Low sex drive/motivation(former antidepressant user)

[Espaim]

In the matter of sex drive, I feel like an outlier. I'm currently 19 years old at college and my sex drive is very low. When I was 15-17 it was very pronounced but now it's almost non-existant. My friends are about my age and they think a lot about getting drunk and gaming girls while I can't see the point in doing that. Not really criticizing their choice, I would do the same if I had the will to do it, I'm just curious about what might be causing it. I have a hypothesis:

For 8 months I used Lexapro and it helped me with social and general anxiety but made my sex drive very low. Now maybe I'm suffering of PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction). Has anyone here had a similar experience with antidepressants and fixed it? I want to fix this shit. On searching for the cause it may be the desinsetization of 5-HT1a receptor but for me that doesn't change anything. I've been off Lexapro for 9 months.

My current(relevant) habits:

Sleeping on average 7.5 hours[varying between 6 and 12(very rarely 12, realistically 10)]. I don't wake up at the same time every day. Generally it's 6:00am but some days its 9:30 am.

Hitting the gym 3x a week

I am a vegan and I eat mostly (not in any particular order):bread,  beans, soy protein, chickpeas, rice, tomatoes, gherkin, lettuce, apples, bananas and peanuts. I also eat a considerable amount of junk food per day, that being +- 1/6 of my food intake, like chips and sweets. I drink sugary beverages once a week on average.

I meditate on average 15 minutes a day.

I take a multivitamin, 1mg sublingual methylcobalamin and 250mg Bacopa 30%. One or 2 days a week I drink some tea.

Quote

 

This part may be relevant but you can jump it if you want to.

I went to a GP some weeks ago because I had some really bad energy/motivation problems and he sent me to do some blood tests. Results:

Vitamin D: Really fine

Vitamin B12: low end of good

TSH: fine

He said he'd give me some natural herbs before prescribing me some synthetic medicine. Here's what he prescribed(not everything at the same time, I consulted him like 3-5 times, I don't remember):

Ashwaganda 150mg

5-HTP 150mg

Bacopa 200mg(20% bacosides)

Coenzyme Q10(100mg)

Rhodiola rosea 150mg

Rhodiola rosea worked very nicely on my energy issues until it didn't anymore. Those were 2 good months lol. Ashwaganda, 5-HTP and Bacopa made me even more tired. I made some search by myself and bought methylcobalamin and that was the game changer. I have been taking it for one week and my body feels a lot better, like some kgs were removed. Still, there is the low sex drive issue.

 

 

[Moreira]

SSRI made me depression, impotence and lack of sexual intgerest so glad that you quit them. Also avoid any hair loss drug like finasteride, because have the same effect.

You're doing good with the gym especially if you lift med-hieavy weight and use multi-articular exercises that boosts testosterone.

Being a vegan doesnt help.

What boosts testo and improves depression is vitamin D3 so take sunbaths with no clothes on.

And be on nofap or nosex for 7 days.

[Espaim]

Sorry, I meant I'm a vegetarian.

There is no need to do nofap because I already never fap. Like literally never. I tried some times but it didn't work.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Espaim

[SFRL]

Cut out all the junk food. 

Cut all the sugary drinks. 

Don't eat out. Try to eat as much food that comes from the grocery store as possible. 

Up your protein. Eat some meat. Preferably organic from the grocery store. 

Go do boxing/kick boxing.

 

[Meditationdude]

@Espaim do you take stimulants like adderall? That will destroy your sex drive. 

[Michael569]

Seems like your adrenals might be struggling. 

• Do you know your blood pressure? 
• Do you often get cold extremities? 
• Do you struggle with any stubborn inflammation? 
• Feeling of inferiority / shyness? 
• Hard time waking up? 
• Restless leg syndrom or nervousness? 
• frequent shortness of breath? 
• struggling with energy during day? 

[flowboy]

Soy messes with your hormones (it's estrogenic),  try getting rid of it.

Also, what do you do in the gym? Does it include hip thrusts, heavy squats and deadlifts?

Those make me feel super sexual after.

Edited September 10, 2019 by flowboy

[Espaim]

@Michael569
Do you know your blood pressure? 

When I measure it it's usually around 110/80

Do you often get cold extremities? 

I used to get it frequently but I don't anymore after supplementing B12.

Do you struggle with any stubborn inflammation? 

Like in my body? Nothing that I have noticed.

Feeling of inferiority / shyness? 

When I'm tired I feel inferior although generally I have low social anxiety. 

Hard time waking up? 

Mid time(lol). If I wake up and stay up for 5 minutes then the sleep inertia goes away. I rarely snooze (when I do, it's mostly on weekends).

Restless leg syndrom or nervousness? 

It varies but I do have some symptoms of restless leg syndrom. It's not something that bothers me though. After 6:00pm+-2hrs I get a sudden boost in energy and also more anxiety(like a 50% increase, to say a number) no matter what I've been doing throughout the day. 

frequent shortness of breath? 

Only after eating too much. I tend to breathe with my belly most of the time, unconsciously.

struggling with energy during day?

Only after lunch, between 1:00pm and 3:30pm. Nevertheless, it's manageable. It's like I'm running on 65% body efficiency.

@flowboy @SFRL

Oh boy! Soy is my main source of protein. I'll have some trouble ditching it. The problem is that I'm I vegetarian. I don't have a neurosis about eating meat but that's something I'd have to think about. Whey protein and those types of supplements are out of question, as I don't work and my father's income has been reduced after some incidents.

I'm currently doing a recommended training program made by the gym instructor. It's in portuguese and I'd need to learn all the names and translate them for you. It's doable, just not right now. 
Anyway, I don't do the exercises mentioned but I can suggest them to my instructor.

