So I didn’t have issues with my erection strength till recently, I thought it was because I took the 2 half finasterides when I started recovering a while ago, that maybe PFS was starting to hit me harder. Everything else has been working with my protocols, super horny, can get off several times a day only erection strength was about 20% weaker than it should have been, head was kind of soft.
Well, I had a feeling this was linked to me quitting Lexapro (an SSRI), I don’t know how I knew, but I started feeling lexapro withdrawal symptoms (even though I really tapered down). Then I found out about “Post Serotonin Syndrome,” you got to be kidding me!? Another Post Syndrome I might be stuck with? Well, Fuck that, I started taking Lexapro again (tiny dose, about 2.5mg (I had tapered down to 5mg). I was quitting because SSRI’s numb things and make you take longer to orgasm, so before PFS that was no problem with so much hormones raging through me, but after PFS even with my protocols, I wanted all the help I could get.
So I went back on the lexapro, my penis got firmer the first day, then I took another dose the second day and my penis was hard as normal again. I knew this had to be something different as it didn’t make sense, now I had not taken it for 2 weeks and went back on and it solved my problem. I am willing to bet some of you were on SSRI’s who have this prob, maybe or maybe not, but you might want to consider it.
I am not sure what I will do now, I may just remain on this very low dose, I don’t want to end up with another “post” something syndrome, or maybe I will taper off super slowly. I am starting to wonder if we had tapered off of finasteride (even though it was causing sides) if our situations would be a little better, I doubt it, but who knows.
You are on Wilburton & Lexapro. You had to know when you claimed you found a cure that this was an important variable. This stuff is pretty well documented on the site. The SSRI side effect they don’t even bother to hide now is delayed ejaculation. I can tell you for a fact that tapering off of Fin would make no difference at all. Going back on it will make matters worse, 100% guaranteed.
Both of those anti-depressants will make anxiety and sleep much worse. You said you use Xanax and/or weed to sleep… I guess the only good news is your not going to need to kill yourself. All these drugs are going to catch up with you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome
Some docs even provide ssri’s offlabel for prem ejaculation.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are primarily designed to treat depression, but they also have the useful side effect of delaying ejaculation. Although SSRIs are not licensed to treat premature ejaculation, they are increasingly being prescribed for this use.
Mci, you have no clue what you are talking about, none, you do not get serotonin syndrome from a low dose of lexapro. You can't even get it from a high dose of lexapro, maybe from a lot of ecstasy. Wellbutrin xl is a great drug and helps me immensely, stop blanket statementing all drugs are bad. i am in exceptional health, perfect blood levels, haven't been sick in 5 years, exceptionally athletically fit, all muscle. I'll stack my health up against your any day, and I'll never commit suicide. I seem to be doing a lot better than you, I can't believe you just posted that.And I don’t have delayed ejaculation, any sexual sides I had went away when I restarted lexapro, it must be tapered off extremely slowly, I probably would have had problems had I not tapered off slower. I have been on and off lexapro for years, Wellbutrin keeps my libido and performance up, so it’s why I barely noticed it. No have been on both those drugs on and off for years with no problems.
Lexapro made me a stallion in bed, I can last forever, I only decided to quit it as I just feel I no longer need it. I never had any issues with ejaculation, most doctors know Wellbutrin counters the side effects of lexapro and vice versa. They are an amazing combo because they compliment each other. Since I got my hormones working again I do not have anxiety as before, so that is why I am quitting lexapro also because I don’t need any longer lasting sex. I may stay on the tiny dose though.
I would be very worried about messing with serotonin bro, kinda freaks me out the way they nonchalantly prescribe it to essentially -cause- a form of sexual dysfunction to offset another.
I don’t know much about wellbutrin but after trying a lot of anti depressants over the past few years I can safely say that aren’t for me.
