Mini-Me's Log

[Minime]

You could always stop the supplements for a week or two and see where you are at. See if you get a snap back. Arl seems to put a lot of stress on the body by focusing on detox. Tei works better for some people.

I may take a break. Though I don’t think I have any detox symptoms.

 

[Dhair]

It’s been 10 days since I started taking ARL sups. This is my first update.
After initial dose the only thing I felt was extreme bloating and distended stomach. After the third dose my penis was fuller. I was so excited because I forgot what it felt like since I have gone so long with horrible shrinkage. Well, that increased fullness lasted 6 hours. Since then I have experienced nothing but unimaginable shrinkage which appears to worsen every day. It’s difficult to describe but my entire pubic area feels very irritated and tense, almost like the muscles are uncontrollably contracting all the time, mixed in with numbness, tingling, a dull pain and weird nerve sensations. I often feel an overwhelming feeling of cold wetness around my whole pubic region, as if I just dumped a glass of cold water down there. But when I reach down to feel, I am bone dry. Something strange is going on with the muscles and nerves in that area. Not sure what it is but the impact on the genitals is horrific as they just continue to shrink.
Something else very strange is happening. You know that shivering feeling you feel all over your body when you get scared...like all the hairs on your body stand up? Well I have that all the time...but only in my scrotum. It is nonstop, like every 10-20 seconds. It corresponds with the shrinkage I am certain.
Other findings: most notable is constant thoughts of suicide and dread. Also, increased scalp itch, increased hair shedding, went through a period of leg cramps in the middle of the night (first three nights) but those have since gone away, and I think muscle wasting and bone loss has started again, but I’m not certain.
So...wtf is happening to me? Is it the zinc that is causing this? Should I discontinue the sups since my pfs symptoms are worsening?
Also, every time I get a glimmer of hope in this battle, it is very short lived. P5P, choline, sorghum, ARL sups...all provided initial improvements for me that quickly went away. In my body PFS always finds a way to counter the positive effects.

I'm going to say something that's not very popular around here, but you should probably discontinue the ARL protocol immediately.
If something is making you feel genuinely suicidal, it should not be continued in the hope that you will feel better after the supposed "detox." This could potentially be very dangerous for you if it's making you feel this horrible.

 

[Admiral]

Eh not really. ARL made me suicidal during the first month. I littery checked the internet for hours trying to find gentle ways to kill myself. I had these moments before, especially on betaine HCL. Now there’s light at the end and I feel very stable mentally.

ARL can be a rough road. You should ride the first cycle out. Drop betaine HCL if you are taking it. You can also take two or even one dose for a few days or take a break for a day or two. That isn’t a problem.

 

[MNK99]

Good to hear it's manageable, tho a painful/difficult experience, man.

Maybe, have some emergency measures and contacts around just in case, and THROW away anything really dangerous.

Like if I get suicidal ideation again, I'm hiding /discarding various things.

Hell, after last year I'll check myself in if need be, if that ever happens again (to the point of planning, not just passing thoughts and low mood). Cuz short term treatment is better than self-harm. I never got to that point really, except self-medicating, but I did last year, and I hope ARL doesn't do that to me, ffs. But I guess I've been thru it before maybe w/other meds (many yrs ago). Not quite like that tho, prolonged, all-day, severe depression.

Anyways moving on to happier things,
Stay strong Admiral.

Hopefully, it goes away but feel free to msg me if anything gets too messed up/ ideation and planning worsens.

 

[manu]

How is it going @Minime ? Are you okay? Are you still on ARL?

 

[Minime]

How is it going @Minime ? Are you okay? Are you still on ARL?

@manu Still taking ARL supplements. No signs of detox or anything like that. I don’t think I’m having any benefits so far but hopefully there is something going on behind the scenes that will help me down the road. Shrinkage is horrible, ridiculous really. Been pretty depressed about it so I’ve kind of just crawled into a hole and stayed away from social situations. Going to continue with the ARL supplements for hopefully 3 months and get retested.

 

[manu]

@manu Still taking ARL supplements. No signs of detox or anything like that. I don’t think I’m having any benefits so far but hopefully there is something going on behind the scenes that will help me down the road. Shrinkage is horrible, ridiculous really. Been pretty depressed about it so I’ve kind of just crawled into a hole and stayed away from social situations. Going to continue with the ARL supplements for hopefully 3 months and get retested.

Yah, ARL seems to be a tough road.
But I'm pretty sure it always does SOMETHING behind the scenes.
Keep it up!

 

[Goose12]

Eh not really. ARL made me suicidal during the first month. I littery checked the internet for hours trying to find gentle ways to kill myself. I had these moments before, especially on betaine HCL. Now there’s light at the end and I feel very stable mentally.

ARL can be a rough road. You should ride the first cycle out. Drop betaine HCL if you are taking it. You can also take two or even one dose for a few days or take a break for a day or two. That isn’t a problem.

Admiral do you get any kind of snap back from dropping betaine hcl? Just curious because because i am finally getting the burning senation from one pill unless I have at least 50 or 60 grams of protien with it, and I think I am going to drop it for a while. What's been your experience with betaine?

