Author Topic: ROLL CALL: Depression (Read 18935 times)

PeakT · « **on:** June 13, 2012, 06:53:04 pm »

So I have a question for all of you:

I've noticed that a significant percentage of men on this board either struggle with depression currently or have struggled with it in the recent past. I want to ask all of you:

1. Do you think that low testosterone caused your depression or the other way around?
2. Do you think that any meds you were taking for depression created any kind of sexual dysfunctions?
3. Any tips for guys going through the same thing? Did anything make a big difference? (For some of you it may be testosterone!)

mobil014 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2012, 07:06:51 pm »

I believe that I have some depression, but I am not taking any meds. I believe the low T is a factor, and I hope that upcoming HRT therapy will help. I think it will.

Peak Testosterone Forum · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2012, 07:06:51 pm »

PeakT · « **Reply #2 on:** June 13, 2012, 08:36:55 pm »

It will almost for sure help. It takes time though usually...

Dermotm55 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2012, 11:27:28 pm »

1. Do you think that low testosterone caused your depression or the other way around?

I think depression reduced my T in my late teens.

2. Do you think that any meds you were taking for depression created any kind of sexual dysfunctions?

Yes. Seroxat (Paxil) has, I believe, left me with some sexual dysfunction. I stopped taking it about 10 years ago.

3. Any tips for guys going through the same thing? Did anything make a big difference? (For some of you it may be testosterone!)

Drugs might help if things are really bad, but if possible, avoid them. See a therapist, get exercise, try to change the aspects of life which get you down, where doing so is reasonable.

Peak Testosterone Forum · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2012, 11:27:28 pm »

spiderman · « **Reply #4 on:** June 14, 2012, 10:02:56 am »

My situation caused my to feel down, anxious and stressed. I think that lowered my T levels which I feel pushed me into full blown depression.
Then of course you are in the vicious loop of feeling down/ no energy which of course takes your levels down even more.

A few helpers..

1) Avoid the anti depressants at all costs I did and chose a herbal tab to help me through the worse times

2) Excercise...you don't feel like doing anything but you have to and it releases the old feel good endorphins

3) Try not to dwell on negative thoughts..convert them in positive by thinking about things you could do to improve your situation.

4) Avoid being on your own for long spells, surround yourself with loving family members and friends when you can.

5)Look at your progress as you start feeling better and use that as a gauge that you are improving.

6)Improve diet, take supps or anything else required that pulls your body and mind back up into the zone where it should be. Negative thoughts will become less frequent and I think you just get that feeling of your life force returning...then the old libido follows of course

Keep fighting...

WorldlyPatriot · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2012, 05:22:57 pm »

Quote from: PeakT on June 13, 2012, 06:53:04 pm

1. Do you think that low testosterone caused your depression or the other way around?

Since this is my first post, I'd like to say that I will eventually get around to introducing myself. I started TRT on May 10, and I may have something to contribute to the forum, and you can help me (I hope!)

To answer the question, I can't say, for sure. I hate to admit it, but I have taken antidepressants, extensively, for many years. Nothing has helped, so far. My TRT, to date, has done nothing for my depression, irritability, lack of libido, and unusual weakness. But, it's early. I've had six injections in 12 weeks (200mg testosterone cypionate).

Quote from: PeakT on June 13, 2012, 06:53:04 pm

2. Do you think that any meds you were taking for depression created any kind of sexual dysfunctions?

Absolutely! The main sexual side effect, for me, was difficulty in reaching orgasm, or delayed orgasm. For guys with premature ejaculation problems, I've read that some have been treated with an antidepressant.

Quote from: PeakT on June 13, 2012, 06:53:04 pm

3. Any tips for guys going through the same thing? Did anything make a big difference? (For some of you it may be testosterone!)

The jury is still out. I'm waiting for my latest blood test (total testosterone and free testosterone). Unfortunately, after six injections, the only thing I've noticed is a return of early-morning erections, which were absent for a long time.

In summary, I will write more, later, on my experience with TRT.

Regards!

kevinlee · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2012, 05:54:49 pm »

1. Do you think that low testosterone caused your depression or the other way around?
Jury is out - just started treatment for testosterone
2. Do you think that any meds you were taking for depression created any kind of sexual dysfunctions?
Yes. esp. Lexapro
3. Any tips for guys going through the same thing? Did anything make a big difference? (For some of you it may be testosterone!)
Watch weight gain... Docs will say meds are "weight neutral" - right, 100 million people just by random gained significant weight when they started taking an anti-depressant and wrote about it on the internet. After 1.5 years of taking Lex and gaining about 2 lb/mo I switched meds and with no change in diet/exercise lost 20 lb in just a couple months. I'm not Lexapro bashing, just saying different meds have different effects on each person. If you get weight gain, ask to try something different.

