Meanings
abbreviation PSSD
- uncountablemedicineA permanent condition of physical and psychological sexual anhedonia, among other symptoms, that occurs in around 1 in 200 people who have consumed SRI drugs (SSRIs, SNRIs, etcetera), which is caused by the permanent desensitization of some serotonin receptors.
I've since discovered this side-effect isn't uncommon and has a name: PSSD (post-SSRI sexual dysfunction). I know men who also suffer with PSSD and struggle with the same genital numbness and anorgasmia, coupled with erectile dysfunction.
[2018 June 8, anonymous author, “My life in sex: ‘After taking antidepressants, my genitals felt numb’”, in The GuardianSynonyms: PSSD, post-SSRI syndrome
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA permanent condition of physical and psychological sexual anhedonia, among other symptoms, that occurs in around 1 in 200 people who have consumed SRI drugs (SSRIs, SNRIs, etcetera), which is caused by the permanent desensitization of some serotonin receptors.
Cite this entry
post-SSRI sexual dysfunction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/post-SSRI%20sexual%20dysfunction
“post-SSRI sexual dysfunction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/post-SSRI%20sexual%20dysfunction. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “post-SSRI sexual dysfunction,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/post-SSRI%20sexual%20dysfunction.
Source: post-SSRI sexual dysfunction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.