New To The Journey

[Sploicers]

Hey All,

25 Years old, and a Saw Palmetto sufferer. I took it for about 3 months at 500mg, and stopped after reading some of the horror stories online. Was getting better until about 2 weeks in I crashed. It was bad. Really bad. Gun up to my head bad.

I managed to find Cdsnuts post on Propeciahelp.com and decided that I was going to man up and fix my condition. I would like to put a special shoutout to Maxout777 as he is one of the main reasons I'm still here. His story fits mine perfectly and I saw it as a light at the end of the tunnel.

Following the protocol as of yesterday. Doing a juice cleanse for about 10-14 days, then hitting the herbs. I'm lucky to have the finances to buy 10-12 right off the bat.

Going to cycle R-andro at the 2 month mark. (I'm a planner so I like to look to the future)

I was in a serious bad place guys. Reading propeciahelp.com didnt help either. I am looking forward to recovering. Goodbye crippling stress and anxiety.

-As a side note, what is the % recovery rate for people who try this? I have tried looking into the forums, but I am really bad at navigating. So apologies if this has been addressed. Also I crashed a couple weeks ago, is that too early to be fucking with my testosterone or can I go now?

[Snell1234]

Jump on the protocol, you have got it early which is a good thing. Were you getting sides which caused you to stop saw palmetto or did you stop because of what you read?

Also, how is your health prior to taking saw palmetto?

[Sploicers]

Health was great. I am a pale guy so getting bald terrified me. I never wanted to use fin because of the horror stories and I thought SP was safe.

The biggest side I got that made me lower my SP to 250mg a day was insomnia. I just couldn't sleep. I tracked it back to SP and it worked for a while. Then I started reading SP horror stories and decided to quit.

It might be in my head, but I'm getting a blood test Friday to confirm. I'm kinda on/off about getting the test. I'm not entirely sure it will be good for my mind.

My biggest symptoms are:

ED
lack of libido
Ball ache (dude they hurt!)
insomnia

Luckily I dont have brain fog.

[Durantia37]

Health was great. I am a pale guy so getting bald terrified me. I never wanted to use fin because of the horror stories and I thought SP was safe.

The biggest side I got that made me lower my SP to 250mg a day was insomnia. I just couldn't sleep. I tracked it back to SP and it worked for a while. Then I started reading SP horror stories and decided to quit.

It might be in my head, but I'm getting a blood test Friday to confirm. I'm kinda on/off about getting the test. I'm not entirely sure it will be good for my mind.

My biggest symptoms are:

ED
lack of libido
Ball ache (dude they hurt!)
insomnia

Luckily I dont have brain fog.

The earlier you get started the better. If you start this protocol right now you'll have a much easier time. Just DON'T DON'T DON'T slip up when you start feeling better. Do this stuff way longer than you think is necessary.

[Sploicers]

Have you both had success with the protocol in fixing your symptoms?

[Durantia37]

Yeah, I was really really really bad, and now I'm just really bad. That's after about 3.5 months. I was an idiot for the first few months of PFS though, had no idea what was going on and kept making (in retrospect) horrible decisions.

[Ridd]

Hey All,

25 Years old, and a Saw Palmetto sufferer. I took it for about 3 months at 500mg, and stopped after reading some of the horror stories online. Was getting better until about 2 weeks in I crashed. It was bad. Really bad. Gun up to my head bad.

I managed to find Cdsnuts post on Propeciahelp.com and decided that I was going to man up and fix my condition. I would like to put a special shoutout to Maxout777 as he is one of the main reasons I'm still here. His story fits mine perfectly and I saw it as a light at the end of the tunnel.

Following the protocol as of yesterday. Doing a juice cleanse for about 10-14 days, then hitting the herbs. I'm lucky to have the finances to buy 10-12 right off the bat.

