41 replies to this topic

[matthias7]

For men its icariin 50% extraction. Did you try yohimbine? It could help but will generate rapid tolerance.

You need to dose icariin fairly heavily and run a cycle for >1 month.

The result should be insane libido. Icariin will not generate tolerance.

Icariin will operate independently to T levels.

Edited by matthias7, 10 January 2010 - 02:04 AM.

[matthias7]

Cabergoline
Pramipexole
Ropinirole

One of these (I forget which) worries me alot - D3 agonist.

[matthias7]

Cordyceps is a great supplement for increasing libido and testosterone.

It increases stamina and my have other benifits. It ain't for libido nor T.

I'm from sports supplements and boosting T and libido is route 1.

Cordyceps (alot of strain variation) is used for endurance.

[robbs]

I also have sexual anhedonia, it's been more or less persistent since I had CFS-like symptoms in 2007.

I too have tried almost everyting on your list, Bupoprion helped me at low doses, but lost it's effectiveness quickly and gave me terrible sleep.
Lyrica (pregabalin) also made me more interested in sex and intimacy.

This summer I tried the DRI MDPV a few times, and LSD once.

This autumn, following tyrosine supplementation, I had 50% of my libido back for a month or so, even started having spontaneus erections daytime! Suddenly porn was interesting again!
But then I tried venlafaxine (SNRI) one night before a sexual encounter to decrease sensitivity, and since then, libido was gone again.

My theory is that there has been some kind of change in genetic expression, either in serotonin receptor sensitivity or tyrosine hydroxylase activity.

I'm going to try MDPV again and see if there is any persistent change in sex drive.

Anybody else have experienced persistent changes from any drug/supplement use, even after it has ended?

[OneScrewLoose]

I advised against MAOI's because they don't match the appropriate constellation of systems; this is not a classical presentation of depression, nor is there any specific indications of mood-reactivity, atypical subtype, or interpersonal sensitivity; those are the indices most closely associated with the MAOI-responsive subtype. I think that playing "pin the tail on the donkey" with various treatment types becomes deleterious at a certain point, and it's far better to take a targeted approach.
I really don't appreciate the sarcasm about neuroplasticity. Explain to me how the magic of neuroplasticity can recover hedonic tone? And more importantly, how meditation achieves this? Yes, hypothetically it could work... is there any particular reason to believe it would where other methods have failed? You're using that word as if it were "magic" without taking thought to the pathways involved. It's one thing to regenerate, say, short-term memory or motor function, curbing negative thought processes, reducing visceral aversions, etc... but those all require targeted therapies; and pardon me for being skeptical of your Starcraft experiments.
Something that requires a great deal of effort with only, potentially, a marginal gain... you might as well suggest calisthenics and eating your fruits and veggies. It's not inherently damning, but false hope and more run-of-the-mill generic "panaceas" are.

I didn't say it would fix it (it really probably wouldn't), but it might help, depending on the source of the problem. I know things like anxiety can get in the way of enjoying things, and I know that the fear of sexual dysfunction can cause further sexual dysfunction. These are the kind of things that meditation could support. I never said it would fix it, I was responding to the implication that it was useless. My view is that if anything can help, then do it. Be it meditation, pharma, supps, exercises, whatever, attack the problems from all sides. But some people here seem to treat these things like they're mutually exclusive.

Edited by OneScrewLoose, 16 January 2010 - 09:40 AM.

[robbs]

I understand that people are willing to give any input that might help, so in order to clarify what the problem is about, as I have experienced it myself, and as I percieved is similar to the original poster's experience, here is my description of the problem:

First of all; to all non sufferers of this kind of sexual anhedonia, it's pretty hard to understand exactly what it feels like.

Of course, there are some anxiety related to the condition, but it's not about interrelational problems. Usually the anxiety is about being unable to form an emotional connection (erotic or romantic) to a partner because of the lack of emotions. Should one still engage in sexual encounters, the physiological aspects of are usually intact, which means being able to achieve an erected state, and reaching ejaculation.
Only differences are: Lack of emotions connected to the sexual act, the partner, numbness in the penis, low ejaculatory semen volume.

