How do I overcome low libido & ED?

Iv been lurking here for a while & its time to ask for advice.

I can still get it up & cum at the age of 39. But it takes allot of work. I really miss the days when just the smell of a women gave me a hard-on. Not really into PE since I have 8”+

A bit about myself:
39 year old married man. 5’ 8” 155 lb Smoker. 7 cigs per day (roll my own all natural American
spirit with filters) on a 5 month quitting plan. I’m more fit than most non smokers my age. Very limber & ride to work sun or snow. But I suffer from depression, lack of energy & low libido. I think that if my libido worked better I probably wouldn’t have depression because I have allot of good things going for myself & my family.

I plan on starting on the “fountain of youth” (L-Ornithine-ALCAR) program and maybe some anti-ED supplements. Currently I’m taking garden of life multi & arctic cod liver oil daily.

Clomide:50mg/day
Damiana: 1 gram a day, occasionally 3 grams.
50mg ZINC. 1mg Copper to 15mg of Zinc
Horney goat weed: 1 to 3 grams per day
Tongkat Ali : 80-100mg per day
4-10 grams of vitamin C a day

I have not bought any of the things above yet & this is just a draft list of what Iv found that might help me.

Am I on the right path to regain my youthful libido and to forget about asking my Doctor about Viagra?

Can you make any recommendations (plans) & also steer me to dealers who carry top shelf products for a fair price?

Thanks for your time.
Mike

You have textbook symptoms of low testosterone. Get yourself checked out by an endocrinologist or a general internist. I would DEMAND a testosterone level and appropriate work up. Of course its possible that your symptoms could be due to other things (depression, alcohol for instance) but low testosterone either from primary failure or lack of pituitary stimulation should be considered as well as thyroid problems. Definitely don’t start taking any of the above untill its been sorted out since some of the herbs may interfere with the interpretation of the symptoms or the tests.

Thanks luvdadus.

I had a testosterone level and appropriate work up done 2 years ago and was told everything was normal for my age. There are more than one post stating most doctors will not treat low testosterone because it’s “normal” for a 39 y.o. male to have lower levels. And I don’t want to scout for a doctor who might finally agree that it could be brought back to youthful levels. I don’t remember the test numbers, but I’m sure I could find out. Thing is.. I don’t want to use Androgel or the like because it will decrease my natural testosterone production. Id rather use supplements to naturally increase my own testosterone production.

Did you have the problems with depression and low libido two years ago when your testosterone was checked? I am not familiar with how fast those things can change, but if you didn’t have the symptoms two years ago, things might have changed. There might be reason to have the tests redone.

Also, just as luvadus points out, depression may be the cause rather than the result of low libido. I have problems with depression, and although it didn’t do anything with my libido (the medicine does, however) one of the bad things about depression is that the thought of it is so depressing that one tends to not want to deal with it… But without knowing you, I think it is more likely that you have depression first and low libido second.

There are a host of self-tests on the net to help you determine if you are depressed, pure and simple, or just have a slow-burning melancholic mindset. It is worth taking seriously, ‘cause in my experience it doesn’t just go away on it’s own! And if it is depression, you’d better be taking a closer look at your life, whether or not the good things you have going for you and your family are what you actually want or just what you’ve been brought up to believe to be good things. Depressing, isn’t it? I’m getting ahead here, but I think you get what I mean. Take the issue seriously and good luck.

regards,

GiantScale,

"Normal for your age" is typical doctor bullshit for either 1) "I don’t know how to help you" or 2) "I couldn’t be bothered to help you, just gimme my $300 for 10 minutes of dealing with you.

Get Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone and SHBG (Sex hormone binding globulin), at the very least
of the tests. If your doctor won’t help you, you need to get a new doctor.

If you want, tell us your numbers.

Otherwise, I agree with luvdadus. Don’t start taking stuff until a doctor who knows his/her stuff actually
does appropriate testing and makes a diagnosis.

Check out https://www.andropause.com

I will post another reply telling you how I ended up dealing with my low-T naturally.

BFLR

As promised, how I dealt with low T naturally.

After a couple years of trying things like Tribulus Terrestris, Vitex, Clomid and Androgel, I found a doctor
how saw that my low testosterone and libido was due to my condition of having Insulin Resistance (a
pre-diabetic condition that can be managed with diet).

My total testosterone was in the high 200’s, and my SHBG was rather high.
My doctor prescribed a new diet and vitamin regimen:

a multivitamin called GluPride, which includes cinnamon (lowers blood sugar), Alpha Lipoic Acid (helps
with symptoms of diabetic neuropathy) and Chromium Picolinate (also for blood sugar issues). More
importantly, I only eat foods that are not “processed” or “refined”. In other words, I eat food the
way God made it, except of course I cook meat. I eat a lot of salads, fruit, nuts (lot’s of nuts), and
an “Ezekiel” bread that I make by grinding my own wheat, beans and the other ingredients….nothing
refined. I drink only water, coffee and tea, and the occasional beer.

My testosterone is now in the high 500s. I don’t take any special to make that happen, I just eat
much better.

I also exercise now at least 4 times a week. Lowering my body fat has helped get the testosterone/
estrogen balance back where it needs to be.

Hope that helps, but again, don’t change anything until you get a good set of tests done. I don’t
understand what you mean by

Why would you self-medicate with herbs and clomid if you don’t want a doctor that’s actually going to
tell you the truth about your hormone levels?

BFLR

T and “free” T (and there is a whole general recommended panel of hormonal reads including prolactin and E2), tests are a good idea when libido goes and stays away for a long time. We all have periods when sex is less an interest to us and those times can be chalked off to a lot of common psychological issues - stress chief among them.