Going to cycle R-andro at the 2 month mark. (I'm a planner so I like to look to the future)

I was in a serious bad place guys. Reading propeciahelp.com didnt help either. I am looking forward to recovering. Goodbye crippling stress and anxiety.

-As a side note, what is the % recovery rate for people who try this? I have tried looking into the forums, but I am really bad at navigating. So apologies if this has been addressed. Also I crashed a couple weeks ago, is that too early to be fucking with my testosterone or can I go now?

very similar story as you and maxout. SP sufferer as well.

I wrote an intro post to my experiences with PFS symptoms which you can check out if you need some more guidance. Overall it can be summed up in one word: balance. get your balance back. you've most likely been out of balance for years, and you have to find a natural equilibrium that makes your body happy. that's really what we're doing here by cutting out anything that could potentially stress our bodies. you need time to heal and to reset yourself, if you trip yourself up and get lazy, you will take longer to recover. you must be committed to recovery 100%, mentally, physically and even emotionally. do not read propeciahelp. there is a reason they are all still stuck. they don't actually believe they can get better, which will stop them 100% of the time.

this really is an all-encompassing disease and it will take everything you have to get better, but you will get better.

Our stories are nearly identical and I am in a much better place now. My libido is still low, but otherwise I feel better than I have in years, and I'm only in a few months of taking this seriously.

Don't slip up again like I have and like many before me have, it will just take longer to recover. you can crash super hard if you're not incredibly careful. My second crash 3 months after my first initial crash was much, much worse than the original one. I almost ended it too. you must get on a strict routine and completely balance out your life, sleep schedule included (crucial with me, I have also had insomnia for years.) I'm repeating this because of how important it is. you are in recovery mode now, remember this when you feel bad and even when you feel good, things will go up and down, but you must retain your balance. You will get better, so even if you are still broken today, remember that you will feel stronger than you ever have just months from now if you are vigilant.

feel free to ask me anything if you're curious.

[Sploicers]

This is crazy. I read your first post Ridd and we are exactly the same. I know its bad to say, but I'm glad I'm not alone here. Ive had sleep problems since I was a kid and this has exacerbated it.

What caused your second crash Ridd? Also, even though your libido is low, do you have ED? That is the one I am most worried about.

What have you taken for sleep problems?

Also, has anyone had success with zinc?

[Ridd]

This is crazy. I read your first post Ridd and we are exactly the same. I know its bad to say, but I'm glad I'm not alone here. Ive had sleep problems since I was a kid and this has exacerbated it.

What caused your second crash Ridd? Also, even though your libido is low, do you have ED? That is the one I am most worried about.

What have you taken for sleep problems?

Also, has anyone had success with zinc?

Haha well I'm glad you're here too buddy. I think what makes this issue so much of a problem is not only the fact that we are "broken" men, but the fact that we have no support, professionally or otherwise. We only have each other on this online forum. No one in the real world will be able to relate or truly understand our issues. We are the only ones here who really get this thing.

My second crash was caused by a girl. and lots of drinking. I thought I was mostly recovered, I started being able to have sex again, but I fucked up by drinking. I figured that my sexual health had returned so I would be fine, but I was very wrong.

I've had many mini-crashes and they were all caused by drinking and girls. Multiple times I'd bring home a beautiful girl and nothing was going on downstairs despite being incredibly turned on. I really think that most PFSers partly have anxiety reduced ED. I definintely did. For months, just watching a sex scene on TV, or having a girl flirt with me or seeing anything sexual would give me massive anxiety. When it was at its worst, I couldn't even listen to music because it was all about love and I felt like I would be incapable of actually experiencing love again, so it just hurt my soul to hear. I think you can save yourself from being this fucked so I'm telling you this lol.

meditation/mindfulness will help tremendously with the anxiety. accept all the bad shit that enters your mind, analyze it, and then reflect.
why did anything sexual trip me out? because I thought deep down I would never be a sexually healthy being again. once I understood these reactions and reminded myself this was all temporary, the anxiety started to fade. but it took much time and diligence. it still kind of messes with me when girls flirt with me or when I clearly can have a relationship with a girl, but I just can't because of my recovery. we really gotta find some super understanding girl who will be able to take it slow.

