Are there any supplements to Increase Libido without increasing Testosterone

I tried to post this under the supplements section, but I was denied. Hopefully I can get a good answer here.

I am taking an SSRI antidepressant right now (zoloft), and it’s really killed my libido and lowered my erection quality. I’d like to take a supplement to boost my libido, but I am afraid of boosting testosterone levels. I have a receding hairline which I’ve been “preserving” with Rogaine Foam and Nizoral Shampoo (the Ketoconazole in the shampoo has been proven in studies to reduce DHT in the scalp) and I’ve actually had fairly good regrowth.

However, I am afraid of taking supplements such as Tribulus Terrestris or Tongkat Ali, because I am afraid that they will raise both my testosterone levels, as well as my DHT levels.

1) Are there any supplements out there that have worked to increase your libido and erection quality, but that work through a different mechanism than increasing testosterone?

Also, I have already ordered some Tongkat Ali due to large amounts of positive reviews I’ve seen. I am hoping that my Nizoral with Rogaine Foam Combo will be enough to counteract any possible DHT increases.or maybe Tongkat can somehow raise testosterone without increasing DHT?

Anybody take Tongkat without experiencing hair loss (obviously I mean only people who are genetically predisposed to hair loss)..

Complicated as hell question, and I know there are no definite answers.I’d just like some thoughts on it.

Thanks!

Difficult to say if anything will help through the side effects of SSRI’s.

L-Taurine has reported benefits for hair loss. Could potentially try L-Arginine for libido etc, go for a good bio-available form though ,or you’ll be wasting your time. (Ethyl Ester L-Arginine as an example)

Try ginkgo biloba and mucuna pruriens. They both work for me.

Maca and Korean Ginseng have documented effects on libido in SSRI patients, purified mucuna pruriens (levodopa) would probably work but is potentially dangerous. The combo I’ve found to work against an SSRI (not sure which parts are doing it) is:

tribulus terrestris (active ingredient is a molecule similar to DHEA)
icariin (active ingredient in horny goat weed, but known to mimic testosterone)
maca
korean ginseng
sometimes levodopa

Ginkgo has had some success with reversing SSRI induced erectile dysfunction.As has Yohimbine. The Ginkgo needs to be taken daily and for a certain length of time before it will work. Yohimbine generally needs to be taken for a short time before it begins to work. I have had greater success with Yohimbe than with Yohimbine. Both can be had as supplements.

I have used PrimaForce Yohimbine with rather limited results for erection improvements.
The two brands of Yohimbe I recommend are Twinlabs Yohimbe Fuel or Rite Aid Pharmassure Yohimbe. The latter is very strong! Be careful. Heavy side effects. I believe it is the same product as GNC Yohimbe. They make it for Rite Aid.But, have never experimented with GNC. The one brand that has had very minor side effect that can work but not as well as the other two is Mason brand Yohimbe. I’ve come to believe the stronger the side effects for Yohimbe the better it works for erections.The erection enhancement effect begins within 1-2 hours for me. This is my experience others may vary.

Please, do your own research before deciding to take any of these suggestions. From my reading of this board. Most people here frown on Yohimbe because of the side effects. Blood pressure can be effected. Personally,I have not had major problems with it.I can tolerate the sides but then again I do not use it often.

Neither will raise your testosterone.

99 percent of the time “test boosters:”

1. Don’t actually boost your testosterone
2. If they have any minor effects you will not have any hair problems

However, it’s more about getting extracts than a designer steroid to make sure those two things.

Have you got a link to this one? I only saw it shown to work in an open trial, with no blinding/control condition. The double/triple blind follow-ups showed no effect, it’s possible I missed a better study though. Also did yohimbine affect your libido at all?

I use ginkgo to counteract the side effects of SSRIs, and it works very well. You need to take it daily slight above the dosage recommended as a dietary supplement. You will start noticing effects in about 2 to 3 weeks. Remember to get good quality product, though.

I have tried maca, horny goat weed, Korean ginseng and mucuna pruriens. They all work but the best among these is mucuna pruriens.

R Dopa, I do not recall where I read this(The Ginkgo). I believe it was a study but I may be wrong. I have researched for many years primarily for erection enhancement. Hey, I want to compete with the younger guys and not have to spend 10-15 bucks a pill to do so. Though, I have used cialus and it is amazing!Unfortunately, I tend to dump links after not referring to them in months at a time.But, you certainly may be correct.

Actually, I think it was a The Physicians PDA that listed Yohimbine as a actual aphrodisiac? I personally had poor and limited improvements with the Yohimbine I tried. A prescription med may have worked better? But I do not believe the Yohimbine I used was bad or not Yohimbine. The stuff is pretty cheap for theses companies to buy in lots. I have used as much as 18mg at one time. I have used it for a couple of weeks in a row, dosing 5mg 3 times a day. It never beat using a single capsule of TwinLabs Yohimbe Fuel for erection or for horniness. Personally,I have a rather strong libido most always and it’s hard for me to tell if something has that effect on me that way. I will say, I do notice it on TongKat but the effects stop at around day 3. Tongkat also improved erection performance for me but again, after 3 days: Nothing! Yohimbe works 99% of the time for me.I have had it not work very well but that is very rare. I am rather interested in your L-dopa experiment.

Tongkat is the only supplement that actually will increase your testosterone. Maca will boost your drive through the roof (or should, YMMV apparently), but will not increase your test levels. I’ve found Tribulus to be total bullshit and do nothing what it says. Yeah, I know, supposedly if you get the Bulgarian Tribulus with whatever extract level, it’s foreal, but honestly, for the cost, why not go with TA in the first place?

Just a quick note, I’d been taking my normal regiment of libido-increasing supplements lately (no l-dopa for a couple of weeks though) including maca, hgw, trib, korean ginseng and my usual tadalifil, and a few days ago I started adding in a multivitamin.

My sex drive has been through the roof. I did my 4 sets of clamping/o-bends this morning before lectures to kill my EQ for a few hours else I’d have been getting rock hard in my class. I have no idea if this is causal or related to something else in my current lifestyle, but it might be worth experimenting with a multivitamin if you guys aren’t taking one already, they’re cheap as chips (I pay 16p/25c for a months supply).

I think having a proper supply of vital nutrients may be a prerequisite for some of these supplements working well, and I’ve found at least one study demonstrating that vitamin E helps as an add-on therapy in people in whom viagra doesn’t work. It’s going to need more research.

Thanks guys.all very helpful information.. Definitely the forum I’ve come across with the most educated participants

Try:

Tribulus Terrestris
Gingko Biloba
Tadalafil

You’ll find that, while taking vitamins and the first two supplements above, you’re going to feel great.

The last one, take it before you go out to see your ladies.

As for how they interact with SSRIs, that I cannot help you. I haven’t taken SSRIs (paxil) since high school, long before I knew anything about this.

Never liked SSRIs. Make you too zombie. Make you forget the reason you’re living for. Borat no like!!

-Borat, no like

I’m taking the ones I listed with an SNRI (effexor), and haven’t had any problems.

Also as far as I know gingko biloba has been deemed mostly useless as a sexual supplement in double-blind/triple-blind studies, only the open trial was positive (which is worthless in this type of treatment, the placebo effect is strong). It’s more a brain supplement, but it’s possible I missed other rigorous studies.

How do you cycle your supps?