SSRIs to deal with anxiety (Question)

General Discussion
#42

Very interesting. Thank you for posting those studies. It’s good that low dose fluoxetine helped you with the hypersensitivity to stimulation. I definitely learned a lot from these studies.

So what dosage of fluoxetine are you on and how long have you been taking it? Did you get any other PFS sides other then hypersensitivity to stimulation and stress such as any of the sexual sides? and if so does the low dose fluoxetine help the other sides?

It would interesting to see if you are peeing out high or low amounts of Allopregnanolone. I don’t think I’m low in allopregnanolone. But I do believe the sleep issues I had during PFS and the relapse sleep issues I’m experiencing now are related to an issue with the GABAa receptors. I also think that because my bodies main inhibitory system is not working correctly the bodies main excitatory system (glutamate) gets thrown off as well. I wonder if the excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate, norepinephrine and Epinephrine are responsible for or involved in sexual function. On another forum I’m on it’s believed that issues with the norepinephrine receptors are responsible for poor orgasm in PFS.

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#43

All of our symptoms are different

Some of us overlap others don’t

Because the origins of the issue is at a gene and cellular level most likely according to the hypothesis of the foundation

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#44

I suspect this is occurring with me as well. It’s like my GABA / Glutamate system is not working properly.

I have been taking the Fluoxetine for 2 weeks. From my research its effects on neurosteroids are pretty much instant and that resembles my experience and relief of symptoms. I started at 10mg and am slowly dropping it to find the minimum effective dose required to achieve the effects I’m after. Today’s my first day at 2.5mg so hopefully my reduced sensitivity to stimulation & stress will remain.

From what I understand, the mechanisim of action is Fluoxetine stops Allopregnanalone from metabolising into downstream products. Therefore you actually need to have good levels of Allopregnanlone first for Fluoxetine to have this desired effect. For this reason I plan to experiment in a few weeks with Progesterone to raise Allopregnanlone further and see how I feel and see if this has any positive effect on my libido.

Finasteride destroyed my sex drive, gave me chronic fatigue, severe sensitivity to stimulation, hyperarousal, low stress tolerance, testicular atrophy.

I’m not claiming to have any answers. I am just experimenting on myself to see what works for my body, my situation and my symptoms, and want to share my thoughts & results.

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#45

@MatchaTea Please do not take them. Ever. There is a syndrome just like PFS from taking SSRIs.

It is much better to do psychotherapy on your own or with a therapist who is willing to accept the existence of PFS.

The most effective forms of psychotherapy are CBT, DBT, ACT, REBT. These types involve you doing WORK on your mind, thoughts, beliefs, negativity.

Just simply talking to a therapist is not enough if you want to end your depression.

Physical therapy would not be effective if you just sat down with the PT and talked about the problem with your back or knee. In the same way, psycho or mental health therapy must actually be effective–you actually have to do the exercises to get better.

I know from experience. I am alive because of good psychotherapy (done with trained therapists and on my own). I have had PIS/PFS/PCS since 1996. PM me.

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#46

I can assure you that our gaba neurotransmitters are out of wack.

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