I honestly feel like a virgin again. my libido is pretty shit, and girls sometimes might as well be fuckin plants but I can definitely get rock hard when the situation is right and when I'm completely comfortable. but I blow my wad so fast it's just hilarious. my recovery time is drastically increased too, but this is all stuff that will get better with time and training.

I kind of look at this whole thing like we're this brotherhood of ninjas or some shit. we have to give 100% dedication to our practice (recovery) or else we just wont make it. I often feel like a monk and the control I have over my emotions and my mind is crazy. it's amazing to realize that if you can beat this, you can't really have anything stop you in life. this will be the hardest thing you will ever do most likely.

sorry for the rambling. for sleep I will occasionally take melatonin, but what helps most is having a full day. don't sit around unless you absolutely need it. and if you feel like you're crashing then you have to go vegetable mode or else you'll make it worse. get plenty of sun, get plenty of activity but don't overdo it. I work late nights a lot and I've pretty much sacrificed my old social life to be able to recover. luckily, I can do a lot my work at any time.

[K8668B]

Haha well I'm glad you're here too buddy. I think what makes this issue so much of a problem is not only the fact that we are "broken" men, but the fact that we have no support, professionally or otherwise. We only have each other on this online forum. No one in the real world will be able to relate or truly understand our issues. We are the only ones here who really get this thing.

My second crash was caused by a girl. and lots of drinking. I thought I was mostly recovered, I started being able to have sex again, but I fucked up by drinking. I figured that my sexual health had returned so I would be fine, but I was very wrong.

I've had many mini-crashes and they were all caused by drinking and girls. Multiple times I'd bring home a beautiful girl and nothing was going on downstairs despite being incredibly turned on. I really think that most PFSers partly have anxiety reduced ED. I definintely did. For months, just watching a sex scene on TV, or having a girl flirt with me or seeing anything sexual would give me massive anxiety. When it was at its worst, I couldn't even listen to music because it was all about love and I felt like I would be incapable of actually experiencing love again, so it just hurt my soul to hear. I think you can save yourself from being this fucked so I'm telling you this lol.

meditation/mindfulness will help tremendously with the anxiety. accept all the bad shit that enters your mind, analyze it, and then reflect.
why did anything sexual trip me out? because I thought deep down I would never be a sexually healthy being again. once I understood these reactions and reminded myself this was all temporary, the anxiety started to fade. but it took much time and diligence. it still kind of messes with me when girls flirt with me or when I clearly can have a relationship with a girl, but I just can't because of my recovery. we really gotta find some super understanding girl who will be able to take it slow.

I honestly feel like a virgin again. my libido is pretty shit, and girls sometimes might as well be fuckin plants but I can definitely get rock hard when the situation is right and when I'm completely comfortable. but I blow my wad so fast it's just hilarious. my recovery time is drastically increased too, but this is all stuff that will get better with time and training.

I kind of look at this whole thing like we're this brotherhood of ninjas or some shit. we have to give 100% dedication to our practice (recovery) or else we just wont make it. I often feel like a monk and the control I have over my emotions and my mind is crazy. it's amazing to realize that if you can beat this, you can't really have anything stop you in life. this will be the hardest thing you will ever do most likely.

sorry for the rambling. for sleep I will occasionally take melatonin, but what helps most is having a full day. don't sit around unless you absolutely need it. and if you feel like you're crashing then you have to go vegetable mode or else you'll make it worse. get plenty of sun, get plenty of activity but don't overdo it. I work late nights a lot and I've pretty much sacrificed my old social life to be able to recover. luckily, I can do a lot my work at any time.

Boy, i can truly relate to this particular post! Well said!