It’s been just about 3 months since I quit Finasteride and the good days (less depression, anhedonia, lethargy, brain fog, and testosterone insensitivity etc.) are slowly becoming more frequent (from 0-1/week in the beginning to 2-3/week now).
Recently, I’ve been using creatine and caffeine to try and upregulate my 5α-Reductase activity and normalize my androgen receptor density/sensitivity. I’ve also been eating ketogenically and intermittent fasting.
Creatine experience:
first day using creatine (5g) and higher dose caffeine (240mg sugar free rockstar) in the late afternoon (~3-4pm) specifically had a really powerful effect in that it reversed all of my symptoms (cognitive but also indirectly libido).
The same combination on the second day also felt really good (dosed 5mg creatine once in the morning and once in the evening).
Sadly, on day three, all of my symptoms returned with a vengeance despite following the same protocol as day 2. Specifically my mood and motivation deteriorated. Fortunately, I remembered I had gotten really beneficial mood uplifting effects from Nootropics Depot’s Polygala Tenuifolia extract (increases norepinephrine serotonin and dopamine levels by reducing their transport back to the presynaptic neuron as well as possibly increasing BDNF and NGF which are negatively impacted by PFS) in the past. So, on day 4, I took ~30mg Polygala sublingually along with the day 2 protocol and eliminated the evening caffeine (only took the usual 200mg caffeine pill in the morning). This didn’t help much as I still crashed in the evening.
BUT THEN, on day 5, I took 60-100mg of polygala sublingually in the morning AND in the evening also without the caffeine and sure enough, my mood went through the roof and my symptoms remained vanquished just like on day one with the late afternoon caffeine and creatine alone. ̶I̶’̶m̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶t̶o̶c̶o̶l̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶a̶s̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶f̶a̶r̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶a̶p̶i̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶t̶i̶d̶e̶p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶a̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶m̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶o̶g̶n̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶e̶n̶h̶a̶n̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶(̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶r̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶)̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶a̶r̶k̶a̶b̶l̶e̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶a̶l̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶s̶u̶f̶f̶i̶c̶i̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶l̶i̶c̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶n̶e̶f̶i̶c̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶s̶y̶n̶e̶r̶g̶i̶z̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶a̶f̶f̶e̶i̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶e̶n̶h̶a̶n̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶e̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶s̶.̶
Current Protocol:
Morning:
5-10g creatine
200mg caffeine pill
̶6̶0̶-̶1̶0̶0̶m̶g̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶T̶e̶n̶u̶i̶f̶o̶l̶i̶a̶ ̶(̶N̶o̶o̶t̶r̶o̶p̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶o̶t̶)̶ ̶S̶U̶B̶L̶I̶N̶G̶U̶A̶L̶L̶Y̶
Late afternoon (3-4pm):
5-10g creatine
̶6̶0̶-̶1̶0̶0̶m̶g̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶T̶e̶n̶u̶i̶f̶o̶l̶i̶a̶ ̶(̶N̶o̶o̶t̶r̶o̶p̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶o̶t̶)̶ ̶S̶U̶B̶L̶I̶N̶G̶U̶A̶L̶L̶Y̶
(optional more caffeine 100-200mg or 2-4mg nicotine lozenge)
̶N̶o̶t̶e̶:̶
̶T̶o̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶e̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶z̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶n̶e̶f̶i̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶u̶b̶l̶i̶n̶g̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶d̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶g̶a̶l̶a̶ ̶(̶6̶0̶-̶1̶0̶0̶m̶g̶)̶ ̶3̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶(̶m̶o̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶i̶n̶g̶)̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶t̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶2̶.̶