@Meditationdude I just drink tea/(weak)coffee 1-2x a week max. Nothing stronger than that. I also use Rhodiola Rosea 1-2 weeks on 1-3 weeks off.

[Michael569]

 

@Espaim adrenal health seems ok then. Have you ever tried tracking your food intake? 

You may be lacking protein which is precursor for all neurotransmitters (serotonin, adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine etc...) the ones that would stimulate you. There are some protein sources you mentioned but perhaps if put together they don't score as high as you'd think. Or you may generally be lacking calories. That is a very common problem on vegetarian/vegan diets. 

Ever tried using cronometer or myfitnesspal and see if you hit your caloric requirement? Both are free and it may help to give a picture of if anything is missing. 

btw I'd agree with @flowboy that a soy protein is not a good choice. Soy as a food (edamame bean or tofu) is ok, the estrogenic effects are tiny but a soy concentrated protein is a different story. I'd probably go for pea of hemp. 

 

 

 

[flowboy]

Why try to be vegetarian when you're poor? Just eat the best things you can get for your budget. But that's just me.

Even being vegetarian, just eat eggs for protein and ditch the soy! Trying that a few weeks is not going to kill you.

10 hours ago, Espaim said:

I'm currently doing a recommended training program made by the gym instructor. It's in portuguese and I'd need to learn all the names and translate them for you. It's doable, just not right now. 
Anyway, I don't do the exercises mentioned but I can suggest them to my instructor.

You're thinking in problems. Think in solutions. 3 times a week you do exactly what your instructor wants? Great, then you pick a fourth day a week where you do heavy squats, deadlifts and hip thrusts. And write down how sexual you feel that day, and the day after. It's not gonna kill ya.

I don't need to see your training program in detail, I'm just asking: are you lifting heavy weights? Do you do compound exercises that involve your quads and your glutes (thighs and butt)? Do you sweat like a pig and suffer and want to cry and scream and wish you were dead while you work out?

If not, try that and see what it does for you.

And maybe it won't help, but seriously, if you're not willing to make changes and try things, how are you going to figure out what works for you...

Edited September 11, 2019 by flowboy

[Espaim]

Okay then. Thank you for your suggestions. I bought a bunch of eggs and started eating them today. During the next week I'll get rid of soy.

@flowboy Bro I'm really willing to make changes otherwise I wouldn't make this post. Thank you. I'll try your suggestion.

[flowboy]

@Espaim  Awesome!

And if it doesn't work for you after 3 weeks, try the next!

 

Keep us posted

[Michael569]

@Espaim in my recent studies of medicinal mushrooms I've been looking a lot on research for Cordyceps (Cordyceps Sinensis). There is a lot of evidence for its antidepressant, libido boosting and fatigue reducing effects. 

I'me never a fan of miracle herbs or one-thing-to-cure-it-all approach but seems that this, taken alongside other things you already do, could help a bit. Maybe look into the research and see if that's something worth trying? 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Michael569

[Espaim]

I've been eating 4-6 eggs a day since Saturday and I'm already feeling better. Libido is going up slowly but noticeably. I caught my mind having some sexual thoughts sometimes; I didn't have those for ages. I'm also feeling noticeably more confident(not sure if its caused by eggs).

@Michael569 Thank you for your suggestion. I'll probably buy it when I run out of rhodiola rosea.

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Espaim

[Average Investor]

Look into maca root a bit and see what you think. I like the suggestion of the removing sugar and junk food. Have something maybe you can enjoy as a treat, but there is some better options if you are open to change. Although, there could be more than diet causing the issue. I would give that a try and see. 

You may be surprised to see the amount of added sugar in other items in your diet besides just the one sugary drink a week. I would suggest trying to get a taste for naturally sweet things like fruit. Try a smoothie to get that fix and see how you like it and experiment with some different fruits. You taste buds will start to adjust to them more actually and it will become tastier. 

[pfletcha]

I had an awakening recently via daily meditation practice followed by an amazing lsd trip, and now that im not so trapped in my anxiety and thoughts, the world is now a generally brighter place and my sex drive is through the roof again (im 30 and have had very similar issues)

Had to throw in my 2 cents because for me, i saw every doctor, had everything checked (normal, including testosterone) , and tried every vitamin and supplement under the sun, to no avail. 

Again, ymmv.

[Espaim]

So I've been eating 5-10 eggs a day and nothing really changed. The improvement I suggested in my previous post was probably placebo. I started eating meat yesterday and I'll keep eating meat for 1-2 months to see if the problem is solved.

I didn't get rid of sugar. I get too impulsive and just buy it and when I see I'm already eating shit. I'll see what I can do.

[outlandish]

• You might want to talk to an actual doctor and get some blood work done.
• Avoid plastics, flame retardants and pesticides. Some of these can be hormone disruptors
• Like others have said try ditching soy because of the hormone disruptors
• How's your bodyfat level?
• 5-10 eggs seems excessive to me

[Espaim]

I went to a doctor and he told me to take rhodiola, then ashwaghanda and finally bacopa. They did help but didn't last. I'm going to a psychiatrist for the motivation part. I've been also very depressed lately.

I stopped eating soy entirely.

My bodyfat was never measured but by looking at sample photos it's around 20%(±2)

[Michael569]

7 hours ago, Espaim said:

I went to a doctor and he told me to take rhodiola, then ashwaghanda and finally bacopa.

Medical doctors recommending adaptogens? Wow, seems like there is some progress being made in the modern medicine. I think Siberian Ginseng is the best adaptogen to start with. Get a 1:1 ratio tincture and perhaps mixed it up with some Ashwagandha later on. 

Good luck!