I am happy to see some positive results. Why not see if you can maintain this as a new baseline. Don’t fast any more for now, don’t change anything, maybe abstain from herbs and supplements aside from important minerals and vitamins. I look forward to your updates.
Challenge accepted. I will stop taking amino acids and stop most minerals and vitamins.
I will reduce the sleeping pills as well to see how much lower I need and still be able to sleep.
I’ll also stop the herbs and see how my sex drive goes.
I’ll try to keep it plain and simple. With the least supplement possible, while keeping the same low carbs, high healthy fat and protein diet. That will reveal what my baseline is.
I won’t fast until we get a clear status of what that last fast has done (along with the diet)
Then I’ll report the effects.
Today, I’m joyful and calm. I’m very satisfied with the diet / fasting results. I also had sex during the day and it was enjoyable and felt good like it used too.
I have the opposite of anxiety. I just don’t worry about anything that doesn’t necessitate my immediate attention. And when such a thing occurs, I just do it and it’s out of the way.
I can’t remember if it was this thread or another. Have any of you experienced penile curvature? It’s happening to me and am not sure if it’s pfs or the testosterone patches
No I haven’t. It’s one of the symptoms of pfs but I don’t know if it’s one of testosterone patches.
I had no morning erection, no sex drive, anorgasmia, desensitization and my balls have been hurting for 10 months pre-crash and another 10 months post-crash, but I had no apparent physical changes on my body.
After I started the carnivore / ketogenic diet, 2 months after the crash, I had many positive changes on my body: the most impressive being a pre-cancerous growth on my back I had for decades that just peeled off, and black spots all over my face and hand I had for 30 years after a heavy sun burn that just faded away.
I actually look younger than 2 years ago. (and most neurological symptoms went away after a few days in the diet)
But at the current moment, I’m so amazed at the improvement of 72 hours of fasting that if I was to suggest anything to you, it would be biased.
Well, looks like I won’t reduce hydroxyzine below 7.5 mg nor Clonazepam below 3.0 mg. I had quite a bit of trouble sleeping last night.
I’m waiting for Valerian, Lemon Balm and Magnolia. Maybe I can substitute the drugs with some of those.
Meanwhile, I’m staying clear of supplements. No side effects so far aside from trouble sleeping.
No supplements except vitamin D and Magnesium. Not much difference either. No pfs symptoms except insomnia.
I increased hydroxyzine to 10 mg, kept Clonazepam at 3.0 mg and had a 6.5/10 night. If I increased Clonazepam to 3.5 or 4.0, I would have 9-10 nights but its not worth it. First, by not increasing, I leave room for emergencies or in case of increased tolerance in the future. Second, by not increasing and sleeping not as good as I could, I let my body feel theres something wrong and maybe that will trigger it to fix it.
In the afternoon, I took my 3 aminos trio (I called them 3 amigos): 5-HTP 100 mg, Tyrosine 750 mg, L-Dopa 350 mg. I was a bit demotivated and not driven and a new big order came in, at the start of the peak season. I need to be on top of things. I like experimenting, but not at the detriment of my work.
It gave me the drive I needed and a state of joy.
I`m eating ketogenic but with pizzas and brownies in between. No ill effects. I need to gain weight so I will slowly add carbs.
Day 416 after I crashed, Day 354 of Ketogenic diet, Day 221 of Amino Acid experiment.
I take supplements sporadically and irregularly, as needed, and I don’t have trouble with that.
This is not new. A few months ago, before the Collagen Peptide crash (a Glutamate / GABA imbalance), I could also drop the supplements with no effects. I will create a new Regimen list with mandatory and optional supplements, considering the stage I’m at now. There is no doubt I’m better than 10 Months ago.
The fasting have stabilized my body further more. I can sleep better, eat carbs if I want to, or not if I don’t, and either way I’ll be fine. I must say eating carbs seems to make me tired 1-2 hours later. I will test if it improves my sleep or doesn’t.
I’m still carnivore / ketogenic by default and I don’t go out of my way to eat carbs. I also exercise.
I believe I will keep improving slowly until insomnia goes away, but let’s see.
Day 418 after I crashed, Day 356 of Ketogenic diet, Day 223 of Amino Acid experiment.
Reducing supplements has resulted in slightly less motivation, slight anxiety and slight depression. The difference is not considerable but it is perceivable. Sex drive and sexual functions are still good.
Because I’d rather feel confident, happy and motivated, I decided to resume supplementation. I keep the 3 aminos responsible for these feeling as optional. I’ll use them only if needed, and I’ve been needing them yesterday and today.
Also, if I don’t feel as good as before, it means there’s a change in the balance of neurotransmitters. There’s no way to tell if it will stabilize or continue to tilt off balance so I will not take a chance on this. Sleep is slowly improving so might as well push the experiment to its end: no symptoms at all, not even insomnia.
