AnhedonicApe - Intro

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AnhedonicApe
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AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Hello fellow sufferers.

I am a 22 year old male who has been suffering from pssd for a little over a year now. I took Zoloft/sertraline for 5/6 months,finishing with a dose of 75mg. I took the meds for ocd problems. I was not depressed or anhedonic at any given point before the meds. The meds made me blunted and depressed, but the doctor told me i had to go on because this was normal in the beginnning. My libido went south, i started to look unhealthy and changed into a zombie. My ocd symptoms were gone but there was nothing left of me. I got a new doctor and she told me i had to quit because the meds were obviously not working. I quit, cold turkey, she said this was ok. I went through a hell of a withdrawal of which the worst took over half a year to go away and it still really isn't all over i guess. When i quit the meds the first few weeks i got a glimpse of myself again, manic almost. But after those weeks withdrawal came combined with emptiness. No libido, no pleasure in anything and a feeling of a loss of myself.

At the moment i manage the insomnia which i also got with withdrawal with the keto diet, this really has done wonders for me. In the first week of starting the keto diet i also got a big window. This may be due elevated cortisol and maybe the effects on dopamine, I have also been microdosing iboga for the past 2 months, which has been beneficial for getting a part of my personality back. Also less anhedonic, but it does come with side effects, suicidal idealisation for example. I also use cbd oil daily before sleep, which helps too.

I have reached a point where i am willing to try meds again. It has now been over a year and i am done with life. I have lost my friends because i cut them off, don't see a reason to socialize, i have lost my drive, and i have lost my erections. I do think the anhedonia is the worst of all symptoms. This really makes life not worth living. I also have no libido, which comes with weak erections, but i don't have genital aneatisia. I also have pleasureless orgasms. But again, i care more about the anhedonia, this is the worst.

I am considering talking to goldstein but i don't really know if this is the right person to go to, since a lot of people didn't get benefit out of him. I am really looking for someone who can advise me on meds, someone with real knowledge. It will be my last shot at life, because i am not willing to go on living with pssd any longer.
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Meso
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by Meso »

Welcome to the forum. Since you are one of the first that posted on my thread, I'll help you first. I'll try to help as best as I can. Can you please provide these info:
This is the info I need:
1- What is your gender?
2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?
3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?
4- What are your symptoms exactly and when did they start? sexual dyfunction alone, or cognitive/emotional/hedonistic as well? which symptom is bothering you the most?
5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?
6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?
7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?
8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?
Number 8 is very important. Also, wouldn't hurt to check the first link in my signature.
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AnhedonicApe
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Mesolimbo wrote:Welcome to the forum. Since you are one of the first that posted on my thread, I'll help you first. I'll try to help as best as I can. Can you please provide these info:
This is the info I need:
1- What is your gender?
2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?
3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?
4- What are your symptoms exactly and when did they start? sexual dyfunction alone, or cognitive/emotional/hedonistic as well? which symptom is bothering you the most?
5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?
6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?
7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?
8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?
Number 8 is very important. Also, wouldn't hurt to check the first link in my signature.
Hey man. So glad you want to help me. As i said in ur thread i am willing to pay for some skypehelp or just phoncalling, i had to like to discuss a view things i have discovered some things which i find interesting in my case. For example the first week of the keto diet which is known to cause a lot of stress/adrenaline in the first week completely cured my symptoms. For the list:

1:i am a male

2:i was on zoloft for 5 months, i took them for ocd which was fueled by anxiety

3:sexual and emotional function was good.

4.the symptoms started during the sertraline treatment. It got worse over time. When i quit the sertraline cold turkey they went away for like a week. After that i got withdrawal. During the withdrawal which was very stressfull i switched from stressfull to empty sometimes. After a while it was just emptiness, anhedonia and no libido. These are also my symptoms. During the sertraline i also sort of felt like this but it was different.

5. I have tried the keto diet which i am still doing. Tried boron, had a little succes with this but i am not sure. Tried like all vitamins. Supplements like dim. Nothing really worked except for the first week of the keto diet. This was really eye opening in that it was still possible. Finally i tried ibogaine and this also has helped a lot. I microdose this currently and now have quit that for a week. It really upped my baseline, it has big gdnf properties. But i dont know how permanent it will be.