 

[Admiral]

Awful. Like I mentioned; made me depressed, lowered my libido to zero and made me feel groggy overal. Even impaired my sleep. Digestion improved, though. Didn’t experience a snap back or anything, but as soon as I dropped it, I was way more optimistic about life again. Never felt burning sensations, until I tried it after my 3 week fast. I could try it another time soon to see my response now, but I feel my body might be acidic enough already.

Also dropped it because it tanked potassium too much and my ARL program uses GB-3, which is superior. Has a little of betaine in it, though.

 

[Goose12]

Awful. Like I mentioned; made me depressed, lowered my libido to zero and made me feel groggy overal. Even impaired my sleep. Digestion improved, though. Didn’t experience a snap back or anything, but as soon as I dropped it, I was way more optimistic about life again. Never felt burning sensations, until I tried it after my 3 week fast. I could try it another time soon to see my response now, but I feel my body might be acidic enough already.

Also dropped it because it tanked potassium too much and my ARL program uses GB-3, which is superior. Has a little of betaine in it, though.

Anxiety, labido, and fatigue returned to previous baseline after dropping it? I felt similar to you after taking it but after a week it slowly got better.

 

[Admiral]

Yeah, everything went back to normal pretty quickly. As Helen mentioned before; betaine HCL might not be helpful for everyone, despite low stomach acid.

 

[Concerned]

It’s been 10 days since I started taking ARL sups. This is my first update.
After initial dose the only thing I felt was extreme bloating and distended stomach. After the third dose my penis was fuller. I was so excited because I forgot what it felt like since I have gone so long with horrible shrinkage. Well, that increased fullness lasted 6 hours. Since then I have experienced nothing but unimaginable shrinkage which appears to worsen every day. It’s difficult to describe but my entire pubic area feels very irritated and tense, almost like the muscles are uncontrollably contracting all the time, mixed in with numbness, tingling, a dull pain and weird nerve sensations. I often feel an overwhelming feeling of cold wetness around my whole pubic region, as if I just dumped a glass of cold water down there. But when I reach down to feel, I am bone dry. Something strange is going on with the muscles and nerves in that area. Not sure what it is but the impact on the genitals is horrific as they just continue to shrink.
Something else very strange is happening. You know that shivering feeling you feel all over your body when you get scared...like all the hairs on your body stand up? Well I have that all the time...but only in my scrotum. It is nonstop, like every 10-20 seconds. It corresponds with the shrinkage I am certain.
Other findings: most notable is constant thoughts of suicide and dread. Also, increased scalp itch, increased hair shedding, went through a period of leg cramps in the middle of the night (first three nights) but those have since gone away, and I think muscle wasting and bone loss has started again, but I’m not certain.
So...wtf is happening to me? Is it the zinc that is causing this? Should I discontinue the sups since my pfs symptoms are worsening?
Also, every time I get a glimmer of hope in this battle, it is very short lived. P5P, choline, sorghum, ARL sups...all provided initial improvements for me that quickly went away. In my body PFS always finds a way to counter the positive effects.

Dude I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. What of the ARL supplements are you taking? Niles was recommended one which contained saw palmetto. Even if you haven’t been taking that one, a lot of pfs sufferers report taking something (usually something which lowers androgens) which initially makes them feel better in areas but then subsequently makes them feel worse. The ingredient lists of these ARL supps are extensive and there could well be other things in there which should be avoided if you have pfs.

 

[Minime]

Dude I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. What of the ARL supplements are you taking? Niles was recommended one which contained saw palmetto. Even if you haven’t been taking that one, a lot of pfs sufferers report taking something (usually something which lowers androgens) which initially makes them feel better in areas but then subsequently makes them feel worse. The ingredient lists of these ARL supps are extensive and there could well be other things in there which should be avoided if you have pfs.

Thanks @Concerned
I just checked all the ARL sups I am taking but I didn’t see saw palmetto. It appears I’m just taking a bunch of vitamins and minerals and a digestive aid (GB-3).

For the past few days, I have taken the sups 3x per day as recommended (I had backed off to 1-2x per day after the first week).

Well, shrinkage is at a new level (worse) and I have this constant dull ache in my testicles which is very uncomfortable. And of course depression is extremely high...but I think it’s the shrinkage causing that, not the sups.

Anyway, gonna have to back off to 1-2x per day again to at least provide some relief from the testicle pain.

I wish I knew what was causing the shrinkage. It’s just vitamins and minerals. Shouldn’t be going through this.

 

[Goose12]

Thanks @Concerned
I just checked all the ARL sups I am taking but I didn’t see saw palmetto. It appears I’m just taking a bunch of vitamins and minerals and a digestive aid (GB-3).

For the past few days, I have taken the sups 3x per day as recommended (I had backed off to 1-2x per day after the first week).

Well, shrinkage is at a new level (worse) and I have this constant dull ache in my testicles which is very uncomfortable. And of course depression is extremely high...but I think it’s the shrinkage causing that, not the sups.

Anyway, gonna have to back off to 1-2x per day again to at least provide some relief from the testicle pain.

I wish I knew what was causing the shrinkage. It’s just vitamins and minerals. Shouldn’t be going through this.