I’m not there yet but I’m getting closer.
Do you hav any idea what causes emotional blunting? Is it gaba defiency?
Dont you think that taking l-dopa for an extended periode of time is possibly harmful? They use l-dopa to treat parkinson and they avoid prescribing it to younger people and there is a theory that is actually neurotoxic.
I think it could be GABA, Dopamine and / or Serotonin. Probably a mix of all of those. Both GABA and Dopamine can make you feel good, even euphoric, and low Serotonin is a cause of depression.
I believe low GABA is a main common cause for many symptoms many of us have. And it can lead to low Dopamine and low Serotonin.
Thank for informing me of the neurotoxicity of L-Dopa. I’ll keep that in mind (literally)
I`m looking at L-Dopa neurotoxicity and it appears to be linked, at least partially, to glycogen synthase kinase-3. In that case, ketogenic diet would greatly reduce the presence of glycogen synthase kinase-3 and could result in less or no damage.
I`ll continue to look at it.
Day 423 after I crashed, Day 361 of Ketogenic diet, Day 228 of Amino Acid experiment.
The ketogenic diet and Amino Acid experiment are still relevant although my symptoms are mostly gone.
Insomnia remains present but at least it stabilized and is not crippling.
So first the ketogenic diet: Im out. Ive been out for more than a week. I eat from 30 to 100 gr of carbs a day, which is between a very low carbs and low carbs diet and just above the ketogenic threshold. Anything below 150 gr of carbs is considered a low carbs diet. However, I eat all my carbs in only one meal so Im 23 1/2 hours a day without eating carbs. That forces my body to still burn fat and produce ketones, although at a much slower pace.
After the 72 hours fasting I did 2 weeks ago, I lost a lot of fat. I was all muscles and veins. I got benefits from that fasting and felt well afterward but I need to gains fat so I can do it again.
I want to cut carbs 100% for three days and fast again for 2 days at the end of the month, or at least do intermittent fasting 20 hours / 4 hours eating or 23/1 hour eating for 4-5 days every month and I need to be ketogenic to do that. Any of those will not bring cravings if I`m carbs free. But if I have carbs in my body, I will find them hard to do.
I also want to do 1-3 days of low calories, eating only low carbs veggies and fruits every month to give my body a break from all that fat and protein and also get benefits from healthy plants.
Altogether, I want to shift to a more varied healthy diet that has both plants and meat, but just not too much carbs and little sugar, while still having the benefits of fasting or intermittent fasting.
Second, the Amino Acid experiment: Its going well: it keeps the symptoms at bay. But I cant just stop all supplements and expect to be normal, especially considering some of those have to be tapered down.
I took them sporadically and had insomnia, anxiety, demotivation and depression: signs of low GABA, low Dopamine and low Serotonin. After almost 8 months of supplementing those neurotransmitters, no wonder I cant stop overnight. Im going through a mid-life crisis that brought some depression but I kinda resolved it. I felt like I didnt do all the travels I wanted to do so I decided to take 3-4 weeks every year and visit the Balkans, Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey, Eastern Europe and South America all by myself, leaving the kids to the good care of my wife and their grandma (with some money to ease things out). At some point, I will move to one of those country with my family; Its just too hot in Thailand and I need to do some scouting first.
Im not going to let this disease dictate my life. Ill do what I want to do even if its harder with pfs, because I dont want to have regrets as I grow older about missing out on what I wanted to do with this life.
Ive learned from my last trip: I need to bring reserves of dried meat and tubes of ghee on the airplane and for emergencies during the trip if I cant find proper food (maybe a mix of ghee, coconut oil and MCT and certainly some BHB salts to have readily available ketones for energy). It`s allowed in most non-western countries. Freedom in western countries is greatly overrated (you need to travel to realize how other nations are freer than us)
So anyway, thats my grain of salt about enjoying life while having pfs. Note that I couldnt have done it without the diet and Amino Acid therapy.
I wish you all the best.
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Day 425 after I crashed, Day 363 of Ketogenic diet, Day 230 of Amino Acid experiment
I found that taking 5-HTP, L-Tyrosine and L-Dopa before a bullet proof coffee was too much. It seems the coffee, which contains ghee and MCT oils (Medium Chain Triglycerides), stimulates the same neurotransmitters. It really packs a punch. So I take those 3 supplements once a day instead of two, in the afternoon on an empty stomach. Works well. morale is up, motivation as well and I started weight lifting again.
Here’s my new regimen, modified for a low carb diet (with carbs taken in a single meal). I stopped many supplements to suit the lesser need I have for them.
Updated on July 14th 2019: I`m loosening the ketogenic / Carnivore diet a bit, adding 50 gr of healthy carbs and including Paleo diet items such as very colorful fruits and veggies once in a while. Still have insomnia issues but it stabilized. I can have sex 3-4 times a week without feeling deprived. There are barely any other symptoms.
