Ghost Intro

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Kk88
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by Kk88 »

Glitch wrote:Taking Bupropion and having a week long window was an incredibly empowering experience. It's crazy how much I took my sexuality for granted when I had it. My confidence was amazing for that week.It really put how profound PSSD is in perspective. If I could reach 100% again, it really would change my life completely.
Not sure if windows are a blessing or a curse. At least they show us that we're still capable and that our bodies aren't 'broken'. Glitch - did you ever re-repeat bupropion after your week long window?
Glitch
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by Glitch »

Kk88,

Nope, I never tried it again. I know that it's not going to cure me so I don't feel the need to take it again. I'm also afraid it will make me worse in the long run.
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Ghost
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by Ghost »

Some hormone levels (November 2017)

FSH AND LH
FSH 1.4 LOW 1.6-8.0 mIU/mL
LH 3.5 1.5-9.3 mIU/mL


DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE, LC/MS/MS
DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE, LC/MS/MS 49 16-79 ng/dL

PROLACTIN
PROLACTIN 8.2 2.0-18.0 ng/mL

T4, FREE
T4, FREE 1.5 0.8-1.8 ng/dL

TSH
TSH 0.98 0.40-4.50 mIU/L

ESTRADIOL
ESTRADIOL 37 < OR = 39 pg/mL

PSA, TOTAL
PSA, TOTAL 0.6 < OR = 4.0 ng/mL

SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN
SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN 46 10-50 nmol/L

T3, FREE
T3, FREE 3.6 2.3-4.2 pg/mL

VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA
VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA 29 LOW 30-100 ng/mL

TESTOSTERONE,FR(DIALYSIS) AND TOTAL(LC/MS/MS)
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, LC/MS/MS 912 250-1100 ng/dL
FREE TESTOSTERONE 121.0 35.0-155.0 pg/mL
- Medical Student & Friendly poltergeist - Lexapro Sept '14. [Hx] [PSSD Lab] [r/PSSD] [Treatment Plan] - Add "Ghost" in replies so I see it :)
DoIt
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by DoIt »

How are you doing Ghost? Are you still researching, we didn't get any new theories, conclusions from you since a long time and we're missing that. :mrgreen:
Kdeal
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by Kdeal »

Feel your pain man.

Hopefully we get back.

Kind of private question but how is your semen volume?

Keep fighting dude
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JayR
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by JayR »

Your Test levels are fine Ghost, but SHBG can come down more. Remember you need more Free-T to convert into DHT + Estrogen...both of which suppress Serotonin at the Pelvic Ganglia level and regenerate Nerve Function.
SOURCE: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... stosterone
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Ghost
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Re: Ghost

Unread post by Ghost »

@JayR So true, bro! I'm thinking about getting them retested soon here to see if they have changed.

@kdeal it's fine. I'm not sure how to compare it to before because it's been so long.
- Medical Student & Friendly poltergeist - Lexapro Sept '14. [Hx] [PSSD Lab] [r/PSSD] [Treatment Plan] - Add "Ghost" in replies so I see it :)
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Ghost
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Re: Ghost Intro

Unread post by Ghost »

Quick update and response to Meso's post regarding protocols.

You'll find most of my recent updates in the Psilocybin and Ketamine threads. I've been seeing the same girl for around 6 months now and sex is fairly consistent (up and down for sure but overall I've been fairly sexually active and hiding my PSSD as best I can). Depression and Anxiety were in remission for 4-5 months after Ketamine - those effects may be waning a bit but I'm still way better off than before. Since my last post the rest of the work I've done can be found on the PSSD Lab page.

Now on to RE: Meso's questions (@Meso let me know if there are any questions or things you'd like me to add).

This is the info I need:
1- What is your gender?
Male (23)
2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?
5-HTP (? dosage), Trazodone 50mg, Lexapro 5mg, Ativan 1mg. Took for anxiety and anxious insomnia.

3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?
I won't lie - positive emotions were down ever since anxiety hit hard - i was a bit depressed. Sex drive was lower than before anxiety (or I was just more distracted?) but I still was way more sexual than most of my friends.
4- What are your symptoms exactly and when did they start? sexual dysfunction alone, or cognitive/emotional/hedonistic as well? which symptom is bothering you the most?
This is from original post (see beginning of thread for detailed description):
I am a 18, and college freshman this year. I have been dealing with severe anxiety over the past year. It was escalating as college approached. I tried to fight it naturally, but nothing was working. TWO doctors prescribed me Lexapro. I EVEN SPLIT THE DAMN 10MG TABLETS IN TWO BECAUSE I WAS SO SCARED. I reluctantly took 5mg Lexapro (Escitalopram) for 4 days. I stopped because I noticed insomnia, delayed orgasm, loss of sex drive, and genital numbing. I assumed that they would go away after stopping, but it has been 31 days so far without taking the medication. The orgasm problems have gone away.
...
I always had a really high sex drive, and now I'd say that It's lower than average. Maybe 60-70% of what it once was. I'd also say that my penis is about 25-35% numb, I can't tell for sure. My entire skin feels slightly numbed. Even scarier is the feelings of being emotionally dulled.
I used to have to fight off erections and now I have to fight for them. There was a fairly large reduction in my sexual functioning overnight. These started after 4 nights on Lexapro. There was some overlap with the other meds listed about but I'm very confident that it was the Lexapro that put me over the edge. At first I remember I had jumping legs at night and really felt like a total zombie. It was horrible.

