LONGECITY

Hello everyone,

first of all sorry for my bad english, i hope you'll understand what I'm trying to say.

I'm currently 19 yrs old male, I've been on SSRI (fluvoxamine) when I was 12-14 for severe anxiety, phobia and I'd say also paranoia. I was on a lower dose (I think it was half of tablet every day, but I'm not sure)
When I stopped using it, everything was fine, I stopped as my doctor told me to, no withdrawal. However suddenly my morning erections stopped and never came back. (had my T and prolactin checked about a year back and it was ok, however doctor did not tell me the exact values of testosterone)

A year later I also started to experience problems I never had - intense itching when I sweated (this one was horrible, fortunately it went away), inability to concentrate, bad memory, sometimes motor problems, balance problems, sometimes speech problems, eye floaters, harder to get an erection, premature ejaculation, fatigue, brain fog, acne....
a year back I started to have problems with GERD (acid reflux)

I've been experimenting with supplements, trying to reverse these symptoms
recently tried low doses of Sulpiride - felt great for the first 3 days - focused, confident, had lot of energy, verbal fluency, did not have problem with waking up in the morning, motivation, however weaker erections, very low appetite
however tolerance developed very quickly and it does not work anymore..

Also tried piracetam+lecithin (cant get any other choline source in my country) with similar results, only the erections were better, experience even some morning erections. I was very active, motivated, with clear mind and confident (no social anxiety). i was also thinking much more (like before the ssri use) and It helped A LOT with my GERD problems..
But tolerance also occured.

I'm taking regularly zinc, B complex, fish oil, lecithin, vitamin C... 5 htp makes me very sleepy, also I sometimes experience the itching the day after I take it...
L-Tyrosine doesn't do anything to me, only helps my skin and acne
Rhodiola makes me feel energized, but I'm still brain fogged, same with exercise


I'm thinking of using tianeptine, since its the exact opposite of ssri, but its difficult for me to obtain... I'm also worried about long term use of medication, since the ssri did more harm than good in long term..
I'm looking for something, that will make me feel normal all the time (like sulpiride/piracetam did for me the first couple of days)

I'd be very grateful for any advice..
Thank you

Hi There,

To start with I didn't think your English was bad at all.

I am sorry to hear of your struggles, especially at such a young age. I am also sorry to see that with 91 views (as of now) not one person chimed in with any ideas, suggestions or general commentary.

I have struggled with something similar....the potential 'solution' works for a few days and then stops. What I am wondering, do you know for certain that the cognitive challenges you outlined are due to taking the SSRI?

Do you think that you may need to try a differen SSRI? Are you currently seeing a Doctor who can help you navigate this course?

I hope you have found some solutions / answers since your last post.

Be well - Z

Bupripion, agomelatine, tianeptine are the most noterworthy ADs I can think of that can be prosexual. Bup can be hit or miss (very prosexual for some and very antisexual in others). I had considerable success with agomelatine but sexual side effects caused me to stop (it made me hypersexual, totally preocupied with sexual thoughts and I had to release many times a day - this side effect didn't once subside and I attributed it to the increased DA/Norandrenic firing which is how the drug works). That might seem appealing to you given that you are struggling with libido right now but trust me too much of that sort of thing is another form of suffering.

Also, I PM'd you about Tongkat Ali with a source that works... Give that stuff a try for the libido, trust me you won't look back. Increased orgasmic intensity, increased wellbeing and a few other health benefits to boot. All this without the usual agressiveness you expect from supplements that interact with/or boost testosterone. I don't even know how the stuff works but I'm pretty sure it has an individual type of mechanism. I read somewhere once that it acts on LH so that could be the case. I'll have to look into a bit.

Also, stop drinking tap water, eat plenty of fat/cholestrol, start taking trans resveratrol, take buffered Vit C daily (for the adrenals), participate in regular strength enhancing training, maybe take the AD if you need it (stress will destroy libido)...

Get a hormonal check done... Find out what you need to do....

These things should help increase libido/test
Edited by Thorsten2, 25 September 2011 - 12:24 PM.

Rhodiola is a wonderful herb. Amazing for stress and combines beautifully with ashwagandha (another great herb for stress). The trick is to keep taking it. When you take it, sure it feels good but what you are taking it for is to lessen the load on your adrenals. Cut out coffee or stimulants of any kind and do the things I mentioned above and you should be golden for balancing your HPA and keeping testosterone at healthy levels. Us males are happiest when we are able to spread our seed so when it's not working down there things start getting nasty.

Coffee is a bit of a double edged coin really, It has useful antioxidants and some benefits in terms of health but it's still a stimulant which is a stressor to the body. Cacao is the same.
Edited by Thorsten2, 25 September 2011 - 12:32 PM.

I second the suggestion to take Tongkat Ali (as long as you find a good source!!) for libido. It should work quite well for you in that department Also, Rhodiola is a great herb that cured my panic attacks. Again, make sure you are taking the best brand you can find. The so called "Father of Rhodiola" recommends Rosavin. Those are the only two suggestions I can offer as both worked well for me..

