I wish I could tell my 12 year old self what I know now about SSRIs. I see a numb stranger lost behind medication & gender dysphoria. Like climbing a mountain, coming off medications has been a challenging but beautiful, rewarding journey. The view at the top is worth it
THREAD
@BillboardChris
I relate to this so much. I’m grateful I didn’t have the support to transition or information from others. What I wanted to figure out was on my own. I’m glad my mom was confused and questioned things instead of going along with it. Not having close support is what saved my life
11/11
SSRIs cause sexual dysfunction. There’s a rise in transgender, asexual & non-binary youth. Why is it being affirmed & experimented rather than being questioned & researched?
Why is medication that causes sexual dysfunction being given to anyone at all, especially children?
Before, during, and after an SSRI.
Taking Fluoxetine around puberty gave me gender dysphoria and negatively affected my libido. I spent years feeling detached from myself, wanting to transition.
SSRIs can cause sexual dysfunction. Why are they being given to anyone at all,
@DaunenJ
@BillboardChris
Thank you, I’m trying to get my voice heard on SSRIs, my experience and how medication can play a huge role, and why not to transition.
10/
I truly believe coming off the Fluoxetine I was on since early adolescence “cured” my gender dysphoria.
I believe there is a correlation between SSRIs and gender dysphoria in youth.
I wonder what how many children who identify as transgender are on an SSRI.
SSRIs cause sexual dysfunction.
They’re given to sex offenders to curb libido.
I had gender dysphoria for years. I came off Fluoxetine and GD went away. I wasn’t transgender it was my SSRI.
No wonder there’s a rise in trans, non-binary & asexual youth.
Thread/ 1
This resonates with me so much.
I was on SSRIs such as Fluoxitine since I was about 12 years old. I felt like I never had a sense of self, confused on my gender identity for years, and never had libido. And damn add birth control to that..
In Alex Clark’s (
@yoalexrapz
) latest podcast,
@DrMcFillin
mentions
#PSSD
and its profound impact on sufferers.
He also discusses patients he sees, who lack sexual desire but don’t make the connection to antidepressants that they took as children.
When coming off medication and experiencing withdrawal, I was told if I couldn’t get my sh!t together, I might have to go back on medication. Like I could only ever function with it.
I felt like I was trapped, raging trying to get out of my mind of overflowing emotions, trying
SSRIs can cause gender dysphoria in youth
My mind can’t be changed
I’m living proof
I thought I was trans for years. I came off SSRI & my dysphoria is gone. It’s not the case for all but it needs serious attention
Children shouldn’t be on sterilizing & harmful puberty blockers
2/
No one sat me down and talked side effects. Would I have cared or understood sexual dysfunction that young? Why didn’t the adults do their job of protecting me from harm and my future? All I knew was that I had anxiety and that these pills would “help”. I didn’t have a choice.
9/
Coming off medication has been a difficult but beautiful journey to the real me. I now embrace womanhood. I no longer have any feelings of gender dysphoria. I look back at my old self & see a sad stranger. Yes, SSRIs helped my anxiety, but they gave me many wasted years & pain
8/
When I tapered off my SSRI (Fluoxetine) I began to see myself clearer. My gender dysphoria faded away and is now gone. I began to develop a new sense of my true female identity. My numbness went away and my emotions continue to magnify. I have never felt more alive.
SSRIs absolutely have an affect on identity.
I was on SSRIs young & started to struggle with gender dysphoria. I was detached from myself and had very little to no sexual desire.
For years I wanted to transition ftm.
As I tapered off SSRI, my gender dysphoria faded away.
@AnnYan20280
@BillboardChris
I’d say it’s not normal for a child/teen to think they are transgender.
Being on medication young is what caused my gender dysphoria. Puberty is such an crucial time of development, and to hinder that with medications that negatively impact libido has consequences. I was on
3/
Taking SSRIs young gave me gender dysphoria. I felt transgender for years wanting to transition, but knew that wouldn’t make me truly happier or change reality. I’ve never felt more lost & detached from myself. The pain of gender dysphoria. I cried myself to sleep many nights.