Part of the problem in reading these test results is that doctors sometimes assume 1) that being 39 is not “old”, (true) but it is on the cusp of middle age when some drops in T and rises in other values are expected, and 2) some docs assume that any read in the “normal range,” even a very Low Normal, is just fine simply because it is still in the “normal range” to them. Fact is that you may for years have been doing very well sexually in the High Normal range, and Low Normal just ain’t doing it for you.

I’d say get the whole hormonal panel done but don’t make the rash decision to do testosterone replacement therapy until you understand what all the values mean. TRT works fine for some guys for awhile, but then becomes a roller coaster or, TRT stops working and your testicles are on extended vacation because of it and how do you kick them into action again?

Sign up for the ASI moderated group listed in the ED stickie above. Lots of good and experienced men and women there to offer help.

My bet is that the herbals and spices route will make you feel better for a little while and then you’ll be back to Square One because there is nothing on your list that has much direct impact on improved erectile function. A healthier prostate, possibly. Higher sperm production, possibly. But neither of these areas has that much influence on erectile chemistry.

Yes mgus, I did have both symptoms when tested years ago.

Your prolly right mgus. I had depression first. Maybe I was just hoping having youthful stamina would reverse it , since my “issue” has been resolved since then. I took Prozac for a month only to realize I had severe ED when on it. Had to quit. Made me spineless as well. Iv taken the self tests. I suffer from depressed , period. But I wont take prozac again. I need to do something though. Maybe try Sam E or 5htp.

BigFatLuvRocket’s experience is a good example why I need to make a appointment to get up to date tests taken so I can be diagnosed & describe myself better. The whole hormonal panel . Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone and SHBG (Sex hormone binding globulin) prolactin and E2.

BigFatLuvRocket: I ment I don’t have the patience or time to ask multiple doctors for treatment. I’m sure they would be honest with the test results. I may try a few, but if they all tell me its normal I will have to take this in my own hands because I feel this is not me.

Testosterone replacement therapy would be a last resort.

Can someone post the link to the ASI moderated group? I only see yahoo groups.

Thanks all.

GiantScale,

Then you might find it interesting the my current endocrinologist is the 4th I went to.
I was going due to ED and anorgasmia (I couldn’t cum because my penis wasn’t very
sensitive any more…you wanna talk about scary!).
The first said “it’s all in your head” and did nothing.
The second said “here’s a prescription for Viagra”. I tried it, didn’t help the anorgasmia,
and I couldn’t breath through mine nose (felt like I had a cold), so I couldn’t sleep.
The third said: you’re depressed, take this antidepressant (side-effects include impotence!!!!).

The fourth said: you are a classic case of Syndrome X, aka Insulin Resistance. Fix your
diet, lose 30 pounds, and it will all come back.

The fourth doctor was right. He does give me something to help raise my HDL (good
cholesterol), but other than that, I’ve been doing this for two years, still working on the
weight loss (I’ve lost 15 pounds net since the start, had got down to 180 but went
back up during the holidays).

BFLR

I had the same problem last year and finally went to the doctor and had testosterone level checked, It was low and the year before was normal. I too have depression and take effector for it, been great since. I take shots for the testosterone because the patches didn’t stay on. Now it’s Viagra time but have noticed that it’s been getting up by it’s self before even taking viagra. I have used vigorex also and that works good for stamina and rock hard erections so hopefully I don’t have to use Viagra.. This is to let you know your not alone the guy and I’m 45 and don’t look or feel it.

You’ve gotten some excellent responses here from some of our best and brightest, including a MD (luvadus).

The only thing I can add is coral calcium. It is an excellent source of full spectrum minerals.

Our soils are badly depleted of minerals, and I think replacing it in our diet is just plain smart!

Here is a link for the best price I have found ANYWHERE for Okinawan coral calcium;
http://www.nutr abio.com/Produc … ral_calcium.htm

Good luck,
Sparkyx

giantscale,

I’ve had two periods of depression - I’m still on medication this second time after 1½ years. First time I used Seroxat (GlaxoSmithkline - paroxetin in form of paroxetinhydroklorid) for 7 months (depression from work-related burnout, breakup from long relationship and general unhappiness with life). It made me slightly manic (as I look at it now) but at the time I simply felt energized. Sexually it is supposed to cause bad side effects, but I had raging hardons (that was nothing new), unfortunately I had a really hard time ejaculating. I would fuck until my girlfriend had come once, twice, three times and had to stop because she got sore and finish off by hand and do some seriuos kegeling to make myself come. Hardons didn’t drop unless I actively dismissed them. Impressive, but not all that good for me.

Currently I’m taking EFEXOR (Wyeth Lederle - venlafaxin in form of venlafaxinhydroklorid) and my doctor told me it is a sligthly newer substance with less side-effects than Seroxat (which seems to be true). It does not make me spineless (neither did Seroxat), I’m told it is sligthly anti-anxiety as well, and I feel that I have more spine now than I did when depressed. A lot more balanced, as a matter of fact, and I’m not at all anxious to quit the medication until I have resolved some issues permanently. To me, I’m using the medicine to keep me balanced enough while dealing with unbalanced parts of my life, which will take time I am afraid. Anyway, Efexor cuts back the sexual drive a bit, kind of sedates it. Doesn’t cause ED for me, just kind of takes away the interest in a disinterested kind of way. I can come without having stiff hardons as well. So it has different drawbacks from Seroxat.

Seroxat has been involved in a few instances of medicine induced violence (suicides) and my doctor felt it was a bit “strong”. From an overall point of view, I prefer Efexor, and I am planning to cut back to a lower dose (from 75 mg to 37,5 mg) to see if that will keep the ship from rocking in the swell. Hopefully this is of some help to you.

regards,