In addition I have found Piracetam to have a mild anti-depressant as well as good anti-anxiety (aka anxiolytic) supplement . It may help with the brain fog issues you speak of.
Edited by JChief, 07 October 2011 - 08:31 AM.

If an SSRI harmed you at all long term, it may have been because you were on it at a young age. I believe you can heal from this. The best thing you could do is to exercise 5 times a week and follow it with a thorough meditative stretch.

If all supplement and medication treatments fail, getting on a different SSRI might not be a bad idea. I like zoloft(sertraline) and lexapro(escitalopram). You can try low doses of these to see if they are sufficient, especially with lexapro.

Are you taking omega 3s? New Chapter Wholemega is by far and above the best fish oil omega 3 supplement on the market.

A year later I also started to experience problems I never had - intense itching when I sweated (this one was horrible, fortunately it went away), inability to concentrate, bad memory, sometimes motor problems, balance problems, sometimes speech problems, eye floaters, harder to get an erection, premature ejaculation, fatigue, brain fog, acne....
a year back I started to have problems with GERD (acid reflux)

I would be hesitant to blame all of these symptoms on SSRI use. Actually, it's highly doubtful that most of these are a result of SSRI use. You have to consider that you had some things going on before you ever touched an SSRI. Did you go back to feeling anxiety or experiencing any other mental health issues a year after cessation? Just don't underestimate the impact mental health can have on your physiology.

Thank you for the replies!

I am not going to take SSRI's again. I'm scared to take it again but mainly I feel, that I would not benefit from it anymore. When I had the troubles, it helped, but only by sedating me and making me dull.. I don't feel, that I'm (or ever been) serotonin deficient at all. Also on SSRI I sometimes got very angry and sometimes suicidal.. I would however consider the atypical anti depressants like Bupropion, agomelatine, tianeptine.. To me, tianeptine seems to be the best one. Agomelatine has promising mechanism of action, but I'm concerned about it having similar effect like sulpiride when used long term- that when you stop, it actually upregulates the 5ht2c receptors, which I feel might be somewhat connected to my problems. Bupropion sounds good too, but I read that in long term it can make the libido/sexual problems even worse.

Recently I've been trying rhodiola, aswagandha, brahmi, piracetam + taking everyday fish oil, vitamin C, B complex, lecithin, zinc and magnesium.
Rhodiola is really good.. Don't really know about the aswagandha, the first time i took it I could not sleep whole night (which is strange, It is sedating for most people), I keep taking it and im not sure about the results, same with brahmi(bacopa).
I've been thinking of trying melatonin, since I'm quite tired throughout day , but in the evening I start to get much more energy and feel generally much better..

Exercise is excellent, it helps so much with the physical fatigue, but does not help with the mental fatigue. So i'm going to order ALCAR next week, hopefully it will help..

I don't if it's normal or not, but I noticed, that If I have sex right after I wake up, I don't have (or have much less) problems with premature ejaculation.. i'd say its normal, since the hormones should peak in the morning, or not?

I've been trying some yoga recently and it seems very promising, so we'll see..

When I was younger (before the SSRI use) I'd say that I had some kind of dopamine malfunction-I remember being completely normal kid, being out all the time with friends and than things started to change, I stopped going out entirely, started having these phobias and anxiety and bad moods, and all of this eventually led to the ssri's...
So I'd say dopamine (and maybe acetylcholine) are my targets, serotonin does not help (even after 5-htp I feel awful.. took it for 2 days and had to stop) and that's why I was wondering, if you think Selegiline could help

I really think and hope I can recover from this becase there are times, when things start to work like for 1 or 2 days, when I'm like a completely different person.. but after that It just goes back and I things are bad again... but even in this state I'm (most of the times) not depressed, so it has to be something else.

Thank you for the replies!

I am not going to take SSRI's again. I'm scared to take it again but mainly I feel, that I would not benefit from it anymore. When I had the troubles, it helped, but only by sedating me and making me dull.. I don't feel, that I'm (or ever been) serotonin deficient at all. Also on SSRI I sometimes got very angry and sometimes suicidal.. I would however consider the atypical anti depressants like Bupropion, agomelatine, tianeptine.. To me, tianeptine seems to be the best one. Agomelatine has promising mechanism of action, but I'm concerned about it having similar effect like sulpiride when used long term- that when you stop, it actually upregulates the 5ht2c receptors, which I feel might be somewhat connected to my problems. Bupropion sounds good too, but I read that in long term it can make the libido/sexual problems even worse.

Recently I've been trying rhodiola, aswagandha, brahmi, piracetam + taking everyday fish oil, vitamin C, B complex, lecithin, zinc and magnesium.
Rhodiola is really good.. Don't really know about the aswagandha, the first time i took it I could not sleep whole night (which is strange, It is sedating for most people), I keep taking it and im not sure about the results, same with brahmi(bacopa).
I've been thinking of trying melatonin, since I'm quite tired throughout day , but in the evening I start to get much more energy and feel generally much better..