The problem actually looks a lot like PSSD, Post- Ssri Sexual Dysfunction, although a lot of people seem to get it even if they have not used SSRI's or related antidepressants (TCA's, SNRI's etc.).

My own problems arose after prolonged serious stress, and although I started using SSRI's afterwards, the sexual problems where already present before the treatment had began, and they didn't change in nature after the treatment had begun or ended. I have found several stories from young males (of both hetero- and homo-oriented sexuality) who have retold the same story, or a story that closely resembles my own: (my own words)

Up to a certain age (16-22) normal sexual drive was present. After that, a decline in sexual interest (and interest in partners) occured over one to three years.
Some had emotional problems attached to their sexuality, some had not. The homosexual person's story revealed that he was already "out of the closet", and comfortable in his sexuality. This implies that the problem is different from interpersonal anxiety around sex.
Symptoms are as described above.

It's hard to grasp, but it's like "Doing the movements of sexual intercourse, while having the mental state of doing paperwork", you can do it; but it's no more arousing than doing your tax return.

Oh, and on therapy, I myself was very anxious about my decline in sexual drive and ability, and went to a certified sex therapist. Although the sessions didn't help with my sex drive, they made a substantial improvement in making me more comfortable with my situation and accepting condition.

And on the note on latent homosexuality or other sexuality differing from one's own percieved one; I have seriously considered different sexualities, thinking that perhaps my sexuality had shifted from hetero to homo or other. This made me more open to thinking differently about sexuality and more accepting of other sexualities than the norm, however, I did not find anything that could make me sexually aroused.

Togameru> It would be interesting if you could give your opinion on my description, if it differs from your own experience and if so, then how! Please respond.

Edited by robbs, 16 January 2010 - 12:53 PM.

[schmaltz]

Hi, If you google "ejaculatory anhedonia" you will find this topic being actively discussed. I don't know the cause and no one seems to have any reliable "cure."

[nowayout]

morgantor: I can think of hundreds of things that are more fun than sex. Roller blading, ice skating, kite flying, backyard rockets, absailing, bungee jumping, jet skying, boating or sailing, water skiing, fishing, kayaking, motor cross, drifting, drag racing, go karting, mountain climbing, hiking, bike riding or mountain biking, running, cave exploring, weight training, eating, cooking, gardening, chemistry experiments, electronics, HAM radio engineering, woodwork, swimming, surfing, body boarding, flying fox, air balooning, hunting, paintball, gaming, sporting, computer hacking, making prank calls and so on.

Seriously, making prank calls, etc., are more fun to you than sex?

You must not be doing sex right...

[SocietyOfMind]

I haven't had a libidinal problem (although I've noticed repressed libido after traumatic break-ups, and finasteride did blunt my libido very slightly), but the following did spike it for me:

L-Arginine or Arginine Pyroglutamate (a few grams right before going to sleep)
Red meat in large quantities (could be the tryptophan; I don't know)
Ecklonia cava
Resistance training or high-intensity training (probably a GH link)

[SocietyOfMind]

P.S. Tianeptine is one of the more unusual substances that may work for dysthymia. Then there's agomelatine, which may work for anhedonia (if you can afford it!).
Have you tried ritalin, or don't you want to go there?

EDIT: See you have tried tianeptine.

Edited by SocietyOfMind, 25 January 2012 - 09:02 PM.

[panhedonic]

Togameru: I see you were worried about getting silence as an only reply. You instead got this community interested and helpful. Where did you go? I hope you are doing fine. It would be nice if you chimed in and told us how you are doing.

[iseethelight]

Bumping this old thread because I suffer from the same  issues as the OP and have already tried all the non-prescription natural supplements he's mentioned to no avail as well. Only thing that has helped to some extent are BCCAs but they cause other undesirable side effects that unacceptable to me as well.

 

Anyways, the OP mentioned that quetiapine and ziprasidone helped him a bit, a quick google on these drugs show their main mode of action is dopamine antagonism. But they have a truckload of side effects. So it's safe to say that our anhedonia is most likely is due to too much dopamine. Now the issue finding something natural that can decrease dopamine without decreasing the other neurotransmitters.

Edited by iseethelight, 18 February 2018 - 10:47 AM.