My experience with SSRIs for anxiety as a child gave me gender dysphoria.
I spend years thinking I was transgender.
Once I came off my SSRI, my gender dysphoria was gone.
I have never loved life and myself more.
Medication can be dangerous, especially pre/during puberty.
FAO Lord Alton (
@DavidAltonHL
), as mentioned before, I wanted to share with you a thread. It's about this, by
@thetimes
:
1/70 (yes, a 70-post thread)
Since being off SSRIs, I’ve done a lot of work on myself physically & mentally. After dealing with the adjustment period, I’ve never felt better.
🔑
-diet
-exercise
- grounding
-sunlight
-targeted methylated supplements
-no hormonal birth control
I love cows
🖕🏻 you Big Pharma
Shootings and SSRIs…
Guns are the blame. No, it’s the mind altering medications.
They are mind altering indeed. SSRIs gave me gender dysphoria.
Gun control? We need SSRI control.
How many more shootings?
More critically, Audrey Hale may have talked about the meds she was taking and how it was affecting her thought processes. Did she discuss her medicated anger. SSRIs are mind altering.
Must protect Pfizer, blame guns.
Do psych meds cause gender dysphoria?
I had the pleasure of doing my first podcast with
@DescribeHealth
where we discuss SSRIs, sexual dysfunction, gender dysphoria, how I came off medications, health and lifestyle.
As a little girl, I loved dresses, skirts, long hair
Middle school (SSRIs) wanted to cut my hair,dress like the boys
High school- cut my hair, dressed masculine. Grew hair back out
College- short hair, dressed masculine, wore chest binder
Off SSRIs
Dresses, skirts, long hair
1/
After about 14 years of being on SSRIs & hormonal birth control I decided to come off both to better my physical/mental health, & in hopes to fix libido. I’ve always struggled with libido which is no surprise now, with that being a side effect & since I started both so young.
SSRIs should not be given to young developing minds.. or anyone really.
The negatives outweigh the positives.
Want to treat your anxiety/depression? Great! …Here’s a side of sexual dysfunction.
Fix the root cause of the problem. Don’t mask it.
THREAD
It's absolutely insane to drug anxiety. INSANE. I understand it can be overwhelming. This is an emotion you can understand, regulate & develop a new relationship to. Learn to face. Drugging anxiety WILL increase anxiety in the long run. This WILL decrease your quality of life.
I was on Fluoxetine & hormonal birth control around 12 years old.
No one sat me down & talked side effects, libido & sexual dysfunction.
Yes, I was young & might not have understood or cared about anything sex related if I had been told
But why affect my future so carelessly?
@bjportraits
I believe many cases of gender dysphoria are related to medications. Taking SSRIs young gave me gender dysphoria. Transitioning won’t make life better. I know the deep pain of gender dysphoria. It needs to be looked into and questioned. Not affirmed! It’s $$ for Big Pharma is all
6/
I wished I could feel like the rest of the girls or just be male, but both felt too far from reality. I looked at males & wanted to be like them. I felt like I couldn’t relate to females, but at the same time I couldn’t relate to males. I was completely lost.
I believe children on SSRIs is a big part of this explosion in children with gender dysphoria.
Puberty and chemically tampering the brain with psychiatric drugs is a recipe for disaster.
I had gender dysphoria for years and once I came off meds it was gone.
Chemically tampering with the brain by means of prescribing psychiatric drugs is one of the most foolhardy, dangerous, enormously harmful, reckless, and irresponsible activities humans have ever engaged in.
5/
College was the worst years of my dysphoria. I felt lost, sad, a freak, I wouldn’t find love. I wanted testosterone/top surgery but knew deep down that transitioning wouldn’t make me truly happier. My body was a prison. I was trapped & there was nothing I could do about it.
Pharmaceuticals should just start calling SSRIs birth control, because taking them will more than likely give you some kind of sexual dysfunction, even after stopping them.
@jack_turban
When I had gender dysphoria I tried turning to books to better help understand the confusion and pain I was going through. Books like this only do more harm. It’s all lies. People with gender dysphoria need the hard truth, not fairytales.