If you guys were all on wellbutrin you would be like 30% better off, it is not like other antidepressants, it has many uses, but it is nonselective so it does not cause you to become a zombie. It gives you energy and boosts libido, sex drive, there is nothing bad about it. Certain formulations are bad and certain generics, but I am on a great one. Wellbutrin XL, Wellbutrin does not act on serotonin, lexapro does, I am on a very low dose of lexapro, I am tapering off slowly.
Perhaps if MCI were on wellbutrin he would not be so nasty to people. I have been on and off it for years throughout my life, life is better on it for me, it helps my focus, it helps a lot of things. Everyone is different, you can’t put everyone in the same box. Not all drugs are bad! Yes I am on stuff, but on the other hand I am strict about what I eat, working out, health etc… My blood tests always show everything to be perfect.
Flooding your system with all those natural supplements aren’t so healthy either, they can be far worse than FDA approved drugs, trust me. It was a natural supplement that caused 5 alpha to get PFS.
Saying you found a treatment without disclosing your use of anti-depressants is disingenuousness. I’m glad your less impacted then some of us. That’s fantastic. Obviously your some kind of drugged up super human. I understand the difference between Wellbutrin and SSRI’s. Shit tons of people have tried them here, myself included. They have really bad side effects.
MCI, I have been on Wellbutrin before, during and after the crash, when I relapse Wellbutrin and lexapro make little difference. I saw no need to mention that I have been on them as they don’t touch PFS, when I relapse and run out of 5ar enzymes and this dht and have eatrogen dominance, nothing makes me feel better but inducing dht.
I don’t take Wellbutrin for the standard reasons, I take it for focus, energy and libido. Wellbutrin has a very minor side effect profile. As I said, Wellbutrin with lexapro compliment each other, they balance each other out and create no sides in some people (like me). Only side effect I had was quitting cold turkey, luckily I went back on just in time. I am tapering off lexapro but will stay on Wellbutrin. I’m generally against long term anti depressant use. Wellbutrin is something that gives you a lot of positive energy.
Trying to treat the symptoms of PFS is self defeating ultimately, if an anti depressant could fix the emotional suffering of low 5ar and low dht and high eatrogen then I wouldn’t be here. It’s far more complex than that, these drugs are for when I have pfs in remission (like now). When I relapse they are pointless and meaningless, everything is.
Try not to be so nasty, I generally like you, we are here to help each other not hurt. It’s people like me on the forefront of PFS doing research on myself that may help you. Long before researchers even start people like Eden and I are testing and trying things. I’m close to a working protocol that may be long term.
First of all, there is no way to know if you “run out of 5AR enzymes”. You’d need the ability to look inside your own body in real time to test the enzyme levels on a molecular scale, which of course is impossible as no such technology exists to do so… or if it did, it certainly isn’t available to laymen.
Stop posting nonsense like this, it is pure conjecture and you are stating it as if it is FACT. You are simply making statements based on personal observations ad hoc, with no scientific tests to backup your claims.
There are currently studies going on at 2 major research institutions that are trying to figure out why some men develop PFS and others do not, and potential molecular mechanisms of action. Hopefully once we have results from those studies, we’ll have a better idea of where the causitive problems are occuring – whether that’s 5AR enzyme issues, androgen receptors, neurosteroid metabolism or otherwise.
Simply stating you are “running out 5AR enzymes” when you do not have the technology or ability to monitor such things in a scientific manner to PROVE this is in fact what is going on (nobody does, the technology doesn’t exist), is simply your personal opinion, conjecture and theoretical at best.
When posting please refrain from making such statements as if they are de facto “facts”, it severely hampers your credibility and claims. If you feel like posting such things, post in the theories section or preface your comments as theoretical ponderings.
Secondly – when you first joined this site, you claimed you took Dutasteride, if I recall correctly. Then the story changed to Finasteride use. Now we find out about SSRI use, not to mention various drugs, TRT, HGH that have been used in so many combinations, its impossible to know what does what, to narrow anything down. You also tend to promote these “treatents” as if they have no side effects or that they aren’t a big deal when in fact that’s not the case. TRT for life is a major decision, and potentially life altering one as it can potentially shutdown one’s endogenous Testosterone production for life.
