24 replies to this topic

[The_Eye]

I've been suffering from anhedonia and complete loss of genital sensitivity. It's been 10 years now, I probably broke some neural pathway by 'edging'. I also am almost unable to feel anticipatory pleasure, also alcohol used to make me euphoric and social, now it makes me silent and depressed. (1 beer)

When the effect goes away I am like a robot, I don't have emotions and lie awake in my bed.

Doctors say it's the HPA Axis and there's nothing they can do.

It's driving me crazy. I've tried lots of supplements and they all worsen the symptoms.

I would like some suggestions or emotional comfort because it's a sad situation, really.

I think it's dopamine related.

[Mind]

I usually suggest (just an opinion, not medical advice) dropping everything (supplement-wise), de-stress, meditate, fast and get exercise. Try to build up back from a clean state. Its tough, but its free, and there is a lot of science behind it.

Edited by Mind, 21 March 2022 - 07:26 PM.

[johnhemming]

You can find out if it is cortisol causing this by taking an Aspirin, that inhibits COx-1 for 36 hours.  That will affect Cortisol, Melatonin and Adenosine.

[The_Eye]

I wish I could fast, however I'm kinda obsessed with food, as eating is the only thing that boosts my mood.... before lunch I'm always cranky.

I will try aspirine, thanks.

[Mind]

Cranky is an emotion. Good. Get cranky for a while. Feel hungry for a while. Feeling is a good thing.

[johnhemming]

I will try aspirine, thanks.

 

If you try Aspirin take it once and note down the effects and the times.  It disables Cox-1 which then gradually reenables over about a 36 hour period.  If you take it every day that might not be that helpful. One or two times a week might be best. (separated out)  For some people it is not that good maybe talk to your doctor about aspirin.

Edited by johnhemming, 22 March 2022 - 09:25 AM.

[The_Eye]

Ok so yesterday, after work, I found myself "meditating" on the sofa, for some reason. I started to recall and visualize ancient memories from my youth. When I opened my eyes back I felt a stream of bliss.

It was very interesting and weird and I plan on doing it again. No supplement can do this IMO.

[Mr Serendipity]

It’s been 18 years for me and I’ve never got it back from everything I’ve tried.

I also have had an experience of bliss for 10-15 minutes where I felt higher positive emotions and all my subconscious fears collapsed. Emotional bliss and pleasurable bliss are definitely separate things in my experience.

[The_Eye]

I've been like this for 12 years . Nowadays, for me, it's getting a little better with the help of supplements ( tribulus, maca, zinc, niacin, arginine ) and topical cream / oil. Also the mind can lock / unlock pleasure. Living with constant anxiety probably kills pleasure in the brain.

[medievil]

For anhedonia I would recommended dexamphetamine a lot off people with anhedonia have adhd so getting a diagnosis is a way off getting this medication

If anxiety is a concern the addition off phenibut or diazepam is a solution

[The_Eye]

Thanks. I have undiagnosed adhd. Trouble focusing. For anhedonia I'm taking Wellbutrin 150. I'm feeling a little bit better.

[Hip]

Have you looked into high dose EGCG, The_Eye, at around 1000 mg daily? EGCG activates the dopamine reward pathways, it was found in one study. 

 

I find EGCG noticeably improves my anhedonia, one of the very few things I found which works. 

 

Note that if you take this dose every day, and then stop, you may feel a comedown for a day or two. But if you taper off EGCG over a few days, you should not get this comedown.

 

 

 

As for why you developed this anhedonia in the first place, the most likely explanation is a virus. There is one virus from China that has been in circulation since at least 2009, and maybe earlier, called the Chinese HIV-like virus, which is known to cause chronic anhedonia.

 

 

In science, for every effect there is a cause. If your body and mind were previously healthy and normal, and then you suddenly developed a physical or mental pathology, there must be a cause. There is always a cause. And one very overlooked cause of ill health is the infectious pathogens (the many viruses and bacteria in circulation) which once they enter our bodies and organs usually remain there for life.

 

I caught a virus in London in 2003 which had very similar symptoms to the Chinese virus, and developed chronic anhedonia afterwards.

