Just got hit with severe PFS... Should I act quickly or wait it out?

General Discussion
#1

Hello, I’ve been taking saw palmetto for a month thinking that it was safe. But last week I completely crashed. I was hit with every side effect imaginable. Mental, physical, sexual, etc. The first thing I did immediately was water fast. I fasted for 4 days. But I had to break the fast because my heart was beating way too fast non-stop. I went to an emergency room and they took my blood test. It turns out my TSH is extremely low at 0.58 uIUmL (range was 0.55-4.78), and my total testosterone level was also super low at 143 ng/dl (range was 123-813). It is obvious that I have developed adrenal and thyroid problems. But because it was technically “within range” they told me I was ok and sent me home. Now I’m planning to go see a doctor soon.

But it’s been a week since the crash and it hasn’t gotten any better. All the physical, mental, sexual sides are still there. I have constant brain fog. I have brain pressure. My vision is blurry. My skin is dry and looks like crap. I have dark circles. My throat feels tight and swelled. My heartbeat is very fast 24/7 with chest pressure. I also have urinary dribbling and can’t seem to empty my bladder (which indicates my prostate enlarged). My libido is 0 and I have complete impotence. My penis is dead. I only got one erection since the crash which was only possible because I had to really force myself visually and physically.

I’ve read many protocols from the recovery stories and I’m trying to start one immediately. But I noticed that a lot of the protocols involve herbs and supplements. My concern is that my body is still inflamed right now and possibly still fluctuating because of the imbalance.

My question is, if I start the protocol now, would it be beneficial or would it make the body crash even more?

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#2

You crashed hard. Personally, what I did when I crashed was stop the supplement that caused it and go back to what was working before. I took curcumin and egcg and soy and cbd thinking it would reverse my Inflammation. It did, but it crashed me. I stopped it and went back to my other supplements and I felt better.

#3

Eh I’d say wait it out until three months have passed. Careful with certain supplements some here have gotten worse. Fuck saw palmetto!

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#4

Have you considered that fasting could have caused the hormonal abnormalities?

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#6

“Protocols” here are risky because they can make your situation worse. They generally don’t produce repeatable results. If I were you, I’d stay away from all protocols and herbs and what not. I wouldn’t fast either. I would just drink lots of water, eat very clean (google foods with 5ar inhibiting effects and stay away from those) and maybe try to get a light sweat going through exercise or a sauna (only if you can - now is not the time to push yourself). Your understandably very stressed so go be in nature and add yoga/meditation to your routine to counter the negative emotions.

You’re in the thickest of it all, and I strongly suggest to take care of yourself to the best of your ability without taking on more risk.

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#7

Hiei, i strongly advise you to stay away from any protocols. Try not to panic (easy to say hard to do i know). I took saw palmetto like you for a month. On day 27 sides hit me. First days after the discontinuation were hell.
6 months now since i stopped the poison.
During this period whatever i take makes me worse, even a single vitamin B complex crashed me hard. Just give a time.

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#8

No supplements or herbs in early stages. Thats what i learned. Try the natural things, change your diet to healthiest thing you can find. (I suggest carnivore)

#10

Get a script for Cialis, then titrate up from 2.5mg a day til your dick works again. Stay at that dose for a few months while your body stabilises, helps keep blood flow to your junk and the fact that it makes your junk work even if only a bit is a massive mental aspect alone.

#12

What’s the highest daily suggested dose?

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#13

5mgs recommended daily as a max though I have used 20mg a day and so long as you don’t do it for long you’ll be fine.

Pde5s are generally well tolerated, they just have some issues for people with heart/eye/hearing issues. I know after taking 10mg a day for a few days my ears start to thump.

2.5-5mg a day is safest tho, always use the lowest dose you can use with satisfactory results

#14

Are the hearing/eye issues permanent? My vision is already so blurry and like I’m living in a bubble

#15

I have no idea mate. I’m one month of fin and I prey every night I recover, I hope you and I both make speedy and sound recoveries but some vet members have been struggling a really long time.