FightLowT · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:29:07 pm »

I took zoloft when I was 21 during a period of a year for deep depression and it did in fact help. I did notice I developed delayed ejaculation syndrome with it. Erection quality/stamina however was superb and if I had been sexually active with a girl during that time period she would have been mesmerized by my stamina. I remember making out with a girl one night while "watching a movie" back then and literally kept a diamond cutting erection for about two hours straight while on the zoloft. Please don't think I'm claiming zoloft is viagra, (being 21 was the primary reason for the qaulity erections) it's just that delayed orgasm at that age will make it seem like it is viagra. I'm sure now at 33 the results of zoloft would be less profound. Again after a year I weaned myself off of it slowly of which my depression had subsided and literally felt fine for at least another 7-8 years of so before any other depressive symptoms resurfaced.

My depression came back with a vengeance in winter 2010 and I learned I had low T as a result in April 2011. I took lexapro for a week at 10mg and after reading about ssri side effects decided the risks vs. rewards were too great to consider continuing the medication . Yes zoloft didnt seem to leave any long term side effects as far as I know as I remained a healthy, horny guy through my 20's after cessation, but now in my early 30's I do not want to increase any chances or difficulties in recovering what I feel to be optimum health. If I did not suffer from low testosterone symptoms and had a testosterone level that would suggest I have none of the symptoms (500+ ng/dl) then maybe I would consider an ssri. However with mine averaging in the mid 300's mostly for morning readings seems to be a clear indicator to any knowledgeable physician that my depression definately is not being helped by those sub-standard T levels.

Depression and low T is an intriguing topic. I think experts also do not know what comes first as it pertains to cause and effect. I believe that many times depression is caused by circumstances in life that lead to depression and this in turn causes one to have less than optimal body health, hormones, etc. Americans are extremely depressed people and unhealthy as a result. If you were to take a handful of people from every country in the world and do comprehensive studies on them ranging from physical parameters, bloodwork/ metabolic panels, and psychological profiling you would without question find that the Americans have more mental disorders and health issues than all the other people in the world. Why is that? Well it's extremely complicated. I touced briefly on it on another post some time ago. https://www.peaktestosterone.com/forum/index.php?topic=289.msg2579#msg2579
Being an American male in the present is not what it used to be 15-20 years ago. I can assure you of that. Culturally as a whole we are experiencing a crisis that is causing a profound shift in human behavior patterns which are having profound impacts on our health regarding basic human needs. This is just one example but lonliness is a growing epidemic and I fear the future holds dire consequences as a result. However it is not just culturally but enviromental as well. Essentially what I'm getting at is that being an American almost guarantees that your human needs are not being properly met. I'll put it this way. George Carlin once said, "When you are born in this world you are born into the freak show, when you are born in America you got a front seat".

Does this cause depression? Absolutely!
Does the depression cause low-T? It damn sure doesn't raise it!
Does the low-T cause more depression? YES!

Obviously there is a twisted synergy going on between depression and low-testosterone, but we need more studies exploring how both relate to one another regarding internal and external factors.

PeakT · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2012, 12:18:22 am »

One of the reasons I started the thread:

I had very significant depression in college for a year or two. I recovered from that, but then over the next 20-25 years, I had a general sense of "melancholy". In fact, I considered myself a "melancholy", i.e. that personality type.

Now the interesting thing is that once I recovered my health is that all of this disappeared. I am very happy to say that I never get depressed and do not even think of myself as melancholy.

I think the complete recovery is

1) good nutrition and exercise (and probably fish oil)
2) decent testosterone
3) a good woman.

But I am fascinated with mind-body connection and hope to do more on the site with it eventually. I also think that the human mind is just incredibly fascinating and far more powerful than we realize. I don't mean anything weird there, but I just hate to see so many people waste the end (and even the middle in some cases) of their lives due to cognitive and psychological issues.

So any ideas/contributions/comments you guys have on the subject are of great interest...

makingsteel · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2012, 04:42:14 am »

A few helpers..

1) Avoid the anti depressants at all costs I did and chose a herbal tab to help me through the worse times

2) Excercise...you don't feel like doing anything but you have to and it releases the old feel good endorphins

3) Try not to dwell on negative thoughts..convert them in positive by thinking about things you could do to improve your situation.

4) Avoid being on your own for long spells, surround yourself with loving family members and friends when you can.

