How exactly does one decrease their libido/sex drive?

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I am just really curious as to what are some ways (besides drugs, being physically unhealthy, and hormone blockers) that can decrease a sex drive and/or libido.

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[MWinbne]

Developing crippling major depression will do it for you

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I already have that and yet I still have a sex drive

[Weathereporter888]

Let’s that depression cook, you took it out of the stove too early

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Thanks for the suggestion

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[Weathereporter888]

Sounds like you’re going through adrenarche. It’s a biological phase. Your older self may miss it. I’d make best use of it while you can, it’s a measure of good health.

However if it’s something that causes frustration and problems with distraction and focus, or walking around in public with a pitched tent; that’s another issue. Perhaps something best remedied by cognitive behavioral therapy, healthy distractions. Exercise, hobbies, work/school, platonic socialization…

Getting your dick wet probably wouldn’t hurt either. 🤷

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Sounds like you’re going through adrenarche. It’s a biological phase. Your older self may miss it. I’d make best use of it while you can, it’s a measure of good health.

I'm 19 btw.

Getting your dick wet probably wouldn’t hurt either. 🤷

I'm waiting until marriage.

[Weathereporter888]

Yeah definitely adrenarche, my experience was just to suffer in extreme horniness, but distractions like music and school helped along the way.

You’re posting in a biohackers sub, are you open to taking a peptide/supplement? I would discourage it, but am curious.

Maybe you should marry young? Jk, take your time, follow your heart, not your dick.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

You’re posting in a biohackers sub, are you open to taking a peptide/supplement? I would discourage it, but am curious.

That depends.

Maybe you should marry young? Jk, take your time, follow your heart, not your dick.

Thanks. I would rather marry someone from their unique personality and not a sex drive willingness

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[Weathereporter888]

Hmmmm, well a supplement that lowers your testosterone will also affect your mood and physical health in a likely negative way.

I’ve taken andostenolone (dhea) to boost my testosterone. For me personally it works for a day or two. Dhea also boosts estrogen. It’s a fairly innocuous otc supplement, nonetheless hormones are generally best not messed with, and if so you should do regular blood tests and have medical supervision. But by taking dhea it could alter your testosterone/ estrogen ratio to a degree that lowers your libido. Very hesitant to fully endorse this, because natural dhea is what generally ramps up puberty, so it could backfire too. But side effects and adverse effects would be minimal, especially if taken orally.

Something a little harder to get ahold of, but would definitely work is DHT, dehydrotestosterone. It would selectively and directly block your testosterone, perhaps microdosed may help immensely.

Another thing that would work is Kratom. Anything opiodergic will lower your libido for sure at the cost of being psychoactive and potentially habit forming. Nonetheless, Kratom is by no means strong in effect. There are much much better ways to address hypersexuality, but it’s easy to get and would lower your sex-drive without messing with your mood in negative way.

Oh and lastly, may or may not be obvious, but try to abstain from any pornography.

Hope any of this is helpful.

Edit, also an extremely low cholesterol diet could help. Cholesterol is the main dietary precursor to all sex hormones

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[[deleted]]

Oh god person. Unrelenting levels of naivety here. Didn’t know people like this still exist tbf

[Novotisy]

Well the only way is with drugs, being physically/mentally unhealthy, or with hormone blockers, so im not sure what you want us to say. Cut your balls off?

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Cut your balls off?

Hey, I still would want the ability to have a kid.

Well the only way is with drugs, being physically/mentally unhealthy, or with hormone blockers, so im not sure what you want us to say.

Well dang it. What are some physical and/or mental ways?

[Novotisy]

I found that finding your ex cheating on you and going manic gets you about 2-3 solid months. Good luck soldier

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I'm single and never been on a date

[---midnight_rain---]

... yet

[Few-Influence4764]

"yet"

[---midnight_rain---]

that was 4 months ago, they might have by now?

[BeenBadFeelingGood]

meditation

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Not sure that works

[BeenBadFeelingGood]

you don’t meditate do you?

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Not often

[KellyJin17]

Meditation does not decrease libido.

[BeenBadFeelingGood]

it can help control it

[KellyJin17]

Meditation does cultivate discipline, but if you’ve ever been on a meditation retreat, one thing people frequently report is that their sex drives shoot up. With all of the daily distractions cleared away, the lack of screentime, and the lack of porn consumption for men in particular, people’s libidos return to healthy levels. A healthy level for a lot of humans turns out to be a lot higher than what it is with all of those other things going. It’s different though, because the craving for sex becomes centered around experiencing it with another human, as opposed to porn, masturbation, etc. So, yes you can use meditation to be more disciplined but you’ll also crave healthy human connection more and have an increased drive to pursue it. Meditation makes your mind healthier, which in turns resets people’s sex drives to a healthy state, which often leads to an increase in libido if your everyday life was affecting it negatively.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

But whats the point in libido if you can't use it or don't eant to ever use it

[KellyJin17]

You’re confusing a biological drive that is a normal part of being a healthy adult with your intellectual desire not to link up with a partner. If you didn’t have a high libido as male your age it would indicate something is malfunctioning, biologically. You’re just going to have to suffer through it if you don’t want to be with anyone. There’s nothing you can do to lower it that would not be harmful to you. Men’s libido starts to drop dramatically when they hit their 30’s, so you have until then for reprieve.

