Some success after SNRI therapy 5 years ago

[Guest guest]

After reading a lot about your guys' and gals' stories, I want to share mine.

Not in the mood for a long-winded post, I want to share some experiences and my

recent partial success as succinctly as possible:

- 5 years ago, hit major depression. Wanted to kill myself.

- Went on venlafaxine (effexor).

- Continued on for 2 years

- During this depression, even without SNRI's, I lost ability to have sex.

Motivation was gone, feeling and sensitivity was gone. Erection ability was

deteriorated. Common symptoms.

- During venlafaxine treatment, erection ability became almost completely gone.

- Stopped venlafaxine 3 years ago.

- Out of depression for sure, but never quite the same as before.

So for three years now I've been jumping from doctor to doctor to try and figure

out what the heck is wrong. A lot of them told me that I still have depression.

My serotonin levels tested normal. I even took tryptophan/5-HTP but that did

not help my sex drive or erections. I even bought Cialis and Viagra from India

(no prescription) and those pills only helped me maybe 10 or 20% of the time.

The rest of the sexual situations I was in, it was like I was stuck in a " what's

the point of this " mindframe. With sex! That's totally nuts, I told myself

over and over again.

I got my neurotransmitters tested. A lot of MD's will say this test is dubious

at best, but after 1000's of dollars I figured what the hell, I might as well

try it (through a naturopath)

Well serotonin levels comes back just fine. However I was pretty low on

dopamine. You almost never hear about dopamine in sex drive from MD's. I had

my testosterone and other hormones checked out fine, but no one ever mentions

dopamine. In the literature dopamine is mentioned as a big motivator in rats

for sex to happen, as well as in humans. In fact, dopamine in general is a

motivator and concentration-enhancing neurotransmitter. Well in addition to

low and almost non-existent sex drive, I was having cognitive trouble at work

and ADD-like symptoms; my brain could not understand simple concepts and follow

through with tasks requiring more than a minute of concentration.

I decided to go out on a limb and try some different supplements.

I tried Mucuna Pruriens (velvet bean) + green tea extract. Taken together, at

the same time, in the morning. The velvet bean contains a precursor to

dopamine. Its like taking a vitamin for your brain, but this vitamin helps you

main more dopamine naturally. The green tea extract taken along side of it

helps prevent some side effects of taking the velvet bean.

It has been two months of consistent therapy with this herb velvet bean for me,

and I have finally after 5 years started to notice an improvement in my sex

drive and my motivation in general. At first I noticed I was interested in work

again and able to concentrate. Talking to people was easier, I could look them

in the eye and became more confident. Then I noticed at home, I would want to

have sex with my girlfriend more often. The dirty thoughts came back ... my sex

drive felt alive ... I was thinking of it more often than before starting this

herb. And finally, my erection strength returned somewhat. Not back to 100% of

what is was before, but maybe 80-90%.

Anyway, my theory why all this worked for me? SSRI's, SNRI's do restore

serotonin in the brain, yes. But maybe they mess up the balance of your other

neurotransmitters. They set up a different chemical pattern in your brain, and

your brain just doesn't remember how its supposed to be in it's original state .

Feeding my brain more dopamine seems to stimulate my sex drive again and

stimulate me in general. Maybe I'm teaching my brain what it feels like again

to WANT, CRAVE, DESIRE, and FEEL PLEASURE again.

So that's my three cents. Any one else try Mucuna Pruriens? Feedback?

Comments, questions?