Libido problems

I took lexapro an ssri for a while and it killed my libido before taking the ssri I was pumping and stretching with a lot of sucssess but not being able to get an erection has become a serious problem. I tried viagara but found out that only affects the blood plumbing of the dick not the sex drive in the brain caused either by the hypothalamus or endocrin system (ie pituitary glans) I thought that maybe the medication lowered my testosterone levels and I should try testosterone treatment but then I read here Anabolic Steroids: What Urologists Should Know
That testosterone treatment can actually reduce libido.

But here Libido drugs - Impotence Treatments | Low Testosterone
They say “DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) DHT is the metabolite of testosterone that is responsible for virility and “all things male”; from a deeper voice, to beard growth, to of course libido.

Increasing DHT through either testosterone replacement, DHT cream, or Proviron will directly increase libido since it is the primary messanger to the brain to do so.”

There are also links that suggest that dht cream applied on the penis will promote genitial growth

And proviron Proviron (mesterolone) - Info and Experiences
Which using Mesterolone reduces circulating estrogen levels by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme which converts testosterone to estrogen. (So it helps bodybuilders avoid the estrogen side effects produced by other anabolic steroids.)

However the first link which suggested that testostirone treatment actually lowers libido recommends this instead “This usually means using medications to “jump start” the pituitary gland’s production of LH.
This, in turn, will stimulate the production of testosterone in the testicles. Commonly used agents are clomiphene citrate (Clomid) and LH analogs such as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), sometimes with synthetic FSH treatment. Aro-matase inhibitors also may be enlisted to combat low testosterone levels in infertile males.”

Since there is alot of uncertainty on this issue I decided to look up what the FDA could have concocted I refused to believe that with all our technology that fact we can clone and splice genes that we do not have the ability to stimulate the glands that make us horny. To my surprise and I say surprise there is such a product called bremelanotide however despite the fact it worked it was shot down by the FDA because less than 2% of the subjects experienced mild elevated blood pressure there are various (conspiracy) theories as to why the FDA would limit a drug like this
Which I am still going to find a way to get and I’m in need of some ideas.

I am at a loss what is true and what is not? I just want my libido back I’ve tried herbal supplements but theirs just a crock of shit. Can anybody help sort out the bullshit and how I might be able to purchase some bremelanotide thanks!

This post could use some editing!

SSRIs don’t lower sex drive by depleting testosterone, but nobody’s sure how they do. There are a few herbal supplements that work (I’ve only ever used the one with thorough medical studies proving their effectiveness).

Be careful about the more extreme libido boosters. I’ve experimented with l-dopa, which while effective also has a terrible effect on my impulse control. SSRIs already tend to increase blood pressure, combining with another drug that does (like bremolanotide) the same may put you at risk.

As such there are no “glands that make us horny”, the biological components involved are widely distributed, as you’ve found from your experience with viagra. Sexual motivation, sexual arousal, erectile capability, sexual satiety, all with very different hormones involved.

I recommend you go to a doctor and get blood work.you need to know what your levels are

Antidepressants always mess with the libido. Try cannabis.

Always worth seeing a doc if it doesn’t cost you anything, but for these problems (at least in my experience) they’re completely useless. They’ve got a book of potential side effects that was written during the original trials, that still lists sexual side effects as only being a “rare side effect”.

I developed restless legs syndrome during withdrawal from effexor and didn’t sleep for 2 months, I saw 5 doctors all of whom told me that RLS is not listed in their book as a potential side effect of withdrawal. They called the drug company in the end and told me they’d call me “when they heard anything”, no call back.

reynolds-

Very busy today, but I will come back. In the mean time, are you still on any meds? If not, how long ago did you quit. There are ways to get the libido up, I just have not got the time to write more today.

I’ve been off the meds for 6 months I went from masturbating 5 times a day to once every couple of days and I used to be able to get erections without any help from my hands no longer possible I also only get morning boners bout 50% of the time thanks

reynolds-

Edge as much as you want, but cut back ejaculation to once per week. That should give your libido a boost.

Avoid giving such advises here.

Besides, antidepressants don’t always mess with libido, not for everyone.

Marinera, and why is that, exactly? Why is it okay to put man made chemicals into our bodies to relieve depression, but not okay to advocate the use of a natural herb? I think that cannabis is nature’s own antidepressant and it comes with no sexual side effects. So why should I “avoid giving such advises?”

You can skip the man-made vs. natural herb stuff. Cannabis isn’t legal, regardless of what you or I think of it, so advocating the use of it is out of bounds.

We don’t endorse suggestions of medicines from people who are not Docs, neither.

That’s getting closer to the real point marinera.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

We can advocate for just about anything we want.

Thunder's Place itself isn’t advocating anyone break any laws but, in terms of discussion, we can absolutely discuss the merits of using the big pharmaceutical company’s products over alternate forms of self-medicating.

Marijuana has been determined to have relatively minor side effects, is not particularly addictive (and even then psychologically rather the physically), and has many concrete benefits for a variety of ailments. And that’s just if you smoke it. It is also a pretty versatile entry for use in textiles as well, but I digress.

As an alternative medicine it is certainly worthy of discussion, legal or not (though the legality issue can be pretty serious too, depending on the jurisdiction).

However, all this is beside the point. The original poster is discussing his problem; and that’s what we should focus on.

I read your first post reynolds.

It sounds to me like you are really experimenting with your body chemistry, which makes me a bit nervous, to be honest.

This sort of advice is problematic for me, not because cannabis is illegal, but because we don’t know the nature of reynolds problem to begin with.

While it’s true that anti-depressant medication is vastly over-prescribed, and in many cases depression could be better treated in a variety of other ways, it is a leap to assume that someone should just switch out one for the other. Suicidal thoughts/tendencies are quite possible when radically altering a course of anti-depressant medication, for example. For some it could be the answer, and for others it could mean serious anxiety attacks or worse .

If someone wants to make a change in their ongoing depression medication, many drugs of this stripe must be carefully stepped-down before new medications can be applied, and any of this should be done with a doctor’s supervision. I don’t think any of us, armchair physicians that we are, want to be responsible for recommending someone take a course of action that could possibly lead to suicide, or some sort of nervous breakdown.

So, before going any further, I’d have to ask reynolds what the Lexapro is all about - before recommending that he switch to anything else. Lexapro is a fairly heavy-duty med, so anything related to changing the dosage, let alone swapping the drug out for another, should be carefully considered.

Which leads to his original question, regarding his sex-drive. I’ll just point out that reynolds wasn’t suggesting he go off his meds to solve his libido problem, but rather adding new ones.

Let’s say this first: broad spectrum hormones are also serious business. You don’t just load up on them so you can have rock-star sex. If you are having a problem with your libido and you know it’s because of Lexapro, randomly going out and bumping up your testosterone levels is somewhat risky, don’t you think?

After all, hormones have direct consequences on our bodies that far exceed sexual characteristics. The most significant for this conversation being: they significantly alter mood as well.

If you are having this trouble with your libido, reynolds, why don’t you consult with the doctor who put you on it in the first place?

Tell us what’s going on here reynolds.

Excellent youtube link. All I’ve heard about DHT regarding penis size is from Dr. Pezzi, and the only way he recommends boosting DHT is by applying Finasteride for a few days (weeks?) and stopping. In other words, supress production, then shock your system into producing DHT.