Hi,
I live in Fribourg and want to know if I can/should sue a doctor that caused me permanent sexual dysfunction damage (PSSD). This happened in a well known private clinic in Fribourg, this is not a random private practitioner. Always been very sexually healthy before starting the treatment. No drugs, no alcohol. Regular exercise and controlled diet.
Now I completely lost my sexuality.
Details:
1. I needed to start treating ADHD (diagnosed by 2 after neuropsychologists with 3 times 3 hours neurological evaluation and almost 1 year of psychotherapy) so I contacted a Psychiatrist to start a treatment with methylphenidate as they suggested.
2. After 1 hour and half trying to convince me that ADHD is just the tip of the iceberg and I should focus on anxiety first. He proceeded to prescribe an SSRI: 50 mg Sertraline for a week.
3. I wasn’t convinced. I said “yes I have anxiety, but it’s very light, and it actually helps me on starting tasks sometimes, it’s also caused by my strong rumination and ADHD related difficulties with general emotional dysregulation”. He was very insistent and didn’t really seem to care what I was saying. So I reluctantly accepted his professional advice (didn’t feel I had much choice anyway). I still insisted on ADHD treatment, so he added 18 mg of Concerta (minimal dosage, but still a start) however, he told me to delay 1 or 2 days the start of Concerta and focus on Sertraline effects. I did what he said.
4. He also diagnosed me with “dysfunctional anancastic personality” (also known as OCPD). I am absolutely against this diagnosis he made up in the first 30 minutes and never discussed by other professionals, but it’s less important. I have always had a messy life, so I developed a lot of strategies to cope. This is not OCPD, it’s a consequence of survival coping strategies!
5. During the first 1 week I noticed some sexual slight erection dysfunction and delayed orgasm. Didn’t link it to sertraline, but is considered a normal side effect anyway while on SSRIs. He never warned me about sexual side effects, so it wasn’t in my mind paying attention to it, and I dismissed it as temporary.
6. After 6 days of treatment we had another meeting, he told me to increase Sertraline to 100 mg the next day. Still didn’t hint about anything concerning sexual side effects. Only insisted on keeping the Sertraline path. And also to keep Concerta at 18 mg. So I did.
7. Next 2 days a total impotence developed. I started to make my research and ended up finding a whole world linked to SSRIs and sexual dysfunction, permanent in 0.5% of cases! (I will link some resources at the end)
8. I contacted another psychiatrist to discuss a tapering plan, and now I am off of Sertraline. I still have complete sexual impotence, no libido, no genital sensitivity. Furthermore, I have a permanent cold sensation down there.
It’s now some time and had no recovery.
This happened since I felt obliged to comply and follow a treatment that wasn’t supposed to be the correct treatment I was asking for. He never warned me about side effects and didn’t make checked on that the week after. He made me up the dosage relatively fast. And now I am permanently damaged. I just want to die.
What should I do? Will the Swiss law side by my side?
Here some resource to better understand the problem:
[General informations](https://rxisk.org/post-ssri-sexual-dysfunction-pssd/#How_common_is_PSSD)
[A 2022 study](https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/9/9/45/pdf?version=1662113443)
[2023 updated knowledge](https://gpnotebook.com/simplepage.cfm?ID=-1026555873)
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by Klutzy_Proposal3978
5 comments
I think the doctor had good/correct reasons to start you on sertraline (does help with anxiety/thought rumination). However he should have optioned your informed consent to start it which includes disclosing possible distressing side effects (though they are rare). (POV as a Doctor working in Switzerland). I think you’d need to ask a lawyer to clarify if you’re entitled to any sort of compensation.
I wouldn’t ask reddit about something like this. If you expect us to read a few dozen pages of medical studies and come to a solid conclusion, you are off your rocker.
You also seem to have pretty strong opinions about your conditions and medication you should take, but still went with what the doctor told you, apparently without getting a second opinion. You talk about “permanent damage” but it seems from your description this is days or weeks ago.
Either way, Switzerland is not a very litiguous country. If you want to open a civil case, you have to prove the doctor made a mistake, the damage it caused and the causality between the two. The doctor has to prove that s/he sufficiently informed you about the risks of a treatment and that you agreed.
Both of these can be quite difficult. Even if you do win, you likely won’t get much money, but you could get compensation for corrective treatment.
How long is ” some time”?
I understand it is a distressing side effect, but maybe give it some more time?
Especially if you still are on other types of meds.
The nervous system is slow at recovering.
In my opinion, the entire psychiatric industry is a big scam, while being useful or necessary for only a small fraction of patients
That said, even if your sexual disfunction turns out to be permanent, I think the chances of successfully suing a physician, let alone a psychiatrist, in Switzerland is practically impossible. The prosecutors and judges practically feed from their hand. Some years ago, a psychiatrist had sex with and abused a minor patient, he didn’t get any punishment and continues to practice.
But if you want to know for sure, consult a lawyer
I get that you are angry, but this stuff happens. The doctors try their best, but these SSRI drugs are totally underestimated in their side effects. Psychiatry is also very poor at prescribing the right drug for the right condition. Their diagnostic procedure is incredibly bad. Questionnaires from the 1970s.
I would focus your effort on reversing the side effects with Wellbutrin or similar (MAOIs). Also it will take time to reverse PSSD, it’s unlikely permanent. Worrying will make it worse.