A sage extract that boosts Allopreg. ? Great ! Do you know more about it ?
Let me tag you in another post, one second sir !
I just did a quick search and youāre right. this would do the trick. It does what allopregnanolone is supposed to do and is more bio-available when taken orally. This could be it.
Thanks for the cue. PFS, we gonna beat you motha fuc*** !
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Deff will help in my opinion! Just hopefully for sexual too
Iām sure it will, at least to some degree.
@Ozeph my sleep is terrible, I can fall asleep when I need to but I wake up super alert between 2-3 every night. Wake up very groggy and out of it when I actually need to get up. Also been waking up from naps soaked in sweat.
Thatās been happening to me recently waking up covered in sweat in early hours of morning. I thought it was because I had a viral infection in December.
From what I know, itās the result of adrenal fatigue. At some point early morning, your body lack energy. So your adrenal glands are supposed to produce cortisol to release sugar, but if they canāt because theyāve been pushed to the limit already (that is what adrenal fatigue is), than the body creates Adrenalin instead and you really wake up, ready for action.
Stress hormones were so important for survival, that we have triple redundancy to make sure something is available when we need it.
Try eating some peanut butter and jam on a cracker before going to sleep. Or some cheese and honey. (As long as it has fat, protein and sugar itās fine). That helps for me.
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Day 53: Not much change: I took everything as usual plus 5 gr. of gelatin in hot water with Bovril at 9pm.
Sleep was ok, 7/10, but Iām a bit foggy today. I took an extra 5-HTP 100mg and L-Dopa 350mg at lunch. Iām out of Tyrosine which precisely clears brain fog. Still waiting for my supplements.
Update: Just got the supplements. Iāll take the same as usual before sleep, plus Calcium Pyruvate 400mg and inusitol (vitamin B8) 2000mg. Letās see how it goes.
Day54: Great sleep. 8/10. Hereās what I took:
At 8pm:
Magnesium 25mg
Calcium Pyruvate 400mg.
The idea is to prevent glucose from blocking the Orexin receptors. Orexin in a wakefulness neuropeptide. But it also controls the circadian rhythm and regulate the transformation of serotonin to melatonin in the night time. So unblocking the receptors may enable Orexin to do its job in triggering serotonin- melatonin transformation. Just a theory, but it didnāt wake me up more than usual (I actually woke up less than usual, donāt know what to attribute it too.)
On the other side, in order for this transformation to occur, the body needs Calcium, Magnesium (so I take Magnesium and calcium in small dose before sleep), zinc B6 and B12. (I take the Zinc, B6 and B12 earlier in the day. Iām waiting for coenzymed Zinc, B6 & B12 that will be assimilated quickly so I can take them in very small amounts just before sleep)
At 8:45pm
My sleeping pills (Clonazepam 3.5mg)
Anti-Histamine (Hydroxyzine 2.5mg)
At 9:30
B6 30mg
5 mg slow release melatonin
2000mg inusitol (B8)
1/2 tsp honey
What I did not take: because Iām on an intermittent fasting 20/4
Hot milk
Cheese
Glutamine 5gr
Coconut oil 1 tbsp
Today:
I took Betaine 400mg on top of Choline 500 mg. The objective is to methylate extra estrogen and improve T/E ratio.
I also took 2000mg Calcium Pyruvate. This should give me 30% rdi recommended calcium, but of course I take it for the Pyruvate, in order to improve my Orexin complex.
Tonight I will increase Inusitol to 4gr and not take the honey (makes no sense with fasting). And I will take a smaller dose of Calcium Pyruvate (100mg) at 8pm. as well as my usuals (as above)
I will stop Hot milk, Cheese, Glutamine 5gr and Coconut oil 1 tbsp before sleep until further notice.
Day 54: Bad night of sleep 4/10. I got up to pee and wasnāt able to fall asleep again. I think itās because I overslept by 2 hours the day before. I should always wake up at the same time.
Calcium Pyruvate 2100 mg may be too much. I will reduce by half. I donāt think Betaine is a problem, but it needs more testing.
Inusitol is great at 2000mg. It makes for deep sleep and its effects evaporates within 5 minutes of waking up which is great for the morning, but lame if waking up to pee. I read it is suggested to take another 2000mg if waking up at night. I have great hope for this supplement.
So I will restrain liquid intake after 6pm and do the same as yesterday, except I will reduce Calcium Pyruvate by half and not bother with the intermittent diet. I will take cheese and honey before sleep. I will also keep 2000mg of inusitol at hand for if I wake up.
Day 55: Break through ! I did exactly what I said I would yesterday and I had a 8/10 night. I slept 6 hours straight, woke up at 4am as usual, and as I was about to toss around for 2 1/2 hours, I took another 2000mg of inusitol. The next 2 1/2 hours were smooth and full of dreams. I did wake up a bit, but overall it was great.
And I did lower benzodiazepine from 3.5mg to 3mg before sleep, so better sleep while reducing the sleeping pill can only mean Iām doing something right.
Update: I didnāt take coffee in the morning, no Theanine either, and I had 50 gr. of oatmeal. I had a stressful day, didnāt feel good all day, was discontent with like (aka wish it all ended) was grumpy and irritable.
