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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by crabwalk on May 5, 2006, at 16:13:30
Hello, I've had sexual dysfunction since I took prozac for 6 months. I quit in march '05 but none of the sexual side effects went away. Specifically I don't respond to visual/auditory stimuli, don't have any pleasurable physical sensation, and I have problems getting an erection, also some testicular shrinkage. I'm 23.
Has anyone used tongkat ali to combat sexual problems from meds? Any success, specifically in pleasure/arousal/libido? Any other ideas maybe? I've been devastated for over a year now.
Posted by Declan on May 5, 2006, at 19:44:36
In reply to tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunction?, posted by crabwalk on May 5, 2006, at 16:13:30
I've never taken it, but would be interested to hear of other's experiences. I wonder if it is stimulating. There are a heap of TCM herbs that could be helpful, but they are all stimulating (no good for me).
What about mucana? Would it help what the Prozac done to your brain?
Linkadge might have something sensible to say about this.
Declan
Posted by crabwalk on May 6, 2006, at 12:32:17
In reply to Re: tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunctio » crabwalk, posted by Declan on May 5, 2006, at 19:44:36
I haven't tried mucuna, much for the same reason you mentioned. Others with this problem have tried it with a minimal benefit. I'm on emsam right now anyway, so i'm not sure what all that dopamine would do.
I have tried a bunch of herbs, e.g. ginkgo, yohimbe, chrysin, fish oil. I'm interested in tongkat ali because of the claim that it stimulates the testes and possibly tissue growth in general. It feels like my genitals have atrophied, but my hormone levels are all within range so I'm not eligible for HCG treatment.
> I've never taken it, but would be interested to hear of other's experiences. I wonder if it is stimulating. There are a heap of TCM herbs that could be helpful, but they are all stimulating (no good for me).
> What about mucana? Would it help what the Prozac done to your brain?
> Linkadge might have something sensible to say about this.
> Declan
Posted by Declan on May 6, 2006, at 15:05:59
In reply to Re: tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunctio, posted by crabwalk on May 6, 2006, at 12:32:17
I meant to try it, and forget now what it does. (inhibits the enzyme that converts estrogen to testosterone?) No luck?
Declan
Posted by blueberry on May 7, 2006, at 13:53:48
In reply to tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunction?, posted by crabwalk on May 5, 2006, at 16:13:30
Sorry to hear about the probs. That stinks.
One thing prozac does is boost norepineprine levels and dopamine levels in the brain, in addition to the serotonin reuptake. The serotonin reuptake kind of over rides the increased dopamine and norepinephrine, but still the brain was accustomed to that norepinephrine and dopamine from the prozac. Now they aren't there and the brain is acting differently.
Have you tried a stimulant like ritalin or adderall? They can boost sex drive on an as-needed basis. Viagra will take care of the erection problems.
I think if you typed "libido" and "natural" into a google search you would come up with a thousand things. You might just visit the health food store and see what they have. Sadly, you'll have to try each on its own to see. They will all have downfalls or side effects you don't like.
A natural for depression that enhanced my sex drive was st johns wort. It would also get those norepineprhine and dopamine levels back up. It also lowers prolactin levels, which is good for sex drive.
Posted by crabwalk on May 7, 2006, at 20:35:01
In reply to Chrysin, posted by Declan on May 6, 2006, at 15:05:59
Yeah, it's an aromatase inhibitor and also a GABA-A agonist, so it's slightly relaxing. Definitely raised testosterone for me, got a little more muscular and had more sexual fantasies, but I still didn't have what I would call normal sexual functioning. My penis was still numb and I still didn't respond at all to visual or auditory stimuli. I eventually stopped it cause I thought it might have started a negative feedback, and when I stopped I felt like crap for a little while.
> I meant to try it, and forget now what it does. (inhibits the enzyme that converts estrogen to testosterone?) No luck?
> Declan
Posted by crabwalk on May 7, 2006, at 21:28:11
In reply to Re: tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunction?, posted by blueberry on May 7, 2006, at 13:53:48
Interesting theory, but I had all these problems while on paxil and prozac, not just after. It's as if I'm still taking ssris and getting the side effects but none of the antidepressant effect. I don't think it's really a prolonged withdrawal, which is what you described, but more of a rearranging that the drug induced that reverses in most people, but doesn't with some unlucky ones. Serotonin generally inhibits dopamine, which is why Parkinson's patients can't take ssris. I got restless leg on prozac, which is a dopamine dependent side effect. If ssris have any reuptake effect on dopamine, it's probably wiped out by serotonin's inhibitory effect on it.
It seems for some people psych drugs in general can have some nasty, long-term side effects. It's happened twice to me, first with ssris and complete loss of sexual feeling, and then I tried buspar, which gave me akathisia and a hand tremor. The tremor hasn't gone away now 4 months after quitting.
St. John's Wort can also cause sexual side effects. I know of a guy who has the same problem I do, but it was caused by SJW, not ssris. Glad it worked for you, but I don't think it's an option for me. I am on emsam now anyway, but still waiting for sexual functioning to come back.
> Sorry to hear about the probs. That stinks.
>
> One thing prozac does is boost norepineprine levels and dopamine levels in the brain, in addition to the serotonin reuptake. The serotonin reuptake kind of over rides the increased dopamine and norepinephrine, but still the brain was accustomed to that norepinephrine and dopamine from the prozac. Now they aren't there and the brain is acting differently.
>
> Have you tried a stimulant like ritalin or adderall? They can boost sex drive on an as-needed basis. Viagra will take care of the erection problems.
>
> I think if you typed "libido" and "natural" into a google search you would come up with a thousand things. You might just visit the health food store and see what they have. Sadly, you'll have to try each on its own to see. They will all have downfalls or side effects you don't like.
>
> A natural for depression that enhanced my sex drive was st johns wort. It would also get those norepineprhine and dopamine levels back up. It also lowers prolactin levels, which is good for sex drive.
Posted by ghuber on May 11, 2006, at 21:06:45
In reply to tongkat ali for ssri-induced sexual dysfunction?, posted by crabwalk on May 5, 2006, at 16:13:30
Yes, I've been taking TA. It seems to be working well. In a nutshell, TA works by stimulating the testes to produce more testosterone. Obviously higher testosterone levels lead to increased sexual desire.
Truthfully I had a similiar experience to the what you've described... I used the following combo to get my sex drive back... Actually it set it into overdrive. Beware!
Multi-V (Make sure it has Zinc)
1g L-Tyrosine daily in morning on empty stomach
400-600mg of Tribulus Terrestris dailyOne word of caution... When you supplement with L-Tyrosine for long periods of time, it's a good idea to throw in a serotonin precursor amino acid like 5-HTP or L-Tryptophan in order to avoid unbalanced neurotransmitter levels. After 2-4 weeks of straight Tyrosine supplementation, add either 1g of L-Tryptophan or 100-200mg daily of 5-HTP, but do not take the chosen amino at the same time as the L-Tyrosine as they will wind up competiting with one another to cross the blood brain barrier.
This is the end of the thread.
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