I have the same awful stress response. My thoughts are PFS has done something to the prefrontal cortex that deals with stress but what I don’t know. I thought maybe allo would help but now i’m not sure. I was able to handle lots of stress prior to my recent crash and allo was already low. If there is damage to the prefrontal cortex I don’t know how that can be fixed.
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This is true. I can’t handle stress anymore at all, it feels like the brain starts shutting down almost as if not enough oxygen is getting to the brain. I don’t know if this can be improved since we are critically low on allopregnanolone, dopamine and GABA which naturally keeps us calm in stressful situations. I do wonder what the consequences to the brain are over time, I’m pretty certain some form of atrophy and cell loss is taking place.
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It is only clear that actually nobody can answer to what did happen and what to do now.
the ONLY thing I know for my case:
- I can not manage a low or average stress that I did before
- I have a social anxiety that I did not have before
In this situation, if I take a benzo 15 minutes before, the situation is absolutely normal/standard as before. The benzo is known to act on GABA receptotr
So, yes, I strongly believe that i my case, there is some disfunction with GABA : hormonal problem, receptor problem?
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I too now have a very poor stress response. And when I say stress, I don’t mean as in “my car broke down on the way home from a 12 hour work shift then I realised I left my keys in the office so I’m locked out of my house” I mean minute things which you don’t even realise are stressors when you have a normal brain unaffected by PFS. Multitasking can sometimes produce what feels like a violent lurch or jolt within my brain. I actually feel stress within my brain in a much more obvious way than before PFS. It feels like a balloon inflating within my brain as soon as something stressful starts happening.
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Damn I’m in the exact same situation and I’m also a cofounder of a startup, it drains me so bad that’s I’m thinking to stop but what a shame to quit because of my bad reaction to stress.
It’s like I can’t handle any small situation that triggers stress.
Even now I need to pop benzo to take the plane and I have never had any issues with plane before.
the worst is that I didn’t had such bad mental sides with pills when I took it back in 2010 for 15 monhts.
I start experiencing this after taking topical finasteride back in 2016 for 6 months at really small dose of 0,005% because I though it wouldn’t go systemic and I wanted to see if it can do something to my hair. (panic attack started, no resistance to stress, insomnia)
My best friend start oral fin which I really discourage but think my sides where in my head and have no crash so far.
He stop like a month ago because he didn’t see any result.
It’s disturbing how this drugs can affect some and not other.
Would be good to study people who took it but didn’t have sides and compare their result with the one who have sides to be able to draw a conclusion if any.
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Can confirm I have social anxiety that didn’t previously exist. Benzos rid me of this, it gives me a glimpse of my old self when interacting to people. I feel like on a benzo I could even hit on girls…
I’m sorry to read that but in the same time, all of this reminds my own reaction:
benzo for plane, stressed for minor things, balloon inflating within my brain…
So guys here is the good new: we share the same symptom and maybe we can share also strategy/protocol…etc
If I can give a slight hope : sometimes, and I do not know why, all is going fine. Of course, the situation must be stressless or normal, but I revover all my old behaviour/capacity.
My chance , and I pray that it is the same for you :
I’m not depressed at all, “only” huge anxiety/overreaction.
And when you know how energy, time, concentration, information you need to find against PFS, I consider myself as a “lucky” victim without depressive symptom.
May I ask you your age ? I’mpretty sure you’re younger than me (brief summary : 42 Y Old , 10 years under Fin, 3 years with PFS)
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Same for me. I get insane burning in the brain. Lots of adrenaline release. It’s unbelievable. I used to be able to speak in front of an audience of 300 people with zero issue. It’s like the stress response is completely broken and has not recovered. Klonopin is the only thing I’ve found that helps mitigate this in some form.
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Benzo is the best thing that works for me so far.
I’m 32y old now and having PFS since 23y old. I recover from the sexual side effect at 25y old not fully but I’m able to function.
I still have anhedonia a lot of time when ejaculating and just live with it now.
Recently apart from the mental side I also experience pelvic floor pain and always feel a kind of pressure on the pelvic zone.
Hope we will find something soon to get over this and fix it for real.
Hi man. Would you mind taking the time to do the survey? It’ll only take you an hour and will help provide crucial data to present to scientists going forward. It’s v important. 
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I click many times on this survey things and nothing appear I don’t know where to start
Could this help with stress response of PFS.
What comes up when you click on it mate?
Adaptogens are supplements and herbs that are specifically meant to boost the stress response. My psych recommended the following formulation to me. I started taking it and it is too early to say if it is working exactly, but I have noticed I don’t crash nearly as much from caffeine which is one form of stress for me.
They’re not gonna overpower your lack of allopregnanolone. Only thing that can do that is benzos and they’re extremely dangerous.
They’re not a cure by any means. But if they boost your quality of life by 10%, it’s definitely worth taking a capsule a day. Overcoming PFS at this point is not about finding a cure, that is far too complex right now. It’s about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps so you can live a satisfactory or better life. If you find 5 10% boosts, you’re in pretty good shape.
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True but only seek treatment if you’re unsatisfied with your situation. It could lead to making yourself worse if you are ok with your baseline if so then it might not be worth it.
I doubt herbs will help anyone. I believe you need real pharma grade drugs like benzos which act on gaba regardless of precense of alpregalone (fact check this pls)
I think the prefrontal cortex has been damage also…
Well, I really don’t know if someone will read me but let’s try.
I only would like have some news about people who answered this thread.
Do you feel any improvements in 1year and a half ?
Here is my personnal situation :
positive
- Improvement of the management of a standard stress
- Improvement of the sleep quality
- I can make sport almost every day ( small / average intensity within 30 min)
Negative
- Severe, really severe glossophobia
Conclusion : I’m… OK with the situation. Lost many friends, lost my “old” life, lost many things but I’m still alive, with a job and also my children…
I think that times ( 5 year from my crash in 2016), modification of lifestyle ( becoming a monk) , and also a lot of chance are the only solutions.
Now, I can believe anymore that it will completely end but I pray to stabilize and decrease the stress response. I’m now 43 years old and i’m becoming too old and I’m too tired to fight with this horrible disease !
See you,
Dam
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