Edited by Hip, 05 June 2022 - 12:33 AM.

[The_Eye]

Wow scary stuff ! Let's see if I can find Egcg

[Bockemossen]

Sounds exactly like PSSD. Did the symptoms appear after/during taking an SSRI or any other drug with SRI-effect?

 

[The_Eye]

Nope. I only started taking anti depressants 8 years after the problem appeared.

[dlewis1453]

Nope. I only started taking anti depressants 8 years after the problem appeared.

 

Do you have any other health complaints? Such as fatigue, autoimmune disease, gut or digestive issues, skin problems (acne, dandruff, psoriasis), or getting sick easily? 

[The_Eye]

Yes I suffer from

-Brain fog in the morning
-Waking up groggy
-Sensitive stomach lining (my stomach can hurt from drinking water)
-OCD / RUMINATION

[mbdrinker]

This forum is full of ignorant people. Is your west so full of disinformation that you dont know obvious things. Open volume 2 of mashkovsky medical aids book (i have 1978 edition) and read the very first articles. To fix sexual things you need not useless supplemdnts which are generally part of your usual food but testosterone and or androgenic steroids beautifully described in the aforementioned book. Loss of testosterone makes 80% lower in men since 1900 and all fears with depressions are resultant. Neither arni nor other bodybuilders ever had depression...

[The_Eye]

And make my balls shrink like raisins ?

[kurdishfella]

I think there are multiple things involved in libido pleasure. Like with most thing it is just not one simple thing that is usually the cause but several reasons. One person I read about had very low testosterone but had libido excessively high. So it is for person to person to figure out their reason. And regarding your balls shrinking. If you are not willing to take that risk then the sexual pleasure must not be that bad or important to you!

Edited by kurdishfella, 10 June 2022 - 06:55 PM.

[mbdrinker]

My opinion about ball shrinking is that testosterone/androsteroids are not that harmfull. I suggest watching Dorian Yates interviews on yiutube. He confessed that two years after 1997 he had absense of semen production and had to return to testo intake and he still takes it. But Dorian had tiny balls even before bodybuilding. Look at sonbati or coleman's balls. They took same hormones without ball shrinkage. Imho balls shrink with certain persons regardless of hormones intake. My Dad a psysician was urologist some time and told already in early 2000 men had problems with semen production. Well just remember they want to cut down earth population and what food they sell you

[mbdrinker]

In ussr there was no such thing as marketing therefore mashkovsky book describes drugs as they are. Consulting volume 2 suggests that androgenic steroids have no effect on ball size or libido impairment. What's your med aids bible in usa or uk. Interested to compare capitalistic views vs socialistic. By the way arni's balls are huge too. These mr olympia guys present nice research specimens and proof of quality of soviet science vs all imho useless lab mice bylchit...

[FreeRadical]

Two things that have helped me have been Pramipexole and Flibanserin.

I'm a man but I still had very good luck with Flibanserin but obviously you need to order it online because only indicated for women.

[The_Eye]

How and why did they help you ? I've never heard about those meds. Thanks for your input.

[FreeRadical]

Late reply sorry. Flibanserin is a 5ht1a agonist. It increases dopamine and norepinephrine in certain parts of the brain and decreases serotonin. It's like a stronger version of buspirone.

 

 

Sustained increases in baseline of DA and norepinephrine (NE) are observed in the PFC, and flibanserin dosing increases DA and NE levels above the basal changes. Conversely, flibanserin induces transient decreases in 5-HT levels in some brain areas such as the PFC, nucleus accumbens, and hypothalamus, but not in other brain areas such as the hippocampus. Therefore, since DA and NE are excitatory and 5-HT is inhibitory to sexual desire and arousal, it is tempting to postulate that the actions of flibanserin on serotonin receptors at the PFC pyramidal neurons, resulting in increased DA and NE yet reduced 5-HT in the PFC, are the mechanistic underpinnings of enhancing sexual desire in HSDD.

 

Pramipexole is a dopamine agonist that increases dopaminergic transmission. Both Flibanserin and pramipexole increased libido but only flibanserin helped with genital numbness.