@jess_doubl1590
@HazelAppleyard_
Agreed. Don’t rush to take T out of spite. You will find peace with yourself. It might take years, but trust me. This is coming from someone who used to want T and top surgery… I would have extremely regret all of it. I am so comfortable and fully love myself now. It takes time.
4/
For years I hid my dysphoria. I was miserable & didn’t see my beauty then. All I wanted was to cut off my beautiful, long red hair & magically change my body to male. Eventually, I caved & cut my hair and began to present more masculine.
7/
I wore a chest binder at the time & experimented with he/him pronouns. Nothing felt right. I could try to be a man, but I knew I’d never BE a man. I felt the pain but I saw the truth.
I tried experimenting with women’s clothing. I wanted to like it, but it didn’t feel like me
#SSRI
medication should not exist. I have yet to see actual evidence that they decrease chances of suicide, drastically improve quality of life, and I don’t believe for a second they’ve actually saved as many people as they’ve harmed in some way or another. Smoke and mirrors.
@celestialbe1ng
To stop counting calories and start counting harmful ingredients in food and products is the start.
Fat is not bad, when it’s from the right sources. I get nutrients/protein from beef & eggs every day and proper exercise. All these diet fads aren’t necessary. Just eat real food.
@BillboardChris
I’m so glad I grew up in a normal time for school before all this sh!t was a thing. If it had been taught, I would’ve been so confused. Puberty is hard enough, add these ideas into a child’s mind and it’s disaster.
Taking SSRIs and hormonal birth control during puberty totally wasn’t related to me having no libido and having gender dysphoria. There’s no relationship to medication side effects at all there. Who needs a natural puberty anyways?! Yay chemicals in a developing brain and body!🤡
Why I believe gender dysphoria & asexuality can be linked to SSRI use around puberty
Side effects:
Delayed puberty
Changes hormones/neurotransmitters
Sexual dysfunction
Low libido
Genital numbing
Anorgasmia
Erectile dysfunction
Vaginal dryness
Dissociation
Impulsivity
Etc
I always wonder what my life would’ve been like if I was never put on medication as a child.
I probably would’ve done a lot more, because I wouldn’t have been numbed, had more confidence without gender dysphoria, and a clearer view of myself and the world.
Medication and a
My trans identity robbed me of half of my life.
It robbed me of the ability to take full, deep breaths without pain induced by seven years of breast binding.
The harm of transition begins with the ideas- not with the injections and not with the scalpels.
@DrewBat
I felt transgender for years. When I decided to taper off meds that I had been on since around puberty, my gender dysphoria faded away & is now gone. I’m no longer taking any medications. I wasn’t transgender. It was my SSRI all along. I wonder how many trans kids are on SSRIs.
For those who have taken SSRIs, what has your experience been?
For me, my anxiety was better but it wasn’t worth feeling so detached from myself for years.
Since being off SSRI, these have been my new antidepressants. (Maybe they can help you too)
All are natural & don’t cause sexual dysfunction.💯
Methylfolate
Magnesium
Vitamin D3 &K2
Methylated B12
Grass fed beef liver capsule
Animal based diet
Grounding
Sunlight
Exercise
In my early adolescence, I was on Fluoxetine and hormonal birth control. I feel this combination or at least the SSRI had an affect on my gender identity.
@HazelAppleyard_
I also went through a similar experience. It’s interesting to find others that can relate and to hear their views about it. I’m happy that you found your path.
Thread/ 6/6
I truly believe SSRIs are what caused this disconnect for so many years. Once I came off of it, a switch went off in my head. Learning to control my anxiety is key than being chemically numb. I still have many side effects but the road to recovery is in the horizon.
@Maggie_Does
@BillboardChris
Thank you. She knew her daughter, and wasn’t going to loose me or let me harm myself into a life of more hell. She’d ask questions as to why I felt the way I did. There was nothing masculine about me, I liked men and one can’t change sex.
I was frustrated at the time and didn’t
Fluoxetine & hormonal birth control are a hell of a combination during puberty.