Here’s my new regimen:
Upon waking up at 6:30 am & before sending kids to school:
- Lithium 1 mcg with 5 mg of DHEA and 10 mg of Pregnenolone
- 1/2 pill of all Vitamin B (B3, B6 in extra, Biotin)
- (1) Pine Pollen 3 gr plus DMSO mixed with Pine Pollen, 1 pea size rubbed on both forearms. (see below)
Or (2) Tribulus Terrestris OR (3)Horny Goat Weed. I Cycle one every week. I may buy more to get variety - Will try again Ashwagandha 200 mg twice a day later. That’s down from 500 mg twice a day.
Breakfast:
Bulletproof Coffee (google it, amazing stuff), Stevia, 1 tablet of sweetener.
I also take once Pro-biotic a week (on Sundays only)
Lunch at Noon:
Beef tenderloin 250 gr (or some fat cut of steak), 2 tbsp of ghee and 200 gr of green leafy vegetable and/or other colorful fruits and vegetables.
150 ml of Betaine hormone balance mix, mixed with soda water. (see below)
Right After Lunch:
- Vitamin D3 1000 IU
- Vitamin A 10000 IU
- Zinc 10 mg
- Iodine 500 mg
- Lithium 1 mcg with 5 mg of DHEA and 10 mg of Pregnenolone
- Multivitamins for men or some natural multi-vitamins + Boron 3 mcg and Selenium 70 mcg if not in multivitamin. Mine does not have Boron.
- Boron 3 mcg
- Sex herb of the week
I do at least some exercise every day. Exercise is mostly resistance training but also some cardio, fast waking and coordination sport like badminton.
Afternoon on empty stomach: Only if needed, which now (21 July) is 3-4 times a week
- 5-HTP 100 mg
- Tyrosine 750 mg
- L-Dopa 350 mg
Dinner before 6 pm:
150 ml of electrolyte, mixed with soda water (see below)
Either same as Lunch or something that has low protein, low carbs and low fat but high nutriments like veggies and low carbs fruits.
I’m experimenting with around 50 gr. of carbs at either lunch or dinner or at 7pm to see if sleep improves. So far I fall asleep more easily if I eat carbs around 6-7pm but I wake up and turn around more often during the night. Today I’m doing carbs at lunch. Let’s see if sleep is better. By carbs, I mean low glycemic complex carbs. Not sugar.
After 6 pm
I drink the least liquids possible so I don’t have to wake up and pee at night. That really messes up my night and the next day.
- Passion flower extract 500 mg or Taurine 1000 mg, as an experiment.
8 pm:
- 3 mg Clonazepam (sleeping pill)
- 10 mg Hydroxyzine (anti-histamine)
- Food grade Zinc 5 mg
- (1) Lavender Oil (Silexan 60 mg) OR (2) mix of sleeping herbs 1200 mg + Valerian 400 mg + Lemon Balm 400 mg OR (3) Kava Kava extract 1000 mg OR (4) Valerian extract 800 mg with 400 mg Lemon Balm OR (5) Magnolia Bark extract 1600 mg
Kava Kava can cause liver damage if taken too often. I’ll take it once every 10 days
Before sleep at 9;30 pm:
- Slow Release Melatonin 2.5 mg
- 1/4 cup of warm water with Inusitol 1000 mg and. If I skip it, it doesn’t make much difference aside from falling asleep faster, Nonetheless, it’s good for the liver.
Sleep at 9:30 pm, always wake up at 6:30 am , 8:am on holidays.
Electrolyte mix :
In a 1.5 liter bottle: Magnesium Chloride 10 gr, Potassium Chloride 5 gr, 175 ml lemon juice, natural orange/lemon flavor, fill with water to the rim. Take no more than 150ml a day, mix with soda water. It’s delicious.
Hormone Balance Mix:
In a 1.5 liter bottle: Carnitine Tartrate 6 gr, Choline Bitartrate 1.3 gr, Betaine HCL 9 gr, 150 ml lemon juice, natural orange/lemon flavor, fill with water to the rim. Take no more than 150ml once a day, mix with soda water. Also delicious.
Pine Pollen with DMSO: I mixed 1/2 ounce of DMSO and 1 scoop (5gr) of Pine Pollen. That lasts me for months as I need only apply 1 pea size (or 2) to one of my forearm, and rub both forearms together to spread it over the veins. It goes straight to the blood, ergo the much smaller dose.
Important note: I did not go straight into this regimen. I worked my way into it. At first, I was too unstable and weak to be able to take all of this. First I did ketogenic diet, than I slowly introduced supplements and exercise.