I’m sorry but your credibility is being severely impacted and questioned. We have desperate men on this site looking for help and answers, and while I appreciate the fact you’ve taken a lot of time to type up your walls of text/opinions, they are simply that – opinions. No blood tests to prove results, nothing… simply “trust me, I’m an expert”. Not to mention, SSRIs are known to cause persistent sexual side effects in of themselves, so there’s no way to know if your problems are from SSRI usage or 5AR inhibitors.
In any case, I have received numerous complaints about your post frequency, lengths, content and claims on this site about various “cures” and “treatments”, and that your posts are full of incoherent ramblings and conjecture stated as facts. You have already been advised about your posting behaviour on this site once, the moderators will have a discussion about this and a decision will be made in the coming days regarding your account.
Ssris are bad, but they do not compare to the crippling power of propecia.
I got full body disfunction.
I was on finasteride for 13 years and then started avodart for a week, that was when PFS occurred. I have blood tests done regularly, I never bothered to post them. You need not take action on my account, if you want me to stop posting, just ask snd I will. I have no problem not posting here ever again if my posts are unwelcome. I majored in pharmacology at one of the top universities in the U.S., and I ran a medical company dealing with hormones. So I have lots of resources and am only trying to share my experiences to help others here.
If you wish me to stop posting, I respectfully will and I won't post my protocols anymore or findings. I know I come off sometimes as rambling, but I am making progress and I have managed to control this condition and out it into remission. I have helped one other, so my protocols are working. I can post blood tests if requested, but they are always optimal as my hormones are being artificially controlled. Nothing shows up on blood tests of significance for these reasons.
It's people like me who are actually doing research and trying treatments that are in the forefront of this condition. I do not have persistent sexual side effects from PFS, I have said that many times. I have only been able to improve my situstion, not make it worse. If I had that thread I typed 5 months ago, I would be 80% better off then.
I am not a liar, I have provided proof when asked once before and can again. I know you guys are all suffering and I know this condition sucks. I think that banning and getting rid of people who are helping to find solutions is an unfortunate thing. I may be a bad poster, and for that I apologize, I can continue my research and progress off of this forum if requested to do so.
My symptoms of PFS are classic response to HRT, it's the clear way to identify PFS for now. If you have it you will not respond to testosterone properly, all other men do. None of my symtoms have anything to do with SSRI's, antidepressants or anything else. PFS has limited my ability to produce and regulate 5ar enzymes properly in my experience.
Unfortunately all I can do is type how I feel and respond as blood tests show nothing, when your hormones are controlled and optimal. How about I leave as a friend and return in a few months and update everyone then? It would be a shame to deny yourselves the possibility of results that could help even researchers.
Just let me know what you would like me to do and I will do it, or you can ban me too, I suppose it is your choice. I think you are more of a rational and logical person Mew, you can see that perhaps my communication in a forum is poor, but I'm not stupid, and what I say does make sense.The only sexual side effects I have are consistent with before I was on testosterone and they occur when PFS is “on.” When I have PFS in remission I respond to testosterone and thus have enhanced sexual function, otherwise it is normal but just lack of response to testosterone. Anyway, why would I post somewhere I was unwelcome? Mew, i am not your enemy, I’m a friend.
And Mew, check my inbox, I have had lots of people message me on here, you may hear the complaints but miss the praises. There have been people here who have benefited from my experience and suggestions. 5 alpha is one, and a couple others on hrt listened to me and improved by using lower doses. I think this forum is such a pessimistic and macabre place and it shouldn’t be. So if I want to post my progress to help others so what? Anyway, I’ll just take a break from this forum and return in a few months, if you want me to stay let me know, if you plan on banning me that is too bad.