Instead of being sad, angry & embarrassed at my past, I’ve used my energy to share my story & embrace it.
Spreading awareness of the damaging side effects of SSRIs on youth.
Thread/ 1
This resonates with me so much.
I was on SSRIs such as Fluoxitine since I was about 12 years old. I felt like I never had a sense of self, confused on my gender identity for years, and never had libido. And damn add birth control to that..
I know he’s talking about transgender, but antidepressants are also doing this to children. They go hand in hand.
Sexual dysfunction.
SSRIs (and hormonal birth control) suppressed my libido. SSRIs gave me gender dysphoria. I wasn’t transgender, it was my medication.
Instead of giving a child SSRIs for anxiety, teach them to learn how to manage emotions on their own. It will also allow for proper sexual development. SSRIs cause sexual dysfunction.
Imagine someone not being able to experience libido all because of anxiety they had as a child?
Thoughts before bed
If I never stopped Fluoxetine ending my gender dysphoria, where would I be now?
Would I have scars on my chest?
Would I have a deep voice & facial hair?
Would I still be hating myself & trying to find love?
I certainly wouldn’t be in this beautiful place now
So people are given medications to help anxiety & depression but the side effects are anxiety and depression..?🤔
Medication only masks it.
And you’ll most likely also get sexual dysfunction/ PSSD.
Mental health isn’t being helped, it’s being created.
Thread/ 5
I am now off of SSRIs and birth control and have never loved myself more. I finally see myself and my beauty. I’m still experiencing rough ups and downs but I love the women I have become and it feels damn good to say that after the identity struggle I had for years.
@LauraDelano
I was on SSRIs as a kid, never had libido & didn’t think anything of it til I started dating later on. SSRIs also gave me gender dysphoria (which is now gone being off meds) I was so detached from myself. No wonder kids are so confused. I wasn’t transgender, it was my medication.
The link between SSRI and gender dysphoria?
I had a great discussion with
@TheFaceOfMal
about my experience with taking an SSRI at a young age and coming off medication.
When I came off medications that I had been on since early adolescence, it took me about 9 months of struggle to feel in a good place.
I have developed into a new me.
Coming off medications was my rebirth.
Yes they can work. Yes my anxiety was better, but at what cost?
I was so lost & detached from myself, gender dysphoria, no libido, etc & since stopping I have tinnitus.
They are overprescribed & side effects aren’t talked about enough.
I’ll take anxiety any day over SSRIs again
Hey
@joerogan
@TuckerCarlson
how do you feel about children & SSRIs? Would you agree they’re related to the rise in transgender children? I’d love to share my story on how they affected me. I wasn’t transgender. It was my SSRI. Main stream media & Big Pharma won’t admit it.
@Sidewalk_Steve
I know parents want to do what they feel is best, but affirming a child’s delusions is not help, it is harm. No one can change their sex. People with gender dysphoria need the hard truth, not lies. No child is born in the wrong body.
When I struggled for years with gender
Being a free thinker can be so lonely, especially when those that you love and care about don’t see the world the same way that you do.
Some people will get offended just at the idea of you questioning their belief system. They don’t recognize their own cognitive bias. They
Thread/2
For years I was so lost, I thought I was transgender. I was embarrassed and confused but it’s the only identity that felt right at the time. I was by no means masculine. Nothing about me. I had horrible gender dysphoria.
Medications deplete vitamins.
When I came off Fluoxetine & hormonal birth control, it took about 9 months to feel in a good place. The start of what helped was methylfolate.
Methylfolate & methylated B12 have made a world of a difference.
No wonder I was so anxious & depressed
My experience with SSRI:
As a little girl, I loved dresses, skirts, and long hair.
Middle school: (started an SSRI) I was trying to figure myself out. I went between both feminine and tomboy looks. Sometimes I wanted to cut my hair and dress like the boys.
High school: I cut
I’ve always known that this gender medicine scandal will also expose major issues in the mental health field more broadly.