My most bothered by the lack of erections. Even when I am interested in a girl things don't always happen down there, and they are harder to maintain. Also there is numbness and general changes to how sex feels.

5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?
An incredible number. no doubt I'll omit some on accident: Ginkgo, Bacopa, Zinc, Magnesium, Choline, PDE5i, Maca, Inositol, SJW, Trazodone again, K+, HCl, Nystatin (temp reversed numbness), turmeric, valium, ativan, ketamine, psilocybin, B3, B6, B12, D3, Vitamin K, R-andro, Loratadine, Vitamin C, Fish Oil, Forskolin, Kudzu root, melatonin, there are more than that - I'm forgetting some. Also there are some that are different forms of the same thing.

6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?
I don't have a source that I can trust, but I'm willing to look. This is a barrier for me, but I can always find ways to overcome it if need be.
7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?
I've never thought about this in particular. In general i have a lot of bloating and stomach problems. I'm not sure how directly they correlate to when I got PSSD. Leading up to PSSD I was very overcome with anxiety and after I was severely depressed and didn't really think about things other than surviving.

8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?
Yes, here:
November 2017 (Age 21)

FSH 1.4 LOW 1.6-8.0 mIU/mL
LH 3.5 1.5-9.3 mIU/mL

DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE, LC/MS/MS 49 16-79 ng/dL
PROLACTIN 8.2 2.0-18.0 ng/mL
T4, FREE 1.5 0.8-1.8 ng/dL
TSH 0.98 0.40-4.50 mIU/L
ESTRADIOL 37 < OR = 39 pg/mL
PSA, TOTAL 0.6 < OR = 4.0 ng/mL
SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN 46 10-50 nmol/L
T3, FREE 3.6 2.3-4.2 pg/mL

VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA
VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA 29 LOW 30-100 ng/mL

TESTOSTERONE,FR(DIALYSIS) AND TOTAL(LC/MS/MS)
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, LC/MS/MS 912 250-1100 ng/dL
FREE TESTOSTERONE 121.0 35.0-155.0 pg/mL

2016 (Age 20):
FASTING:YES
LIPID PANEL
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL 133 125-200 mg/dL 01
HDL CHOLESTEROL 46 > OR = 40 mg/dL 01
TRIGLYCERIDES 80 <150 mg/dL 01
LDL-CHOLESTEROL 71 <130 mg/dL (calc) 01 Desirable range <100 mg/dL for patients with CHD or diabetes and <70 mg/dL for diabetic patients with known heart disease.
CHOL/HDLC RATIO 2.9 < OR = 5.0 (calc) 01
NON HDL CHOLESTEROL 87 mg/dL (calc) 01 Target for non-HDL cholesterol is 30 mg/dL higher than
GGT 15 3-70 U/L 01
IRON, TOTAL 55 50-195 mcg/dL 01
LD 118 100-220 U/L 01
PHOSPHATE (AS PHOSPHORUS) 4.0 2.5-4.5 mg/dL 01
URIC ACID 4.3 4.0-8.0 mg/dL 01 Therapeutic target for gout patients: <6.0 mg/dL

COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL
GLUCOSE 89 65-99 mg/dL 01 Fasting reference interval
UREA NITROGEN (BUN) 20 7-25 mg/dL 01
CREATININE 0.88 0.60-1.35 mg/dL 01
eGFR NON-AFR. AMERICAN 124 > OR = 60 mL/min/1.73m2 01
eGFR AFRICAN AMERICAN 143 > OR = 60 mL/min/1.73m2 01
BUN/CREATININE RATIO NOT APPLICABLE 6-22 (calc) 01
SODIUM 141 135-146 mmol/L 01
POTASSIUM 4.2 3.5-5.3 mmol/L 01
CHLORIDE 105 98-110 mmol/L 01
CARBON DIOXIDE 26 19-30 mmol/L 01
CALCIUM 9.9 8.6-10.3 mg/dL 01
PROTEIN, TOTAL 7.6 6.1-8.1 g/dL 01
ALBUMIN 4.8 3.6-5.1 g/dL 01
GLOBULIN 2.8 1.9-3.7 g/dL (calc) 01
ALBUMIN/GLOBULIN RATIO 1.7 1.0-2.5 (calc) 01
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 1.4 HIGH 0.2-1.2 mg/dL 01
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 77 40-115 U/L 01
AST 15 10-40 U/L 01
ALT 15 9-46 U/L 01
CBC (INCLUDES DIFF/PLT)
WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT 6.2 3.8-10.8 Thousand/uL 01
RED BLOOD CELL COUNT 5.15 4.20-5.80 Million/uL 01
HEMOGLOBIN 15.9 13.2-17.1 g/dL 01
HEMATOCRIT 46.7 38.5-50.0 % 01
MCV 90.7 80.0-100.0 fL 01
MCH 30.9 27.0-33.0 pg 01
MCHC 34.1 32.0-36.0 g/dL 01
RDW 13.4 11.0-15.0 % 01
PLATELET COUNT 183 140-400 Thousand/uL 01
MPV 10.1 7.5-11.5 fL 01
ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS 3422 1500-7800 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE BAND NEUTROPHILS DNR 0-750 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE METAMYELOCYTES DNR 0 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE MYELOCYTES DNR 0 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE PROMYELOCYTES DNR 0 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE LYMPHOCYTES 2046 850-3900 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE MONOCYTES 415 200-950 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE EOSINOPHILS 285 15-500 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE BASOPHILS 31 0-200 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE BLASTS DNR 0 cells/uL 01
ABSOLUTE NUCLEATED RBC DNR 0 cells/uL 01
NEUTROPHILS 55.2 % 01
BAND NEUTROPHILS DNR % 01
METAMYELOCYTES DNR % 01
MYELOCYTES DNR % 01
PROMYELOCYTES DNR % 01
LYMPHOCYTES 33.0 % 01
REACTIVE LYMPHOCYTES DNR 0-10 % 01
MONOCYTES 6.7 % 01
EOSINOPHILS 4.6 % 01
BASOPHILS 0.5 % 01
BLASTS DNR % 01
NUCLEATED RBC DNR 0 /100 WBC 01

T4, FREE 1.2 0.8-1.8 ng/dL 01
TSH 2.13 0.40-4.50 mIU/L 01
T3, FREE 3.5 2.3-4.2 pg/mL
- Medical Student & Friendly poltergeist - Lexapro Sept '14. [Hx] [PSSD Lab] [r/PSSD] [Treatment Plan] - Add "Ghost" in replies so I see it :)
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Meso
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Re: Ghost Intro

Unread post by Meso »

Psilocybin is a step on the right direction since by disinhibiting glutamate, you get AMPA receptor activation. Ketamine upregulates AMPA receptors and boosts BDNF. You are on a potent combo for depression. However...

I call into question the practicality of long-term Ketamine use. Research chronic effect of Ketamine on the bladder. Even its analogues have a negative effect on the bladder albeit less severe. I think for OCD you should switch to Memantine, as it doesn't impair the NMDA/NO/cGMP pathway as potently while being more effective for OCD since it doesn't blunt tonic glutamate firing as potently whilst still suppressing phasic one. I discussed this on the OCD thread.

Two important questions before I proceed:
- How do you respond to PDE5 inhibitors?
- Are you interested in a symptomatic relief for PSSD or a true cure/reversal?
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Ghost
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Re: Ghost Intro

Unread post by Ghost »

I think you are right. I am trying to phase out ketamine or at least reduce it to once every 6-12 months (or never again). It's something I want to decrease my use of.

I responded well to the PDE5i but I was worried it might be worsening my tinnitus - that's why I stopped. I think my erections have been better afterwards but maybe it's confidence + psilocybin. There is a 3-5g Psilocybin experience somewhere in my 1-3 month future and that is a big step for me.

I am actively looking for Memantine for OCD treatment. I think that is a cornerstone of my recovery. I saw your post about making it work like Ketamine and that was exciting.

I am looking for a full cure/reversal. My biggest fear is that anxiety would push me out of going to medical school, but that's a) anxious speaking in my head anyways and b) not taking into account the lifestyle changes + psilocybin that I've made in the past years. I have had life-long mental illness problems but it was only bad enough to need treatment a few months leading up to the SSRI and then since then I've been struggling largely with the fallout of PSSD on my mental state. I have many more tools now to address my anxieties.

Thanks for all your help! I'm planning to lock down a memantine source this weekend. I'm interested in PMs from anyone with any good pharmacy links, my psych wasn't too keen on the memantine rx.
- Medical Student & Friendly poltergeist - Lexapro Sept '14. [Hx] [PSSD Lab] [r/PSSD] [Treatment Plan] - Add "Ghost" in replies so I see it :)
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