Exercise is excellent, it helps so much with the physical fatigue, but does not help with the mental fatigue. So i'm going to order ALCAR next week, hopefully it will help..

I don't if it's normal or not, but I noticed, that If I have sex right after I wake up, I don't have (or have much less) problems with premature ejaculation.. i'd say its normal, since the hormones should peak in the morning, or not?

I've been trying some yoga recently and it seems very promising, so we'll see..

When I was younger (before the SSRI use) I'd say that I had some kind of dopamine malfunction-I remember being completely normal kid, being out all the time with friends and than things started to change, I stopped going out entirely, started having these phobias and anxiety and bad moods, and all of this eventually led to the ssri's...
So I'd say dopamine (and maybe acetylcholine) are my targets, serotonin does not help (even after 5-htp I feel awful.. took it for 2 days and had to stop) and that's why I was wondering, if you think Selegiline could help

I really think and hope I can recover from this becase there are times, when things start to work like for 1 or 2 days, when I'm like a completely different person.. but after that It just goes back and I things are bad again... but even in this state I'm (most of the times) not depressed, so it has to be something else.

Hopefully you take a good look at the tongkat ali suggestions..

Agomelatine is better than Tianeptine in my opinion.

From my experience Tianeptine works for about 2/3hrs then you get a crash. After a while it might make you feel a bit irritable and nervous where even redosing starts doing nothing at all. There are a few success stories on the internet, although not many.

Agomelatine is a bit of a creeper but comes with far less side effects. It might make you feel a bit low to start with but after a few weeks of usage it will make you feel pretty good. I experienced hypersexuality with it and that's the reason I stopped. It doesn't have that effect in everybody though. Good for anhedonia, less depressive thoughts. Working memory seemed to be improved on it too.

There isn't any withdrawal from it. The 5HT2C receptor doesn't work like that. All you'd experience is a very gradual return to normal function. The more you take the agomelatine the more more stimulated you become. It's a very gradual process and chronic dosing is the key to seeing what the drug is all about.

See the Agomelatine thread by animal (titled: 'dosage makes a massive difference' or something like that) if you want to know more about the pharmacology of the drug.
Edited by Thorsten2, 12 October 2011 - 11:24 AM.

What's your diet like? Have you tried living on mostly protein and fat? Lots of olive oil, chicken skin, egg yolk, animal fats will all increase cholestrol which in theory should produce more testosterone further down the line. But, if you're head space is ravaged by stress then most of what you take in through cholestrol will get chanelled into cortisol to deal with the stress response. That's why a good diet along with an adaptogen like Rhodiola could be a good thing. Or if your depression is that bad I personally would try a low dose of something like Lexapro (one of the more clever SSRIs) or go with the Agomelatine as side kicks of course to your healthy lifestyle. By all means give Tianeptine a try if you want to it definitely wouldn't hurt. Even Bupripion would be worth trying.

to the OP when you mention the piracetam+lecithin combo resulted in tolerance. Well, have you tried going back to it? In addition to the other suggestions I'd think piracetam might be worth another go - even if its along with other options. Tongkat ali.. libido problems go away! I'm telling you it's worth a shot. I don't know anybody that's tried it not mention the libido "enhancement" as one of the first things they notice.
Edited by JChief, 12 October 2011 - 12:54 PM.

I have taken 5HTP off and on but now i take it regularly. I never had this erection problem...and for a very good reason. I believe that 5HTP is a very novel supplement but it must be used very intelligently and with restraint or you get a dead dick syndrome...lol
I take my multivitamin in the morning with some addtional vit C at breakfast and the open 3 capsules and pour them in the palm of my hand (Ginkgo around 30mg, 5HTP between 5 and 10mg and 20mg of GotuKola). I take that on top of my multi. I also take addtional 300IU of D3 as well with all this. I do go off 5HTP for 3 or 4 days if i feel its a little too much of it now but i dont really get any side effects as such to begin with. I keep changing my regimens often so my body doesn't get used to one kind of routine. I keep adding and deleting some stuff here and there like resveratrol or ashwagandha etc. And i believe in the minimum effective dosage philosophy. This kind of 5HTP intake has worked wonders for me, i dont know if it will be helpful for others. For me long term intake of 5HTP must be in this range so i can cum at will with my ladies and impress them with my ejaculatory control...lol

Panax Ginseng

Start with 500mg first thing in the morning and increase carefully over time as needed. There can be initial effects but the real changes start usually after a week of continous use. This will change your life.. no, it will return it. When Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Siberian Ginseng, Schizandra, Gotu Kola, Bacopa, Mucuna, Cordyceps & Reishi, Chaga mushroom, multivitamins, B-vitamins, minerals, amino acids weren't able to give long term results for my brain fog, general wellbeing, low libido and just not feeling right, Panax Ginseng has been the only thing to deliver constant improvement to bring me back to life.