6. My mother is a doctor so she can help in subscribing me the meds. I am lucky in this one.

7. Yeah i tolerate all food but carbs make my insomnia and obsessive thinking worse.

8. Yeah have done blood tests. Was all good. On one test i had low free test but i wasnt surprised. Hadnt sleep in a while good and was very stressed and had to get up aftr 3 hours of sleep to do it. Tested it again and it was in the normal range. My normal test is very high and my shbg also is but this is due to the keto diet. It does this. It takes care of my obsessive thinking so i really cant quit. But it also didnt affect the anhedonia or something, just affects the obessive thinking that before could still sometmes come through. Keto is known to increase your gaba and give you more peace of mind.
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AnhedonicApe
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Mesolimbo wrote:Welcome to the forum. Since you are one of the first that posted on my thread, I'll help you first. I'll try to help as best as I can. Can you please provide these info:
This is the info I need:
1- What is your gender?
2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?
3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?
4- What are your symptoms exactly and when did they start? sexual dyfunction alone, or cognitive/emotional/hedonistic as well? which symptom is bothering you the most?
5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?
6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?
7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?
8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?
Number 8 is very important. Also, wouldn't hurt to check the first link in my signature.


Btw, anhedonia for sure is my biggest concern and problem. Libido is attached to this is my guess
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AnhedonicApe
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Mesolimbo wrote:Welcome to the forum. Since you are one of the first that posted on my thread, I'll help you first. I'll try to help as best as I can. Can you please provide these info:
This is the info I need:
1- What is your gender?
2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?
3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?
4- What are your symptoms exactly and when did they start? sexual dyfunction alone, or cognitive/emotional/hedonistic as well? which symptom is bothering you the most?
5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?
6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?
7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?
8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?
Number 8 is very important. Also, wouldn't hurt to check the first link in my signature.
I also forgot to mention my progesterone was out of normal range high the first time i got checked. The second it was normal range though, not even high normal just normal.
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Meso
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by Meso »

AnhedonicApe wrote:Hey man. So glad you want to help me. As i said in ur thread i am willing to pay for some skypehelp or just phoncalling, i had to like to discuss a view things i have discovered some things which i find interesting in my case. For example the first week of the keto diet which is known to cause a lot of stress/adrenaline in the first week completely cured my symptoms.
No need for any payment. I reply here during my spare time.

Ibogaine via 5HT2A->mGluR2 inhibition would activate AMPA receptors and trigger long term potentiation (LTP) and neurotrophic factors. However, noribogaine is an SRI (SERT inhibitor), so it could make PSSD worse. I advice against it. Can you get Psilocybin or LSD instead?

For SHBG, you can try Mesterolone which is a DHT analogue that bind to, and inactivates, SHBG. At doses below 75 mg, it doesn't cause a shutdown of pituitary->gonads. It's very pro-libido.

Ketogenic diet (high fat) can potentially trigger hypothalamic inflammation:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424437/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199695/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28988760
I suggest that you take 300 mg alpha-lipoic acid (a-LA) to prevent any potential inflammation.

If microdosing psychedelics (that don't inhibit SERT) doesn't improve your anhedonia as much as you are hoping for, look into low dose amphetamine salts.
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AnhedonicApe
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Hey man. I quit the iboga you are right about that it can worsen it. I bought some cyptroheptadine, what do you think about that? I really think my problem may be that of a heightened serotenine. I will also look into the SHBG binding stuff you recomended.
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Meso
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by Meso »

AnhedonicApe wrote:Hey man. I quit the iboga you are right about that it can worsen it. I bought some cyptroheptadine, what do you think about that? I really think my problem may be that of a heightened serotenine. I will also look into the SHBG binding stuff you recomended.
Cyproheptadine is a bad option for you. I suggest Flibanserin instead, but keep in mind that this would counteract the psychedelics!
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by AnhedonicApe »

Why would cyproheptadine be a bad option for me? Ordered it yesterday thats why i ask. And i have heard more about addyi, but also about it worsening the condition. The Psychedelics i may do in time but just want a little break from that. What is ur opinion on whati should focus on, what do you think is my ''imbalance''. My main symptom that is bothering me is the extreme anhedonia combined with the no libido.
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Meso
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Re: AnhedonicApe - Intro

Unread post by Meso »

AnhedonicApe wrote:Why would cyproheptadine be a bad option for me? Ordered it yesterday thats why i ask. And i have heard more about addyi, but also about it worsening the condition. The Psychedelics i may do in time but just want a little break from that. What is ur opinion on whati should focus on, what do you think is my ''imbalance''. My main symptom that is bothering me is the extreme anhedonia combined with the no libido.
You are suffering mainly from tonic and phasic dopaminergic dysfunction, caused by SSRI-induced glutamatergic dysfunction through desensitizing several 5HT receptors as well as blunting the HPA-axis through upregulating GR. Microdosing psychedelics would be very beneficial for this, so you are on the right track.

If you want a boost in libido, look into Rasagiline. For anhedonia, I believe low dose amphetamine salt would be beneficial (Adderall), but I also think that long-term microdosing psychedelics can reverse it without needing amphetamine.

Cyproheptadine is bad because it's a potential CRF antagonist, dopamine antagonist and anticholinergic.
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