@Dasjes I also smoke weed almost every day the night after the service and the gym, when I get home, I think this has worsened my depersonalization and anhedonia, but I have stopped for 2 months 2 times and nothing has changed.
As for finasteride, only the libido, the answer was still the same I think, I'm taking finasteride again has 5 days already
a year ago had an that I took for about 2 months zinc 50mg every night before bed, up to 100mg I got to take, nowadays I stop to think and it seems that my anhedonia and depersonalization worsened after that I guess.
After stopping finasteride again if nothing changes, I will try to supplement copper to see if anything changes
And @Flynn yes, all other problems started when I was no longer taking accutane
@Flynn when I started smoking I had already taken accutane, I took accutane it's 3 years old, I started smoking it's 1 year and a half
when I took accutane I felt very well, self-esteem was 100%, a lot of motivation and excitement in everything, the feelings were very strong, I really liked the feeling of listening to songs that I liked, that strong internal feeling of well-being, I did not I have nothing more of these nowadays, my body does not respond to anything, it seems I'm dead inside ...
Out of interest. Did you notice any difference in the effect smoking weed had before and after accutane? Like did it effect you differently? Enjoy it less? Or was it pretty much the same?
Pretty much the same. The reduced sexual responsiveness is pretty much my only side. But it's very noticeable and making me hate my life at times.
I actually had social anxiety before accutane, but i've totally grown over that after accutane because i just stopped caring.
Right thats interesting. It seems that the sexual side effects of accutane aren't necessarily linked to other mental side effects such as anhedonia, depression etc.
I only asked about the weed because I think its possible that accutane has affected our dopamine systems somehow. However drugs like weed, act largely through the dopamine system so it makes that theory less plausible as you would expect the effect of other dopamine acting drugs to change.
If you want more context on that issue;
I do use a lot of drugs. I smoked weed every day for 5 years and used xtc once a month the years before accutane.
I also get drunk about 3 times a week. After the accutane i started using cocaine weekly, which i did for about 1.5 years before quitting it all together.
So my current status is: Getting drunk about 3 times a week, no other drugs, no smoking.
I'm giving this context because my dopamine system is probably fucked up, and the start of the cocaine use could have hindered my recovery.
Should have added since accutane is retinoic acid, it increases your progesterone levels greatly while taking it, so you get clear. But this increases the receptors, and causes the progesterone sensitivity issues post accutane, which locks potassium sky high in cells, then you have post accutane syndrome(issues with prog, cortisol, thyroid...).
My hair tests showed this, and got great results doing a short 3 day fast with high dose Prog in August. I am testing this theory again this week, with a proper longer water fast, and a bigger dose of Prog during. I don't think I applied it right in Aug, and didn't break that fast with proper nutrition.
I don't understand why accutane causing increased progesterone levels would lead to increased progesterone receptor expression. Surely there would be a decrease in progesterone expression in response to high levels of progesterone.
I think depending on your body chemistry you can end up with low or high sensitivities, same with PFS/PSSD, seems there could be two post case types. blood tests and hair analysis are probably the best tools to determine.
Is this related to the intracellular levels of potassium etc. at the time you take the treatment? I've seen that many of Gbols theories revolve around this. Are there any studies to back this up? I just can't find much research which states that receptors are differentially expressed depending on intracellular mineral levels.
Did you ever try cocaine before accutane? again did the effect change? I know these questions sound stupid but they help build a picture. Did you get the rush/alpha/good feeling from cocaine when you took it after accutane and did you have the sexual side effects whilst using cocaine?
Lots of people take drugs more frequently than that and have normal sex drives. I'm sure it doesn't help but I don't imagine it would have made you much worse or is anything to regret doing.
The only thing i noticed is that before accutane i would always end up extremely horny at the end of the night when i was drunk. Post tane this (almost) never happens.
Unfortunately i never used cocaine before accutane, so i can't compare before and after.
My friends tell me cocaine makes them horny as ****, but i've never gotten horny on cocaine.
I do sometimes get very horny when drunk, but this usually happens only once in three months.
This gives me hope because that means i haven't turned asexual, and i still have hope it can be fixed in theory.
About the finasteride theory:
I've read a lot less than you guys, but on the ray peat forum some guys speculated that the 5AR-I receptor (which is found in the brain) is down-regulated post accutane.
A decrease in DHT up-regulates these receptors (type I, not type II), which is why finasteride works as a treatment for post accutane victims.
This is based on a study they quoted which found a inverse correlation between 5AR I regulation and DHT and a positive correlation between testosterone and 5AR II.
So more testosterone --> more 5AR-II, less DHT --> more 5AR-I.
This theory also supports the 5AR withdrawal theory (by Mew from propeciahelp). In some guys the DHT reduction leads to over expression of 5AR-I in the brain, causing the receptors to "fry" and become insensitive.