14 replies to this topic

[GG123]

Hi all... I had been taking rhodiola for about a month or so and it worked great. I had energy, I had vivid dreams, and my workouts at the gym were tremendous. However, within the last week and a half of taking it, I've noticed that I was having a similar weakened libido like I did when I was on SSRI's. This bothered me greatly so I stopped taking the rhodiola and now it seems like my erections will "start", if you will, but if there's not constant contact/stimulation they will get weak. This hasn't ever really happened to me before, even when I was on SSRIs I would be able to maintain an erection once it started.

Prior to taking the rhodiola I would centrally feel turned on, where as now I almost feel a lack of caring or wanting sex. This is not who I am and it is freaking me out.

Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know a possible mechanism that caused this to happen? Depleted dopamine in the brainstem, perhaps? Or does anyone know a way to reverse/cure it? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!

Here's what I was taking:

GNC Rhodiola 340mg (3% Rosavins, 10.2 mg of active drug). Started taking 1 capsule every morning, increased to 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Some days I took 2 capsules to start the day.

I also take 2 fish oil capsules, 1 multivitamin, and 1 Super B complex daily. Upon terminating the rhodiola, I have started taking brahmi, 1 capsule twice daily.

Thanks again!

Edited by GG123, 21 May 2012 - 04:32 PM.

[malden]

Rhodolia have a different meschanism than an ssri, personaly it helps my libido.

[GG123]

Hey malden, thanks for the reply... everything I've read has most male users stating that it helps their libido. I couldn't find a single thread that said otherwise. I don't know if it's just me or what the hell is going on, but it's ridiculously frustrating.

[gizmobrain]

I know that some people find that it works better if they cycle it. Some take it every other day. I've even seen some people recommend taking it for the first 3-4 days of a week and then not taking it for the rest.

Maybe this would help?

[GG123]

I tried taking a little time off and it didn't help. I haven't taken any in over 5 weeks and I mean I can orgasm but if I stop having stimulation it gets soft. It's really becoming frustrating!

[gizmobrain]

I just reread the OP and the first time through, I think I read it wrong.

Just to clarify: You took Rhodiola for about a month, libido started to decrease, so you discontinued and your libido never returned to normal even after several weeks?

If this is the case, it might not have been the Rhodiola. Maybe you saw an increase in libido when you first started taking it, but your body developed a tolerance to the libido boosting effects.

How long after taking SSRI's did you start taking Rhodiola? They have some pretty long lasting effects on sexual health, according to anecdotal reports.

You may choose to take something like Solaray's ViraMax (I recommend the Yohimbe Free version, less stress on the heart). It is pretty gentle, but may give you the boost you are looking for. It also boosts dopamine a bit (Catuaba especially), so it can even help with energy and concentration outside of the bedroom.

[GG123]

Correct my libido never returned. It went from a 7 to a 2 if that helps quantify it.

I was off SSRIs for 4 months before I took the rhodiola. My libido was "back to normal" by the time I started the rhodiola. My libido never changed when on the rhodiola, it only decreased while on it which led me to discontinue taking it.

I'll definitely look into that, thanks! I just want to get back to normal and not need drugs :(

[knutsayang]

Correct my libido never returned. It went from a 7 to a 2 if that helps quantify it.

I was off SSRIs for 4 months before I took the rhodiola. My libido was "back to normal" by the time I started the rhodiola. My libido never changed when on the rhodiola, it only decreased while on it which led me to discontinue taking it.

I'll definitely look into that, thanks! I just want to get back to normal and not need drugs :(

i am not sure about the effect you describe from rhodiola. But i had the same problem and i found Tribulus, Ginkgo and Maca to be VERY helpful. Arginine to some extent as well.

[GG123]

Did that come in combination? Also did you have to take it everyday? Lastly, did you ever "recover" and not require it anymore?

I'm 29 going on 30 so I feel like I'm too young for this!

[knutsayang]

Did that come in combination? Also did you have to take it everyday? Lastly, did you ever "recover" and not require it anymore?

I'm 29 going on 30 so I feel like I'm too young for this!

I am of the same age actually.

It does not come in combination. Actually try them one by one and see what works. At least you will know for sure if something works. All of them seem to work for me. I continue taking them, and cycle on and off. As far as I know, there are no ill-effects (you might want to check long term effects of tribulus though, not sure), so why not. Whether I have recovered, I cant tell because I havent stopped taking them.