Feels absolutely awful being 20 years old and feeling like my dick belongs to my 80 year old or prepubescent self.

Id definitely give it 3 months before getting too worried though because a month isn’t really a long time in terms of homeostasis. I believe some people get hit with a fin reaction that starts a cascade of physiological events in response to that reaction and that’s where the permanent epigenetic changes may occur etc…

It’s possible your body might stabilise from the fin reaction without said cascade of physiological events and then theres a good chance we’ll get better when the body stabilises.

For now avoid natural 5-ar inhibitors, eat well, try to sleep/mildly excercise and possibly speak to a doctor you might be lucky and your hormones might be out of wack which would be an easy fix

#17

don’t take ANYTHING… Cialis? Are u crazy? The last thing you want to do is force erections or take herbs to stimulate erections or dopamine etc. Everytime I loaded up on supps, masturbated or what not it’s made situation worse… eat clean, no porn … NONE… and work out. Cardio and weights… BOTH

Wait for the body to come back on its own… food and training… that’s the only thing safe in initial stages…
I’ve learned over the last decade, you can’t force anything… u may feel better pumping herbs or drugs, but seriously risk crashing harder and making yourself worse… god if I could do it over again, with patience… was so close to full recovery… if after a year you’re still broken maybe consider protocols… as long as u don’t masturbate you’ll stay in neutral territory…

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#18

@Ocguy Why you don’t complete the survey?

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#19

I feel the opposite. I went the natural route for 16 years. Weights and cardio the whole way. I feel like maybe I could have avoided fibrosis if I had taken hormones/cialis soon after coming off. But maybe it was already in me. Its actually comforting to hear someone argue against drugs. Im on sildenafil and clomid for the past 3 months but cant say if theyre helping a ton. The erections induced from sildenafil never feel good or natural, but mechanical. My 3 month follow up doppler did show notable improvements in blood flow (not sure if from drugs or SW and PRP) but not big changes in fibrosis but it was mild fibrosis to begin with. Not sure what to do at this point but as I have stated in other threads, I find that abstaining when I have “good” days, instead of testing myself, seems to help me feel even better. It gets to a point where I can feel so good that I wonder if Im completely cured but I always fall back into a lifeless state after I masturbate. I seem to reliably feel really good once every week or 2. Hardly enough to confidently pursue sex though.

#20

I got fucked from SP too. If this was your first ever fast, doing 4 days in the first attempt will do more harm than good to you. You have to do those things gradually, otherwise you might get yourself in bigger trouble…

#21

Yea, I think that sexual energy is what’s needed to heal… don’t drain it. let it keep building up until eventually an orgasm won’t be so devastating

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#22

Dude a doctor will tell you going without erections for long periods of time is bad for your dick and can produce damage. We naturally get morning wood for a reason. Your advise is actually potentially dangerous, disuading the use of a well tolerated pde5 inhibitor just because you’re scared of dopamine.

What is it with people who preach nofap who are obsessed with dopamine. Not everything is dopamine man. I abused freaking meth believe me I know what low dopamine feels like and guess what, I could still jack off once a day no problem (when months off the meth obviously it’s easy to jack off on meth lol)

#23

I said no orgasm, not no erections… most people want Cialis so they can try to have sex … I have an absolutely dead dick from dutasteride but I still get morning and night wood… like u said… that’s why the body automatically has them
so yea, I don’t know wtf your talking about… and even if his dick was dead thru the night, EVERY NIGHT it would take SEVERAL months for any possible damage…maybe even a year or two…

I’m not obsessed with dopamine… I know from personal experience, that I’ve come out of this hell only to fall back in it thru porn and orgasms. Totally snowballed into full blow post dutasteride destruction…
If I had some self control I might be healed by now… and it might have nothing to do with dopamine…all I know is u crash when I orgasm too much. And I think it could be said for alot if guys here.

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#24

Im curious. Do we actually know how long it takes to get damage from lack of erections? When some guys who are as young as 17 get it, it makes me think it doesnt take long or that theres another variable we’re missing. I cant believe its almost 2020 and we dont have these questions ironed out.