Diindolylmethane (DIM)

[rnrmf]

I'm the original poster.
It was a little odd to read this thread as I had never seen it, here, before.
I kept thinking, "this sounds really familiar..."

I haven't taken DIM in a number of years.
I'd consider trying it again.
I've taken so many different things over the years.

One thing I'll note, is that in retrospect, saying I had combatted PSSD by 60% was overly generous.
I was probably feeling positive from a mood standpoint.

Even now, I'd say at best my progress is 50%. But that's from the absolute bottom of the barrel- nothing -no feelings, 99% anhedonia, absolute hell. Shocking I didn't kill myself in the first couple of years.

Medically, I've been through a number of things, and quite frankly, feel I can squarely put the blame on the neurologic aftereffects of Lexapro.
I didn't quite realize what was happening until I was diagnosed with brain lesions about 2.5 years ago - essentially Multiple Sclerosis, by the MRI's, but it's a difficult condition to diagnose without lesions actively developing. My neurologist hasn't found that active process and cannot actually tell when the lesions occurred. There's a possibility they were there for years.
The symptoms I experienced after taking Lexapro, a shakiness, weakness, inability to concentrate, brain fog, sexual dysfunction, etc (name your PSSD symptom) are also symptoms of MS brain lesions (the demyelination process). These were the symptoms that occurred upon ending Lexapro and going through the withdrawal process of "brain zaps" for a few weeks. Then full PSSD began.

Complicated. I believe that Lexapro caused autoimmune dysfunction of some kind. It also caused massive hormonal changes evidenced by blood tests over the years.
My pregnenolone level dropped below 10 and one of my doctors said this is basically "pre-dementia" levels. My testosterone also dropped below the low end of the range for quite a while. It's still low, but exercise and pregnenolone supplementation have helped.
This pregnenolone level would explain the brain fog. One of the abilities I lost for about 6 years during PSSD, was the ability to play chess. The ability to abstractly think was decimated. That has returned to a decent degree. I still have problems concentrating on reading, for instance, though.

I frequently check in over here and follow what's going on.

[Bigmum]

What a coincidence...its your post..it seems to me that we have some autoimmune issues....i ve got little psoriaris :/ or something very similar, i haven't had single flu since pssd, and thin eyebrows.
How would you describe you brain fog?

[rnrmf]

What a coincidence...its your post..it seems to me that we have some autoimmune issues....i ve got little psoriaris :/ or something very similar, i haven't had single flu since pssd, and thin eyebrows.
How would you describe you brain fog?

Like you, I have a irritation in the scalp that comes and goes.
I also don't catch colds/flu as much as I used to.

My brain fog was an inability to think abstractly and the inability to comprehend things I tried to read.
Both have lifted significantly. It takes me quite a bit discipline to read.

[Numbed]

PGE2 is the main mediator of flu, its what causes the hyperthermia, i also never get the flu.
Funny enough pge2 plays a huge role in LHRH, and there is many proof out there for example that female rats exposed to during pregnancy and shortly after birth have female offspring that display typical male dominant behavior such as mounting other females...
I have just arrived arachidonic acid yesterday and i will put it to the test after i have done my trials of low dose clonazepam and the other trial of licorice.

Also licorice contains a compound that prefents the breakdown of pge2...

Alcohols initial lh inhibition during while being drunk is associated with a compensatory mechanism by increasing LH during hangover this is pge2 mediated, would also explain why MOST ppl can actually get flu like symptoms during hangover (they have normal pge2 during baseline), while we have low pge2 activated system and flu inducing actions normalize us, just as in autism spectrum disorders and autism return to a normal social interaction state dyring the flu...

FYI cortisol is immunosurpressive, we might have an overactive immune system.

SSRI use has downregulated our sensory system.

[Ausguy222]

From the TRT forums DIM supposedly is an anti estrogen but it doesn't actually lower estrogen it just blocks certain receptors or your bodies way to use it in certain areas.
It would be so interesting for us to compare pre and post ssri blood tests to see what is actually changinon a hormonal level.