Rushed assessments, an obsession with tangible treatment goals, rigidity around diagnostic labels, and an over-reliance on psychiatric medication. These
@DrEvans_Health
I came off SSRI safely without talking to my psychiatrist. It did me better than ever being on it. I did what felt best for me & in the process I found the real me. Goodbye gender dysphoria & numbness. Life has a whole new outlook. It’s been a long process but beautiful. Worth it
@Ani_the_Laquine
@Pharmageddon24
@pance_v
@jk_rowling
SSRIs do far more than affect arousal. They also in many cases cause complete genital numbness.
If a child, who is going through puberty is numb to the hyper sexuality that accompanies puberty, it will create a recipe for confusion. Common sense will tell you that sexual desire
As I’m living proof that SSRIs can cause gender dysphoria, I have no doubt that medications are related to the rise in asexual, non-binary, & trans identities, especially in youth.
SSRIs cause sexual dysfunction. Give them to a child during puberty & it’s not a shocking result.
SSRI usage is so high that it's polluting groundwater and affecting fish at low concentrations.
SSRIs are also linked to gender dysphoria.
Could this contribute to the rise in asexuality and transgenderism in our children?
What are peoples thoughts?
@Lexilo
Fight through it. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It took me almost a year of withdrawl from an SSRI and hormonal birth control. It’s a tough process but worth it. You can do it.💪🏻
To the psychiatrist that prescribed me SSRIs when I was younger and said it had no correlation to transgenderism.. I am living proof.. fuck you and fuck your degree.
@thepeacepoet99
Taking SSRIs young gave me gender dysphoria. I believe medication is the main cause for the rise in transgender, asexual, and non-binary youth.
@DrMcFillin
Yes, SSRIs can definitley impact identity in youth. I had a great discussion with
@DescribeHealth
about this and my experience with SSRI and gender dysphoria.
Feeling transgender and being on medication was crippling for me.
I feel like this post was written about myself from high school. This is too relatable to when I had gender dysphoria.
I didn’t have that drive to move forward in life. I felt crippled by myself and anxiety. I
I’m really feeling for my friend right now who has a daughter in her late teens who is trans identifying.
She is afraid to start adulthood. She’s never had a relationship. She doesn’t drive. She doesn’t really go out with friends. She hasn’t had a job (nor does she want one)
@JourneyofHope4U
From taking Fluoxetine since early adolescence, I believe it affected my sense of gender identity, sexual dysfunction, and since stopping I have tinnitus.
@DrPinyaPlomer
I clearly know nothing about my own experience… I clearly know nothing about mental health… Riiiight, that’s why I’m now thriving being medication free.👍🏻
@DrPinyaPlomer
SSRIs are what caused my gender dysphoria. If you read the post you would see I mainly talk about my experience with GD & how it relates to SSRI. If you think I’m “whining” so much go find something better to do with your day than hate on me for fixing my life. Have a nice day.😊
There needs to be more talk about children and SSRIs.
Puberty is a crucial part of development.
Taking Fluoxetine young affected my gender identity. I spent years thinking I was transgender.
Years later, as I tapered off of it, my gender dysphoria faded away.
Gone.
Thread/ 4
I started to experiment with women’s clothes- a part of me trapped inside that wanted to like it but didn’t feel right.
When I started cutting back my fluoxitine, my trans identity faded away. I wore women’s clothes, grew out my hair, had a new sense of self.
@MinchChloe
@wesstreeting
Not having affirmation and support is what saved my life in the end. Tough love and crying myself to sleep many nights to now no regrets, finally finding myself and happiness.
Gender dysphoria isn’t a happy life and no amount of hormones or surgery will change reality or the pain
I’ve been saying this and get looked at like I’m crazy. I came off of my SSRI and hormonal birth control because I realized the horrible effects they had on my body and mental health. My hormones are more balanced now and I’ve never felt better.
It is important that women know the effects of hormonal birth control, as it is a significant cause of depression and increases suicide risk.
This is not a value statement, just a public service announcement. Other forms of birth control do not have these effects.
Some mornings I just want to sit in silence and drink my coffee, but tinnitus..
