, vascular, and other physical mechanisms), research and solutions must remain firmly in the medical domain — not redirected into psychiatry. We ask the NIH to:
- Fund research into the underlying physical causes of antidepressant injury, including cases where the damage is long-term or permanent.
- Prioritize the development of non-psychoactive medical approaches and support for those already injured.
- Help ensure accurate public information so future patients understand the full risks.
To the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): We also call on the FDA to add clear, honest warnings so future patients and doctors know the full risks before anyone starts these drugs. We ask the FDA to update the prescribing information for all SSRI and SNRI antidepressants by:
- Adding prominent warnings that these drugs can cause lasting antidepressant injury, including persistent sexual dysfunction (genital numbness, loss of pleasure, inability to orgasm, erectile problems), emotional numbing, depersonalization, brain fog, memory problems, severe anxiety, and akathisia (extreme inner restlessness linked to increased suicide risk). These effects can begin during treatment or appear (or worsen) after stopping.
- Clearly stating that these injuries can persist for months, years, or indefinitely after discontinuation, and that symptoms can sometimes emerge for the first time or intensify during withdrawal.
- Requiring manufacturers to send a “Dear Health Care Provider” letter to all relevant prescribers, alerting them to these risks and the need for informed consent.
- Adding these warnings to all SSRI and SNRI Medication Guides (patient information leaflets) so that patients receive this critical information directly.
Sign this petition if you have experienced antidepressant injury.
Your signature and personal story matter
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No one should attempt to get off antidepressants without a doctor’s supervision