5)Look at your progress as you start feeling better and use that as a gauge that you are improving.

6)Improve diet, take supps or anything else required that pulls your body and mind back up into the zone where it should be. Negative thoughts will become less frequent and I think you just get that feeling of your life force returning...then the old libido follows of course

Keep fighting...

WELL SAID!!!!

kevinlee · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2012, 01:35:27 pm »

Quote from: makingsteel on July 08, 2012, 04:42:14 am

2) Excercise...you don't feel like doing anything but you have to and it releases the old feel good endorphins

4) Avoid being on your own for long spells, surround yourself with loving family members and friends when you can.

Bingo and Bingo for me. esp #2 - Mind/Body connection body feels good due to endorphin release, but mentally there is the obvious sense of accomplishment and the idea of "I took care of myself today". Your brain (and every cell in your body, for that matter) is benefiting from extra oxygen in your blood. For me (I like cycling), working out is like meditation. About two miles into a ride and any thoughts of the ex, the banks whatever are gone... mind is clear and I'm in the moment.

I'm also lucky enough to have a friend who likes company and I can't tell you how many times I've left thinking was sure better off going there for a while rather than stewing in my own pity.

kcwebguy · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2012, 01:59:14 pm »

Quote from: PeakT on July 08, 2012, 12:18:22 am

I think the complete recovery is

1) good nutrition and exercise (and probably fish oil)
2) decent testosterone
3) a good woman.

But I am fascinated with mind-body connection and hope to do more on the site with it eventually. I also think that the human mind is just incredibly fascinating and far more powerful than we realize. I don't mean anything weird there, but I just hate to see so many people waste the end (and even the middle in some cases) of their lives due to cognitive and psychological issues.

Peak, I could not agree with you more. I would add a #4, that being a connection with a higher power or powerful force that exists outside of ourselves. In my case, it's Christianity and the Lord. (I am not a Holy Roller, BTW) For others it might be grass and trees. All primitive cultures in existence today have beliefs in powers outside of themselves. I think this is critical to our health and development, and to experiencing a complete recovery.

Let me also say that the wrong woman paired up with the wrong man can be more than disastrous. To follow that, the right woman paired up with the right man can be a blissful walk from here to eternity... and a hell of a lot of fun in between. =D

http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Someone

spiderman · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2012, 06:50:38 pm »

Thanks for the positive comments- makingsteel and Kevinlee..

Any sports are good but I found trying something new was great for the challenge ..if you throw in some weightraining as well you are not only getting the endorphins but you are getting a T kick as well..it makes it all the better...

There is no doubt it is a terrible slog to start cause you lose interest IN EVERYTHING!.. all you want to do is hide from the world , stay in your bed, not socialise and take the wrong road through alchohol and the rest. Its a massive fight for sure but your body starts to reward you if you stick to your guns..colours return and so does your life...

PeakT · « **Reply #13 on:** July 08, 2012, 09:40:22 pm »

Quote from: kcwebguy on July 08, 2012, 01:59:14 pm

Peak, I could not agree with you more. I would add a #4, that being a connection with a higher power or powerful force that exists outside of ourselves. In my case, it's Christianity and the Lord. (I am not a Holy Roller, BTW) For others it might be grass and trees. All primitive cultures in existence today have beliefs in powers outside of themselves. I think this is critical to our health and development, and to experiencing a complete recovery.

I try to keep the forum comfortable for everyone and I have some unorthodox beliefs, but I am in agreement...

Prsartist · « **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2012, 03:04:11 am »

There is NO question (In my mind low T causes depression)
As I spent 3 years trying different medications with NO relief at all!

So many different things cause depression symptoms
Although I've only been on HRT for a couple weeks, I can definitely notice a difference.
(not a BIG difference) and not necessarily depression relief by itself.

Its very difficult to describe.
It feels as if I am changing as a person. I'm less emotionally "unstable"
I feel more in control of my life and not just a spectator.

Unfortunately I just had part of my kidney removed last week and
And biopsy came back as RCC (cancer). I "STILL" feel less depressed than before
I started HRT.
I did lose quite a bit of blood during surgery, as they had some problems
Getting the bleeding under control, so I've been in quite a bit of discomfort to say the least.
But I do keep an eye on this board (and now a cancer board!)
As I can't afford to put my faith in Dr's anymore...

I do believe ANY hormonal problem can cause depression!
But at least now I have an idea of what's going on, it gets really frustrating
When all Dr's tell you is that "everything looks normal"...

Peak Testosterone Forum · « **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2012, 03:04:11 am »

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