[GG123]

I am of the same age actually.

It does not come in combination. Actually try them one by one and see what works. At least you will know for sure if something works. All of them seem to work for me. I continue taking them, and cycle on and off. As far as I know, there are no ill-effects (you might want to check long term effects of tribulus though, not sure), so why not. Whether I have recovered, I cant tell because I havent stopped taking them.

When did the issue arise for you? Was it out of the blue or was it something that was progressing?

I've been doing a ton of research and I'm learning that beta-endorphin (an agent that is increased by taking rhodiola) plays a vital role in sexual interest and strength of erection. I just don't know of any ways to displace them from my receptors or to find an agent that would "bring it back to baseline" in my brain.

Frustraing to say the least.

[maximum411]

Hey- I just found this thread and I know that it's old, but my situation is so similar that I felt that I had to post. I started taking rhodiola about a month after a minor surgery I had at the beginning of January, since I wasn't allowed to exercise or do much for six weeks and was feeling a bit frustrated/depressed/unmotivated. I still had a very strong sex drive after the surgery and before I started taking rhodiola (as I should, being a 19-year-old guy). I started taking rhodiola in the last week of January, and it was maybe a week before I started noticing effects. They were subtle, but I did feel more carefree, sociable, and confident, and I just had a better overall sense of well-being.

I didn't notice a decline in sex drive on the rhodiola until one certain experience- I met someone at a party that I had been really attracted to for months, and we ended up fooling around, and I was barely able to keep it up. If anything, I had been worried that I would finish too quickly. I was barely able to keep erect with this person I had been so attracted to for so long. This was after I had been taking rhodiola for about 2 1/2 weeks. I sort of dismissed it and chalked it up to nervousness (I had only had one drink that night, so that was unlikely to be the cause). However, after that experience, I noticed that my sexual desire had pretty much completely vanished. While I have had multiple daily sexual fantasies and spontaneous erections basically since puberty began, I basically didn't think about sex at all anymore or feel any sexual desire. Experiences/people that normally would have been extremely arousing to me no longer seemed to register. I could make myself orgasm through masturbating, but it was not as easy as normal and I didn't really get any erections without stimulation.

I stopped taking rhodiola about 2 weeks ago, and my sex drive is still significantly reduced. I do think it has increased a bit over this period of time- I think that I am now starting to have some of the feelings of attraction I used to have. My sex drive is definitely still not as strong as it used to be, though. I think that such a drastic change to my sex drive can only be because of my starting rhodiola, but I can't be 100% sure. I also started taking creatine monohydrate (5 grams daily) at about the same time as a workout supplement, and upped my coffee intake a bit too. The rhodiola seems by far the most plausible to me due to its mood-altering effects. Antidepressants are known to cause loss of libido and sexual dysfunction. While this is most common with SSRIs, and studies indicate that rhodiola may act more like an MAOI, MAOIs have also been known to cause a loss of libido, and pretty much anything that increases serotonin levels (as rhodiola does) can cause a decrease in libido.

As a side note, I was taking Gaia Herbs rhodiola at the suggested dose (2 capsules daily). I did take 3 or 4 on one day to see if I would feel stronger effects, but in general I stuck to the suggested dose. A couple of weeks ago, I was really freaking out that I had permanently killed my sex drive, so I stopped taking all supplements and caffeine when I stopped the rhodiola. I started taking creatine again now that I think I can feel my sex drive coming back. After doing some research, I am still a bit worried because my sex drive is still definitely not normal, but I think I can probably expect to recover. From what I have read, if an MAOI is an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (which degrades serotonin), it permanently disables the monamine oxidase enzymes currently in your brain, and you just have to wait for new monoamine oxidase to be produced before you are back to baseline. From my reading, monoamine oxidase takes about a month to return to significant levels after depletion through inhibition by MAOIs. Of course, this is completely speculative and not exactly rigorous science, but it does indicate that I might want to give myself another couple of weeks to see if I return to normal before I really get worried.

I just thought I would share my experience to confirm what the OP had posted, and to give people something to consider before taking rhodiola. Very few things that alter your physiology have no side effects, and it makes perfect sense that an herbal supplement that acts as an antidepressant may have some of the same side effects as antidepressants. Of course, I could be completely wrong and the rhodiola may have absolutely nothing to do with my loss of libido, but it seems the most likely cause to me. If anything, it is something to keep in mind if you are worried about your libido and thinking of taking rhodiola. I really hope that I will see my sex drive return over the next few weeks, because for it to permanently stay at the level it is now would pretty much kill my future sex life.

