We will need an equal amount of non PFS people to get the urine ZRT test to have a better idea if high Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol in the urine is exclusive to PFS people
In my opinion if we end up with 7-10 PFS people with high Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol in the urine and 7-10 non people that don’t have high Allopregnanolone and 3a-diol in the urine then I think this is important
Same thing with high T and DHT in the urine . If it’s exclusive to PFS people I don’t think it should be ignored
A little off topic but what about microdosing shrooms? I was going to try them but I could not find any here in Turkey and then forget about them. On reddit there is a huge group where people cured many issues with microdosing shrooms. Mainly depression. But also migraines, anxiety, psychological issues etc. It seems to fix something in the brain for many people.
The internet is full of excitement for and stories about seductive magical cures for everything. I prefer to stick with things that actually have direct scientific basis for addressing our condition.
I have to do it . I’m going to create the thread and post everyone’s results. I’m just so busy and it’s so much work so it’s taking me a while to make time for it
Have you seen the new straight Allopregnanolone product being sold from the lab that was selling 5a-DHP? I haven’t read the whole ray peat Allopregnanolone product trials thread yet because I have been really busy with other non PFS stuff. But that’s what you are trying to do right ? Increase Alleopreg?
I’ve taken IdeaLab’s AlloP (orally bioavailable Allopregnanolone) for two days so far (2mg/2 drops, sublingual, 10mins, morning). Sometimes I’ll take an additional 1-2mg in the afternoon/evening too after the first dose starts to wear off. It’s probably too soon to say anything definitive yet, but so far it appears to be helping with my symptoms! Unrelated to taking AlloP, I’ve also been waking up 6:30-7 instead of 8-9 and eating while getting outdoor light for 30min within the first hour after waking. This, in addition to entraining my circadian rhythm and promoting a natural morning cortisol spike, also seems to be helping with my symptoms in general too.
Improvements I’ve noticed after 2 days:
less anxiety
improved sleep quality (more deep and rem sleep observed in sleep tracker)
less hand tremor
much calmer and more collected affect/mood
eye contact more comfortable/social interaction less awkward
less anhedonia
easier to interpret subtle facial cues
easier to express and feel emotions
less overthinking and more of a flow
improved episodic memory
less perseveration, hesitation, and slowness while completing sequential tasks
improved executive function
less reliance on other supplements (only need 200mg caffeine daily now)
breathing feels more complete and heart feels more efficient
Improved HRV
more receptive and responsive to visual erotic stimulation
Remaining symptoms:
short term and working memory still feel a bit impaired
still feel not as rapid or confident in cognition and demeanor (the feeling of caffeine working well after a long time of abstinence or dialed in testosterone levels and AR sensitivity)
sensitivity to testosterone supplements like Creatine/Tongkat/Tribulus and stimulants like Caffeine/Nicotine/Bromantane is not fully restored
premature ejaculation remains
erections not 100% pre finasteride, but better than during the initial 1-2 months of recovery (then: 50-70% ; now: 75-80%)
Thoughts/Concerns:
worried about negative feedback/withdrawal after cessation
will increasing AlloP levels decrease endogenous production, increase AlloP breakdown (causing endogenous AlloP to be broken down too quickly after quitting the oral AlloP) or desensitize receptors?
will increasing AlloP adversely affect any other neurosteroids/biomarkers?
hoping improvements continue after cessation
planning to take 2mg for 2 weeks and then maybe taper down or stop entirely to see if improvements sustain
hoping to combine with stimulants/test boosters to test for synergistic effects and to see if sensitivity is restored following 2 weeks of AlloP
AlloP helping symptoms may support the underlying driver of PFS being inadequate 5AR activity and/or abnormal receptor activity for 5AR products (esp. AlloP)
Maybe someone with PFS would need to return to baseline (via time alone or through exogenous interventions like AlloP) and then remain in that state for a while to “repair” before improvements will last
Once AlloP is stopped, improvements may not remain unless the body begins to 5 alpha reduce at a baseline rate and the 5AR product receptors return to their normal sensitivity
Compared to sublingual magnolia bark (nootropicsdepot) which also got rid of PFS anxiety and some cognitive symptoms, AlloP is far less sedating. AlloP definitely seems to have other restorative effects beyond just GABAaR positive allosteric modulation.
Update:
Too much AlloP over time makes my symptoms worse, especially anxiety. It may build up in one’s body (1-2 day half life I believe) so daily dosing isn’t necessary.
On the third day, 2mg morning 3mg evening made me more dulled and anxious after the evening dose. I took only 1mg this morning which also made me anxious, so I might try a day off tomorrow and see if the anxiety subsides.
edit:
strangely a 4mg nicotine lozange immediately seemed to quell my anxiety after the 1mg dose.
I was quoting:
“When it is dissolved in tocopherols, the half life is probably the same as the half life of the tocopherol molecule, which is up to 48 hours in most in-vivo models.”
Took a Tribulus this morning and within 1-2 hours, I actually felt it working! After taking the AlloP for a few days and waiting 3 months post-quitting, I think I might finally be responding to proandrogenic supplements again (ARs may be starting to return to baseline sensitivity). When I took Tribulus in the 1-2 month time frame post-quitting Fin (high protodioscin vemoherb brand), it actually made my symptoms worse, so this is definitely an encouraging sign.
Tribulus synergized even more with AlloP on the second day.
Took a single milligram of AlloP orally (not sublingually), one tribulus capsule, and my usual 200 mg caffeine and 5000 iu D3 an hour after waking. Also I know some are opposed to nicotine use even in gum or lozenge form due to it’s potential for causing excessive sympathetic stimulation (e.g. sweaty palms, high blood pressure/pounding heart). However, when I use a 4 mg nicotine lozenge split in half with a half on either cheek (faster absorbtion and higher peak than unsplit), the synergy and improvement in symptoms is even stronger.
Third day, the synergy between 1 capsule of Tribulus and 1mg alloP in the morning abruptly stopped. I no longer felt the effects of Tribulus (back to insensitive AR state) and the cognitive symptoms (anxiety, dissociation, and memory impairment) returned despite alloP, so I will stop taking both for a few days-weeks before trying anything again. I think I’m right at the transition period 3-4 months after quitting where the ARs are just beginning to respond normally to androgens on there own again but can still quickly revert and shut down/desensitize if overwhelmed through too much consecutive Tribulus etc.
This thread brought something new and somehow got transformed into being about the same herbs and forum chemicals people have been trying and failing with for over a decade.
Fair point regarding Tribulus. But isn’t taking orally bioavailable pure allopregnanolone as @5-alpha-victim linked a more direct way to increase its levels than with “Etifoxine”?