Are your testicles shrinking? I will get a dull ache in my testicles sometimes but it's growing pains. It's a different kind of ache from when I first crashed.

Sometimes you have to get worse before you get better. I am having a lot of success with tei but in the beginning I had some rough days. I hope arl works out for you.

 

[Minime]

Are your testicles shrinking? I will get a dull ache in my testicles sometimes but it's growing pains. It's a different kind of ache from when I first crashed.

Sometimes you have to get worse before you get better. I am having a lot of success with tei but in the beginning I had some rough days. I hope arl works out for you.

Definitely shrinking unfortunately.

 

[Minime]

ARL Update: I ended up quitting the supplements for a week because of the issues I was having (significant shrinkage, aching balls, suicidal thoughts).

I was hoping for some kind of a snap back. The dull ache did go away but I don’t think the shrinkage reversed at all. The strange tingling in my genitals and surrounding area (really the skin and muscles throughout my pelvic area) went away when I stopped the sups as well.

I took one dose of the sups two days ago and within a few hours all the bad symptoms returned. Slight dull ache in my balls, weird tingling/uncomfortable sensations in my genitals and skin/muscles in the pelvic area, and of course shrinkage. This leads to depression and suicidal thoughts. All from one dose of some vitamins and minerals.

After the one dose I took two days ago, I have not taken anymore. Still have bad symptoms but I assume they will subside in a day or two if I stay off the sups.

So...not sure what to do now. Maybe take the sups one day a week? Maybe just quit the program? Get retested? It’s so strange that the first dose of ARL resulted in some regained size for me, but since then it has been horribly the opposite direction. Almost like ARL was going to help but my body said “oh no you don’t!” and decided to make my problem worse. So strange.

Any thoughts on what I should do? @Helen any thoughts on why I’m reacting to ARL this way? Should I get certain labs done?

Peace.

 

[Orion]

Copper causes significant shrinkage for me, I removed it from supps, testicle drop and size returns. My water supply probably gives me enough copper anyway.

Is Cu in your packs? If so what daily amounts?

 

[Goose12]

ARL Update: I ended up quitting the supplements for a week because of the issues I was having (significant shrinkage, aching balls, suicidal thoughts).

I was hoping for some kind of a snap back. The dull ache did go away but I don’t think the shrinkage reversed at all. The strange tingling in my genitals and surrounding area (really the skin and muscles throughout my pelvic area) went away when I stopped the sups as well.

I took one dose of the sups two days ago and within a few hours all the bad symptoms returned. Slight dull ache in my balls, weird tingling/uncomfortable sensations in my genitals and skin/muscles in the pelvic area, and of course shrinkage. This leads to depression and suicidal thoughts. All from one dose of some vitamins and minerals.

After the one dose I took two days ago, I have not taken anymore. Still have bad symptoms but I assume they will subside in a day or two if I stay off the sups.

So...not sure what to do now. Maybe take the sups one day a week? Maybe just quit the program? Get retested? It’s so strange that the first dose of ARL resulted in some regained size for me, but since then it has been horribly the opposite direction. Almost like ARL was going to help but my body said “oh no you don’t!” and decided to make my problem worse. So strange.

Any thoughts on what I should do? @Helen any thoughts on why I’m reacting to ARL this way? Should I get certain labs done?

Peace.

I think it's a detox reaction and sometimes you have to get worse before you get better. If you read recoveries there is a lot of ups and downs.

It took me two weeks after my first cycle of tei to notice anything, and 1 week off my second cycle. I would take two weeks off to truly evaluate your self, and maybe try tei instead. People seem to be doing better on tei.

It's a slow process in the beginning and sexual sides usually don't start improving until yo really start fixing the mental sides anxiety, insomnia, personality, and brain fog. And digestion usually comes first also, at least in my case.

 

[Minime]

Copper causes significant shrinkage for me, I removed it from supps, testicle drop and size returns. My water supply probably gives me enough copper anyway.

Is Cu in your packs? If so what daily amounts?

No copper in my sups. I’m thinking of laying off the sups for a week then trying one at a time to see which one gives me the bad sides. I may throw my imbalance off even worse though.

 

[Minime]

Update:
I’m taking ARL sups once daily, at the most. Any more than that and the shrinkage just becomes too severe and my suicidal thoughts increase dramatically.

Last week I took 10mg RU for 3 days. While taking RU for those 3 days:
Pros: lower anxiety, more able to enjoy life...a bit more social and just able to enjoy my day a little more. Nothing miraculous, but still felt good. Also, MAYBE a slight improvement in penile feeling, less tension in the scrotum. Again, nothing miraculous.
Cons: increased hair shedding.

For the 3 days since coming off RU: Headaches for the first two days, but not on the third day. I tried to find l-dopa but couldn’t find anything so I never really took anything to stave off increasing prolactin. Is that OK?
Seems like increased hair shedding continues, but not certain. I’ll keep monitoring it over the next few days.

The Pro’s I felt while taking RU immediately disappeared the day after I stopped RU.

Is there anything I should be doing now that I am off of RU? I’m getting B vitamins via my ARL sups.

Any feedback is appreciated.