PSSD Forum

I’m writing my intro after being on the forum for a few months. I’ve done this to fit in with @mesolimbo ‘s questions with the hope he can help!

1- What is your gender?

Male-18

2- Why did you take antidepressants in the first place? and for how long were you on them? which med?

Sertraline, 50 mg, 1 month (October 2018)
Took them for anxiety

3- How was your sexual and emotional function before antidepressant intake?

Sexual function completely normal, always felt slightly emotionally numb and blunted even before my anxiety got worse which led to the SSRIs

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?

Had sexual problems while on Sertraline including anorgasmia and no libido. Since coming off them I still have very little libido. I can now orgasm but it is very weak and pleasureless. There is also a smaller volume of semen and it is sometimes watery. I also have some trouble getting an erection and it is often weak, also very decreased feeling in penis.
I’m unsure about emotional bluntness as like I mentioned above I’ve always felt slightly blunted. The other symptom I have that may be related is fatigue.

5- What meds/suppplements have you tried so far?

Probiotics- which have shown a small increase in libido and return of some morning erections after a few weeks of use. I was on a high dose of PPIs at the same time as SSRIs which lead me to think it’s related to the stomach. I’m waiting for my test from https://atlasbiomed.com/uk/microbiome to come back. The tests are meant to be very detailed. I will feed back on the test when I get the results as the website has mixed reviews but mainly down to customer service rather than results.

Also tried horny goats weed which was useless.


6- Do you have access to meds without prescription (buy online), or would strictly require a prescription for meds to try?

Would require prescription but if you can provide me with proof you’re a certified pharmacist and I find the right doctor I could talk them into it.

7- Can you tolerate galicky foods? what about proteins?

Sometimes feel sick after garlic, no problems with protein as far as I know.

8- Have you done any blood testing? what were the results?

I’ve had my hormones tested, all came back within normal range. I’ll post the exact figures, just waiting for my doctor to send them to me.

Thanks for all of your work Meso, it is very much appreciated!

I suggest that you try 1g of omega 3 daily (DHA equal or higher than EPA) and Panax Ginseng (Red Korean Ginseng) extract while waiting for the microbiome report. Also, are you taking prebiotics with your probiotics to facilitate growth of beneficial bacterial strains?

Check your BP first before taking Panax Ginseng.

Hi Meso, no I was just taking probiotics but will definitely order prebiotics as well now. Thanks for your advice, I’ll trial all of it and let you know!

@Mesolimbo -I’ve ordered the panax ginseng and the omega 3. I read on your other post that medications can make symptoms worse and move you to other subtypes, what are the chances of that happening with these?

Frog wrote:@Mesolimbo -I’ve ordered the panax ginseng and the omega 3. I read on your other post that medications can make symptoms worse and move you to other subtypes, what are the chances of that happening with these?

They won't make you worse. Medications that can make you worse are usually exogenous testosterone or hCG, or other serotonergics and antidepressants. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, etc.

Thanks Meso

Hi all, I’ve trialled the panax ginseng and omega 3 for around a month now and have seen some mild improvements in my function. I doubt that these would last if I was to stop taking them. Does anyone know if they can cause tolerance? I’ve also had my mircrobiome test back and the results show that my microbiome diversity is quite poor. I’m going to do my best to improve this and report back any results. @Meso do you have any suggestions on what to try next?

Frog wrote:Hi all, I’ve trialled the panax ginseng and omega 3 for around a month now and have seen some mild improvements in my function. I doubt that these would last if I was to stop taking them. Does anyone know if they can cause tolerance? I’ve also had my mircrobiome test back and the results show that my microbiome diversity is quite poor. I’m going to do my best to improve this and report back any results. @Meso do you have any suggestions on what to try next?

Have you received your hormonal values yet? I'd like to take a look at those.

Mesolimbo wrote:

Frog wrote:@Mesolimbo -I’ve ordered the panax ginseng and the omega 3. I read on your other post that medications can make symptoms worse and move you to other subtypes, what are the chances of that happening with these?

They won't make you worse. Medications that can make you worse are usually exogenous testosterone or hCG, or other serotonergics and antidepressants. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, etc.

How would exogenous testosterone or hcg make you worse?

Mesolimbo wrote:

Frog wrote:Hi all, I’ve trialled the panax ginseng and omega 3 for around a month now and have seen some mild improvements in my function. I doubt that these would last if I was to stop taking them. Does anyone know if they can cause tolerance? I’ve also had my mircrobiome test back and the results show that my microbiome diversity is quite poor. I’m going to do my best to improve this and report back any results. @Meso do you have any suggestions on what to try next?

Have you received your hormonal values yet? I'd like to take a look at those.

Hi @Mesolimbo, sorry for the delay, I received the results today:

Serum 17 alphydroxyprogest lev 1.3 nmol/L
Serum androstenedione 2.1 nmol/L
Serum Testostrone 15.5 nmol/L


Thyroid function normal

Serum TSH level 1.63 mIU/L
Serum free T4 level 17.8 pmol/L

Serum Prolactin 275 mU/L

Serum LH level 2.3 IU/L
Serum FSH level 2.3 IU/L