In the afternoon, I couldnāt resist a choux a la crĆØme (french sweet pastry) and it gave me a headache on top.
This is not great, (but not a crash) and it compares badly to how I felt 2-3 months ago. Tomorrow, Iām making overall changes in my regimen.
Day 56: I increased Inusitol to 3 gr, took clonazepam 3mg (down from 3.5), hydroxyzine 2.5mg, melatonin 5mg yesterday before sleep. Despite the fact I had a stressed day, I slept 6 hours straight, woke up and took Inusitol 2gr again, slept and wake up and toss a bit another 3 hours. That last 3 was not as good as yesterday, because my thoughts went back on yesterdayās stressful things, so Iāll give the night 7/10. I did force myself to wake up at the same time as on the week days (itās Saturday morning here in beautiful Thailand) so I wonāt mess up tonightās night by oversleeping. Truth is, if I can have at least 6 hours of straight sleep, Iām usually fine for the day. I wonder if the extra 2-3 hours of waking up and tossing isnāt just me pushing it and trying to get 8-9 hours of sleep a day. Iām 50 years old. Itās not unusual at all for 50 yo to sleep 6 hours a day. And considering Iām quite awake after 6 hours of sleep, maybe I could use the extra 2-3 hours to go running and get an early start in the morning. Iāll test that.
Itās now 8:30 am and I feel good. (I had cofffee, bread and butter for breakfast, Theanine 200mg, 5-HTP 100mg, L-Dopa 350 mg and Tyrosine 500mg. All this is part of my usual regimen.
Trying to fit in an intermittent diet 4/20 in the mist of that was a mistake. I need my regular schedule and supplements so I will do fasting only when on holiday (or low season at work) and Iāll wait for at least a year after my crash to do so. Iām only an 8 months crash old so Iāll give myself some time. Iām doing pretty good all considered.
In three weeks, I have to spend the week with important customers on the sandy beach of an island. I will be able to sleep at regular time, take all my supplements and shakes, but I wonāt be able to eat my rib eye steak / saturated fat / kale only diet. So in preparation for this, Iām shifting my diet to include more carbs, but still less than 60-80 gr. per day, and more variety in what Iām eating. Weāre talking business, merger, and needless to say, Itād be a bad time to crash and show them Iām not the man for the task.
So here some changes:
Iām putting back coffee with 1 tsp of sugar and milk in the morning, along with a descent breakfast.
Iām cutting DLPA. I didnāt see any changes with it and I have a feeling it made a dissonant note in the symphony of feelings Iām having everyday.
Iām increasing Pregnenolone to 20mg, from 10 mg. When I was taking higher doses of Pregnenolone, I was feeling like a lion.
Iāll take a second dose of 5-HTP 100mg, L-DOPA 350 mg and Tyrosine 500mg after lunch, and Iāll test full and half doses and see what happens. I already know those changes will put me in a good mood, with calm confidence and a positive outlook in life and motivation to move forward. I need that now. What I need to see is to which extent it will affect my sleep and if 6 hours of straight sleep, assuming I can still get it, is good enough to have an energetic day. I would sure enjoy having extra hours for training so I can bite into my work with more ferocity.
Some notes on tolerance for Serotonin and Dopamine
L-Dopa can induce tolerance. According to a clinical study on Alzheimer subjects, It takes 5 years, at 350mg per day to develop tolerance and dosage needs to be increased. Good news, if a patient takes an L-Dopa holiday of 7 days after 5 years, he can then decrease the dose by 30-50% for the next 3 years before needing another holiday. So to avoid tolerance, we can either take a one week holiday every year or two, or maybe cycling the drug will do it (but I doāt know if stopping only one day per week enables the receptors to clear out. itās just theory)
For 5-HTP, itās dangerous if combined with:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) (One guy on this forum got sick by combining both.)
Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor(SNRI)
Monoamine oxidase inhibitor(MAOI)
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
Amphetamines
Pethidine(meperidine)
Tramadol
Dextromethorphan
Buspirone
L-tryptophan
St. Johnās wort
Triptans
Ecstasy
Metoclopramide
Ondansetron
Or cocaine
So be careful. Some people here are on SSRI, SNRI or TCAs. Also beware of 5-HTP and St-Johnās Worth combination. (should I mention taking ecstasy or cocaine is not a good idea if youāve got PFS ?)
Recommended dosage of 5-HTP goes from 100mg to 900mg a day, and according to another study administration of 5-HTP alone depletes catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, the later two being produced from dopamine). So it should be taken along with L-Dopa. Morning coffee also increase catecholamines production.
Hereās the chemistry:
5-HTP may deplete dopamine.
l-tryptophan may deplete dopamine.
l-dopa may deplete serotonin,
l-dopa may deplete l-tryptophan.
l-dopa may deplete l-tyrosine.
l-dopa may deplete sulfur amino acids.
l-tyrosine may deplete serotonin.
l-tyrosine may deplete 5-HTP.
l-tyrosine may deplete sulfur amino acids.
Sulfur amino acids may deplete dopamine.
Sulfur amino acids may deplete serotonin.