[NeuroNootropic]

I was taking Rhodiola for about 5 weeks before I stopped taking it 3 days ago. It worked well for the first 2 weeks then worked in a subtle manner for 2 more weeks after that and then it just stopped working all together. My sex drive has been dead for a long time and it happened long before I started taking any medications or supplements. Despite this, I am still able to get erections, but I just have no desire whatsoever. I was also taking Maca with it and still am today, but I have taken Maca by itself in the past.

When I took Maca by itself in the past it would increase my sexual desire by just a little bit that it was almost unnoticeable, however it did not increase it this time. I think it's because of the Rhodiola. Furthermore, since starting Rhodiola my nipples have been puffier than usual, a sign of increased prolactin.

I think Rhodiola works by inhibiting MAO-A and/or MAO-B. I have taken Moclobemide in the past, which is a reversible MAO-A and the two are very similar in terms of their effects. Moclobemide also made my nipples puffy and there are studies that document the increased prolactin it induces:

Neuroendocrine' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9547133']Neuroendocrine challenge studies are frequently used to study the pathophysiology of psychiatric illnesses and the effects of psychotropic drug treatment on brain monoamine function. Moclobemide, a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, with predominant effects on the A-type of the enzyme, was administered to 15 healthy men. Seven out of the 15 also received single blind placebo a week before the moclobemide. The individuals received moclobemide as a single dose (150 mg), followed by doses of 150 mg three times a day, during a 4-week period. Plasma prolactin was measured in the morning over a 150-min period, following the single dose, and then at the end of weeks 1, 2 and 4 of moclobemide intake. The present data show an acute and transitory increase of plasma prolactin levels after the single dose, and also during the long-term moclobemide administration. It might indicate that steady-state moclobemide levels, during the long-term drug administration, were low and thus large fluctuations of drug levels occurred between doses. Thus, it is suggested that larger doses or administering smaller doses more frequently, or both, may induce hyperprolactinaemia with clinical consequences.

→ source (external link)

Moclobemide' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7905288']Moclobemide, p-chloro-N-[morpholinoethyl]benzamide, is a prototype of RIMA (reversible inhibitor of MAO-A) agents. The compound possesses antidepressant efficacy that is comparable to that of tricyclic and polycyclic antidepressants. In humans, moclobemide is rapidly absorbed after a single oral administration and maximum concentration in plasma is reached within an hour. It is moderately to markedly bound to plasma proteins. MAO-A inhibition rises to 80% within two hours; the duration of MAO inhibition is usually between eight and ten hours. The activity of MAO is completely reestablished within 24 hours of the last dose, so that a quick switch to another antidepressant can be safely undertaken if clinical circumstances demand. RIMAs are potent inhibitors of MAO-A in the brain; they increase the free cytosolic concentrations of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine in neuronal cells and in synaptic vesicles. Extracellular concentrations of these monoamines also increase. In the case of moclobemide, increase in the level of serotonin is the most pronounced. Moclobemide administration also leads to increased monoamine receptor stimulation, reversal of reserpine induced behavioral effects, selective depression of REM sleep, down regulation of beta-adrenoceptors and increases in plasma prolactin and growth hormone levels. It reduces scopolamine-induced performance decrement and alcohol induced performance deficit which suggest a neuroprotective role. Tyramine potentiation with moclobemide and most other RIMA agents is negligible.

→ source (external link)

I can't find any studies on Rhodiola's relationship with prolactin, but from my experience it seems to increase it.

[bugasman]

Nice to find those reviews about Rhodiola. My libido dropped for sure. Everytime I use it I start to have anger outbursts, depressive thoughts and even suicidal idealizations. I tried it many times because of positive reviews on forums and scientific papers. My conclusion is that Rhodiola is more serotonergic due the same side effects of SSRIs. It really increases energy but in a negative way. The only positive effect I liked is the reduction of cigarrette craving, a indicative of reduced hedonistic tone? Maybe there is a different extract that is more dopaminergic. But I don't want to find, Rhodiola is excluded on my "feel good" substances. I recommend this article about serotonin: http://raypeat.com/a...ggression.shtml

[Douglass]

I have found this thread 2 months ago. So, I started using Rhodiola for my erection. Now I can say, No, it doesn't work for me. I had tried everything possible to get an erection. Only magic blue pill works great!