Stress (Symptoms/Treatment)

[Ghost]

I am currently in a very stressful period after being in a non stressful one where things were better. I've noticed that everything has gotten a lot worse. I can barely get it up, and my dick is very very numb. Has anyone else had this in a stressful time?

5HT1A desensitizes under heavy stress, and this would explain why things get better (non-stressed times) or worse (stressed times) during these periods. Have things gotten better after this extreme stress? and why are they able to re-sensitize from this, and not from SSRI desensitization?

This lead me to Ginkgo

Stress-induced 5-HT,, receptor desensitization: protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761)

F Bolai50s-Jim6nez1, R Manhiies de Castrol,
H Sarhan I , N Prudhommel, K Drieu2, G Fillion'

"Summary - The effects of sub-chronic cold stress on the functioning of hippocampal 5-HT,, receptors in old isolated rats and the
possible protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) were investigated. Cold exposure during five days, produced a
significant reduction of the inhibitory effect of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetraline (8-OH-DPAT) on forskolin-stimulated
adenylyl cyclase activity. In contrast, neither the affinity nor the density of hippocampal [3Hl8-OH-DPAT binding sites were affected
indicating that the reduced sensitivity of 5-HTl, receptors induced by stress is probably due to a modification of their coupling
mechanisms to adenylyl cyclase. The stress-induced desensitization of 5-HTl, receptors was prevented by the administration of EGb
761 (50 mglkg per os/14 days). These results clearly indicate that 5-HTI, receptors are desensitized by stress and point out the
reduced capacity of old rats to cope with the adverse effects of a chronic stressor. EGb 761 appears to restore the age-related
decreased capacity to adapt to a chronic stressor."

"The administration of Ginkgo biloba extract
(50 mg/kg per 0s for 14 days), prevented the
stress-induced reduction of the functional efficacy
of 5-HT,, receptors. These data, confirm and
extend previous findings indicating that EGb 761
may possess anti-stress properties (see introduction).
The long term treatment with EGb 761, produced
a relatively small decrease (-14%) of the
number of hippocampal 5-HT,, binding sites."

Hmm. That's enough for me to try it. I'm wondering if the intense stress of PSSD has caused some of us to be unable to recover due to this desensitization? I'll report back with how things go...

[ethanmatthews]

tryptophan deficient high protein diet for a few days to deplete serotonin in the raphe to resensitize 5-ht1a and other serotonin receptors and add ginkgo to prevent their desensitization.

[gatogordito]

How is your sleep? You mentioned you were taking zinc before. How much are you taking and what type?

[Ghost]

I'm away from home. Sleep has been ok to shitty-but I've dealt with that before. I think that this is more stress/ depression/ anxiety than anything else. I'm worried because things fluctuate with stress for me I think, but never to this degree. Although never this much stress in a long while.

[Tenyears27]

Ghost. Do you know how to meditate

[Blackout]

Everyday I'm more convinced that stress is the one thing that has made for me impossible to recover and why everything I try fails. And I now think mianserin and only mianserin helped me a little back during the winter 2012-2013, although not in the sexual area, but regarding to emotions. But for me, terror -I can't call my current stress other than pure terror- began during the following summer and has gotten worse and worse until today, and the only small window that I ever had lasted only 2 and a half weeks and was after stopping mianserin -not while on it-, but then anxiety came in and everything became a wreckage. I didn't know that strees desensitized 5-HT1A too.

[Tenyears27]

I read how stress shrinks the hippocampus, and the area of the brain belonging stress and fear increases in size, even after the stressful event subsided.

I then read how people who meditate, actually in the process Shrink that area of the brain linked with stress and fear, while the Hippocampus Grows, and grey matter in the frontal lobe grows.

Meditation helps accept this BS and forget about it. The more attention you give this shit the worst it gets. Stress will kill you. Pssd causes ALOT of stress in itself. I think it would benefit all of us to become experts at meditation. Iust twenty minutes a day before bed.

Put in some headphones, put on a good Beethoven song, and start with taking a deep breath, and hold it in your stomach until your stomach feels warm(10-20 seconds), and then slowly exhale through your mouth.

Then, your heart rate drops, and you focus.on your finger tips and your pulse, and then your breathing. While your attention is on your breath and pulse through your fingers, you start to acknowledge all the Shit going on in your head. Do this for twenty minutes. Every two mintues, take a deep diaphram breath, hold it until your stomach feels warm, and slowly exhale again. Keep your focus on your slow breathing, and your pulse.

While doing this, your brain will feel like its swimming, or like someone poking a whole in a balloon and all the pressure goes away. Its incredible

[Ghost]

I meditate, but haven't done it in a few days. I think that part of PSSD could be constant stress not allowing the body to recover. I've been so stressed over PSSD since I got it that I've never truly calmed down 100%. That could play a big part in recovery I think. The more I'm reading about Ginkgo, the more I think it could help. I'm gonna try it. Has anyone here done it before, and at what dose? I'm taking 30mg Zinc Picolinate daily. It really helped with morning erections until I hit this hard period (ironic haha). I've been pretty good up until now.

[Ghost]

Everyday I'm more convinced that stress is the one thing that has made for me impossible to recover and why everything I try fails

Yea I kinda see this as a possibility. If Louis had stress removed, then maybe after that 5ht1a could recover. IDK, I'm realizing that I need to fight my stress if I have any chance of truly getting over this thing once and for all. Which is my goal.

The other thing I'm going to try and do is study the fuck out of the 5ht1a receptor. I keep learning more, and the more I learn the more I can hypothesize on how to speed my recovery, and how to keep be better once I get there.

[gatogordito]

When I took zinc picolinate I started to have trouble sleeping and things seemed to be getting worse. I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling extremely agitated. If things don't improve, you should try taking a few days off the zinc to see if there is a difference.