Study group were given:
5-HTP daily dosing values > 0 to 2,400 mg per day.
l-tyrosine daily dosing values > 0 to 14,000 mg per day.
l-dopa daily dosing values > 0 to 2,100 mg per day.
It seems that to avoid depletion, not much is needed:
5-HTP dosing value of 2,400 mg per day with an l-dopa dosing value of 30 mg per day is required for proper balance, or 25 mg per day of 5-HTP with 2,100 mg of l-dopa will be in proper balance.
Iāve seen nothing bad on serotonin tolerance, even at higher dose, unless itās taken without L-Tyrosine or L-Dopa, or if taken in combination with whatās listed above as dangerous interaction.
To answer questions left open by all this data, Depletion of L-Tyrosine is unlikely if you eat meat (I get 9000 mg a day in my 2 steaks) and tolerance is obviously out of the question as itās a common amino acid found in food. Sulfur amino acids are common is food, especially meat, and you get them all in a protein shake. I also think depletion or tolerance is not an issue unless youāre on a restrictive diet (like youāre a virtuous vegan with deficiencies all over the place)
So to conclude on this, 5-HTP 100mg / 200mg, taken along L-Dopa 350mg / 700mg and L-Tyrosine 500 mg / 1000mg, all 3 taken daily, should not induce tolerance except for L-Dopa which may induce tolerance after 3-5 years. A one week L-Dopa holiday per year (or reducing L-Dopa to 25mg per day for 1 week while still taking 5-HTP) should avoid tolerance.
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Day 57: Sleep was 8/10. I had 6 hours of straight, uninterrupted deep sleep, woke up, took another 2gr. of inusitol (vitamin B8) that was was sitting in a glass by my bed. I just added some water, drank the thing and went back to sleep (took 15 minutes to fall asleep again). I may have slightly woke up 2-3 times in the next 3 hours but overall I was sleeping, dreaming and there was no stress. I woke up well rested and took my morning aminos. Brain fog went away after 20 minutes and I was set for the day. I`m happy.
What I just wrote up there is the last remain of my pfs, as long as I stay on the yellow brick road and don`t stray afar from my regimen.
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Day 59: I didnāt write yesterday. I had a horrible night, 1/10, but Itās not linked to my supplementation.
My wife erupted in the room and hour and a half after I was sleeping and started a fight with me. She then went away and I didnāt know if she was going to come back or not. She never did but my stress hormones went straight up, and 1 1/2 hours of sleep is all I got that night. I couldnāt sleep after.
I spent the next day being sick, but no specific pfs symptoms. I was just sick from not having slept. In the evening, I went to bed an hour earlier (8:30pm) and slept in one shot until 5:30am which was my wake up time.
Today I took all my supplements and food as usual and I had a wonderful day. Again, confident, calm, in a good mood and happy, with lots of energy.
Although Iām upset my wife got me sick for a whole day (in which I went to work and did all my activities anyway), I consider it a victory. Not only sleeping only 1 1/2 hour in early evening didnāt disable me, but I was able to recover with a single night of sleep. (a 10/10 since I didnāt wake up at all, had dreams and was completely rested.)
Also Iām taking hydrolyzed collagen 5gr. on a more regular basis (every two days) and I can now eat some carbs in a meals (itās related as collagen fixes the guts and reduces food allergies to a great degree).
As long as the meal has lots of protein and I can take 2 tbsp of coconut oil after (or even without the coconut oil) Iām fine. No symptoms coming back.
So thatās good news overall.
Sorry to hear that you and your wife arenāt getting along. I hope you work something out.
I started getting sick with finasteride a few months after I started living with her.
She really stresses me up. Leaving her could help me heal faster.
(It may seems overly pragmatic. Ha ha ha. Just saying)
Day 60: Good night, 9/10. I woke up at some point, was too sleepy to check the time and went back to sleep. I turned and tossed a bit, but I had an overall good night of sleep.
This is an improvement, especially if you consider I tapered benzodiazepine (clonazepam) from 4.0 to 3.5 to 3.0mg with the opposite of withdrawal effects, and I didnāt have to take a second dose of inusitol during the night. So how about that ? Better sleep, less medicine.
As for the rest, I am still symptom free and the sudden return of sensitivity to 100% after I took vitamin A didnāt go away.
I continue to take collagen peptides 5gr. every two days and Iām slowly returning to a normal diet, going to restaurant and having meals with carbs, food that lean on the protein and fat side (like a pork chop with gravy , peas and mash potato)
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Good to hear you are doing well. I really hope Vitamin A helps with me. Iāve had insane morning erections the last few days after taking pine pollen every day for the last week or so, but sensitivity issues are still there. Perhaps Vitamin A will help there.
Keep up the updates!
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I hope it does too.
Iām not only taking vitamin A, I also take lots of stuff. One of them is Pine Pollen. So it might just do that.
Tonight, Iām trying a small dose of Ashwasganda, an Indian herbs that lowers Cortisol, helps with the adrenal glands, the thyroid and the sexual hormones. Its latin name is somnifera. In French, somnifĆØre is the word we use for sleeping drugs.
Iāll update the results tomorrow