Note : I once took Pregnenolone 400 mg DHEA 100 mg a day. I felt like a dragon; I could take on the world. It was too much, I passed over the balance point, felt on the other side and stopped.
I slowly re-introduced both, I’m now at my third increment and I’m taking Pregnenolone 35 mg and DHEA 20 mg a day. It feels good. I have good focus, motivation and morale.
Hey @Ozeph . Curious why you dont drink the pine pollen in water? I have been researching it a bit and seems like thats what some are doing. Is it because the stomach degrades the protein?
Apparently that’s what it does. That’s why the suggested dose is 5 gr instead of 500 mg like other herbs. (or maybe I`m comparing pure pollen to plant extracts). Nonetheless, when I mix it with DMSO and rub it on my arms, it goes directly to the blood stream, bypassing the stomach. Much smaller doses are needed but I still take some orally to make sure. Of all 3 herbs, I get the least effects from Pine Pollen compared to Tribulus Terrestris and Horny Goat Weed.
Day 431 after I crashed, Day 369 of Ketogenic diet, Day 236 of Amino Acid experiment
The low carbs experiment (50 gr a day) yields uneven results. I would say as a whole, it destabilizes me slightly, and sometimes greatly.
I’ve been having toasts with Nutella in the morning, no problem. I ate half a baguette before bed, no problem. Sometimes I’ll have slight anxiety for no reason and then it’s gone. For the most part, I’m symptom free except for insomnia.
The reduced doses of benzos didn’t equate to a lesser need for it. I’ve gone from 4.5 mg to 3.0 mg before sleep and decided to not raise the level, however, I pay the price. Sleep is not as good as before. Last night was almost completely sleepless. The evening before, I had oatmeal with only 3 tbsp of oat, 3 tbsp of ghee and 1 egg. It also contained 5 gr of sugar and some stevia. That might be why I didn’t sleep, either the stevia or too much calories at 7 pm, I don’t know. It could be I took 400 mg lemon balm extract along with the 1000 mg of Kava Kava. I won`t try that mix again.
I have quite a few hypnotic herbs as well as some sedative ones. I’m currently taking notes on what works better. I`ll post the results.
For the sake of isolating variables, I’m back to my old carnivore / high saturated fat diet with a few leafy greens, mainly spinach and romaine lettuce. I’ll stop sweeteners and sugar completely. That’s too bad. Bulletproof Coffee with ghee and MCT oils along with stevia and 1 tbsp of Nutella is damned delicious and a very powerful brain boost. Now I’ll have the same with no Nutella and no sweetener, but not forever. just while I`m experimenting. 1 tbsp of Nutella does more for morale than many amino acids I took !
That is, unless I find that sweeteners actually raise my Glutamate levels and lowers my GABA which is my current theory on why I have persistent insomnia while the other symptoms are gone.
Ozeph, do you still have normal libido and erections now? If so, to what do you attribute it to?
Hi Procar2017
Yes I do. Considering I had zero libido and erections a year ago and started the diet about that time, I can only conclude it’s the diet that slowly did some repair. My balls were hurting all the time 1 year before I stopped fin, even more after the crash and the pain slowly decreased over the last 10 months. Now it’s gone.
I think the pain was my balls being attacked by my body because my body no longer had the hormone configuration to have balls (so the white cells dispose of what’s not needed). I believe if I didn’t do the diet, my condition would have become worst. But I also took lots of supplements, as described above. I replaced vitamin A by spinach. Turns out spinach has more than the pills I was taking and it’s more natural.
It could also be the Horny Goat Weed, Pine Pollen and Tribulus Terrestris I’m cycling, and I’m sure the weight lifting helped. It raises testosterone in a natural way, will all that goes with it.
Honestly, there’s no way to tell for sure. But I’m 100% certain the diet helped. 3 days after I started it, neurological symptoms were 90% gone. I also had daylong headaches 5 times a week and almost daily stomach burns and gastric reflux. It all stopped within a week in the diet and never came back (except once on an airplane when they fed us mostly carbs and sugar… so it’s a direct correlation)
If there’s a single, non dangerous thing I would advise anyone here, it’s a zero carbs (no sugar and starch), no sweetener diet with lots of meat and animal fat as well as low carbs leafy greens. Drink only water and unsweetened butter coffee in the morning (or decaf in the afternoon) mixed hot in a blender. Nothing from plants except for coffee, leafy greens and coconut oil. Not even olive oil.
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Hi Shellnyce
Is this picture from your fitbit charge3 App ?
I get this from the App I downloaded:
It doesn’t mention the awake time. How did you get you configuration ? Or is it what it looks like when you want to see a single night ?
(I didn’t buy the Fitbit yet. I bought a Huawei and found out the App for it was illegal in Thailand. Probably because Huawei spies on people. I want to make sure I can install the Fitbit App before I buy it.)