But positively, it is a reminder of how far I’ve come and it could be a lot worse. ☕️❤️
#SSRIs
Find the root cause. Don’t mask it. Coming off SSRIs is the best thing I’ve done for myself. It’s a lot of work physically/mentally, but I’ve never felt better
🔑
-modified carnivore diet
-exercise
- grounding
-sunlight
-supplements
-no hormonal birth control
-less social media
We aren’t actually treating the problems that are leading people to feel unwell mentally, emotionally and physically. Masking symptoms with drugs and fueling an industry. Resist
@janwe
I have no doubt that antidepressants are related to the rise in asexual, transgender, and non-binary identities, especially in youth.
Antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction. Children should not be on them. Even adults. The years I spent on an SSRI starting at a young age,
💯 I’d say in my case, taking Fluoxetine and getting gender dysphoria and then later curing my dysphoria by coming off Fluoxetine, made the medication the mental disorder, not me.
The idea that so-called mental disorders are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and that psychiatric drugs such as antidepressants correct this chemical imbalance is a monumental lie. It's psychiatric drugs that are causing chemical imbalances and making patients worse.
Sorry not sorry for my repetitive posts, but I won’t stop sharing my experience until I feel my voice is truly heard and until children aren’t being harmed and lied to.
This explosion in transgender children is close to my heart and isn’t normal. It needs to stop being affirmed.
The greatest antidepressant you can take every day is a big fat juicy steak with a side of exercise.🥩🥩🥩
Don’t be afraid of red meat.
It’s the best superfood.💪🏻
❌💊❌
@wobbyist
@justin_garson
@poeticambiguity
I was about 12 years old when I was put on an SSRI. I was told nothing about side effects. Even adults aren’t told.
Children on antidepressants are being robbed of proper emotional and sexual developmental stages.
Detachment to myself and sexual dysfunction felt normal to me
I was on SSRIs young.
It clearly affected my hormones and brain chemistry.
I had gender dysphoria for years, but hey, atleast my anxiety was better…
I cured my gender dysphoria by coming off my SSRI..
In my case, medication was the mental disorder.
Being on hormonal birth control young along with other meds negatively affected my libido. It also depletes folic acid, vitamins B2, B6, B12, vitamin C & E, minerals magnesium, selenium & zinc.
My hormones are now natural & balanced. Ovulating for the first time feels amazing..
@laurenlself
I was on an SSRI for anxiety from about 12-25 years old. Did it help my anxiety?.. Yes, but in return I had years of being detached from myself, no libido, and struggled with gender dysphoria to the point of wanting to transition.
My eyes weren’t open to what life would be like
Medications deplete vitamins, causing more anxiety/depression
It was important for me to get blood work done after coming off SSRIs & hormonal birth control.
What’s kept me happier & healthier?
Methylated B12
Methylfolate
Vitamin D3 &K2
Magnesium
@heartandsoilHQ
@Ancestral
@JimMcMurtry01
I wonder what percentage are on SSRIs. They gave me bad gender dysphoria. I felt transgender for years to the point of wanting top surgery and testosterone. Turns out it was my medication. As I tapered off, the dysphoria faded away. Now gone. I’m medication free.
THREAD 1
I’ll be labeled transphobic, a terf, and mentally ill for sharing my experience, but I was on SSRIs in my early adolescence and developed gender dysphoria. Years later after completely coming off my medication it went away..
@DrMcFillin
If anything, medications cause chemical imbalances. For a drug to make one feel transgender like it did to me, that’s some powerful mind altering shit.
Coming off all meds is the best thing I’ve done for myself. It takes a lot of work physically & mentally. After the adjustment, I’ve never felt better. I feel free. I feel like my genuine self is finally showing through. It’s like a weight off my shoulders & the sun is shining.
Indecent exposure is a crime, but you can show your junk in public and around children and it’s okay, as long as you’re holding a pride flag….
Disgusting.
This isn’t about pride anymore..
Police confirm that full n*dity in San Francisco is allowed and legal in front of kids at pride events because it’s not “for s*xual gratification”
.
@TaylerUSA