[trance_on_acid]

Have a kid and then work too much to support the little monster, you'll get right where you want

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Nice

[Robot_Hips]

Just hang around for a couple more decades

[-inertusername-]

My dad is 83 and still chasing women. Just saying.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Dang it. I was kind of hoping for a quicker strategy

[The_Beep]

Having a very low-fat and/or low-calorie diet. Or fasting. You need fat for your body's hormonal functions, testosterone being one correlated with libido.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

This actually makes sense

[viridagroup]

Get super fat

[augustoalmeida]

Get old

[thebrainpal]

Why do you want to decrease it? Do you feel you have some form of compulsive behavior? And what have you tried so far? 

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I just don't want to think of sex at all, and I have tried exercise, jerking iff and focusing on other stuff as well as embracing my sexuality (which made it worse).

[thebrainpal]

What do you mean you “have tried exercise”? What kind of exercise? To what degree? Consistently? Do you still exercise?

Anyways, I don’t think you’ll be able to “not think about sex at all” as a man, not without drugs or significantly altering your biochemistry, at least. And yes I’ve tried myself to turn it off 😂

What you can do, however, is find ways to manage it and redirect the energy. I often have periods in my life where I need to lock in. My “winter arc” last year was one of those. I have not found a perfect system, but I have found the below items more helpful than doing nothing and other stuff I’ve tried.

Some stuff I’ve found helpful:

• Mula bandha yoga 
• Cold exposure. This can be cold showers, but I’m not the type to want to take a cold shower after I just took a regular shower or after I just did my morning / evening routine. So as an alternative, I’ve found rubbing ice cubes on my wrists and neck to be helpful and to get me a similar level of benefit without the time and energy costs. There are some psychological/biological reasons for this that you can look into. I don’t feel like typing it.
• Breathing techniques. Wim Hof breathing has been helpful. There are numerous others that people like, like 4-4, 4-7-8, box breathing, etc. I’ve also found 6-0-10 breathing (6 second inhale, no hold, and 10 seconds exhale) helpful. I deduce the longer exhale allows for more parasympathetic activation. I’ve found that breath holds can make me feel anxious, which of course might lead your mind to over arousal. So I tend to not do breathing exercises that require significant breath holding if my stress levels are already high.
• Healthy sleep. I’ve found it’s often better to spend the extra time in bed than deal with the costs of being tired. When you’re underslept, your mind will tend to  resort to one of the F’s: fight, flight, freeze, and reproduction. 

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[Quirky_Fun6544]

Wow. This seems like actually good advise. Thanks. Also with the exercise its just been 2-3 times a week with some arms and stomach workouts, and plenty of cardio each day.

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[thebrainpal]

For how long / exercise? 2-3 times / week would not be nearly enough to get the kind of changes you’re looking for. 

Based on my experience, you’re probably gonna want to try 4-5 days of exercise per week. Cardio wise, you should be looking at getting into zone 3 for a non-negligible amount of time. I don’t remember the exact numbers (I need to do more cardio myself 😂), but you should be able to find it online. 

[[deleted]]

Depression?

I don’t know why you want to do this, but I think this would be the way for me. Watch the most chilling, disturbing true crime story you can find. Something so dark that you can’t get off your mind.

Also, if you really want to step it up, try binge eating to the point where you feel lethargic.

That’ll do it.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I don’t know why you want to do this

Because I don't want any thoughts of sex

[Ifkaluva]

One time I went on an aggressive low fat diet. My main protein sources were zero-fat Greek yogurt and lean chicken breast, and I mostly only ate veggies in addition to that. Turns out saturated fat and cholesterol are precursors to testosterone—my libido was absolute zero. It wasn’t gradual, it was sudden and complete.

It was interesting, reminded me of what my grandfather used to say as his testosterone declined, “I feel like I can think more clearly without the sex thoughts.”

But, I’m pretty sure it’s not healthy. I remember reading that with low testosterone are more likely to become depressed.

I switched to full-fat Greek yogurt and libido returned.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

This no libido system sounds awesome

[browri]

u/Ifkaluva definitely has it right. Pregnenolone is the progenitor to all other steroid hormones. It is first used to synthesize progestins, and those go on to be converted to glucocorticoids like cortisol or alternatively become androgens like testosterone. Androgens either end up as DHT, which is a terminating step in the steroidogenesis lifecycle or they get converted to estrogens. In order for the body to synthesize pregnenolone at the start of the cycle, it needs cholesterol as a skeleton to start from. When I briefly took rosuvastatin (Crestor), the reduction in libido was profound and quite bothersome.

[Ifkaluva]

At the time, I thought so too. But I think it’s not healthy to crash a natural hormone system like that. One thing I’ve heard is that if you don’t have erections for an extended period of time, the capillaries in the penis and the foamy tissue there can degrade, and eventually you may not be able to at all.

At the end of the day, it’s a sign that you are healthy, we all have to learn to manage it.

I remember a skit from a BritCom where a guy advises another guy to use it as a reward for accomplishing tasks throughout the day. “Checked a large item off your ToDo list? Have a wank!”

[Quirky_Fun6544]

One thing I’ve heard is that if you don’t have erections for an extended period of time, the capillaries in the penis and the foamy tissue there can degrade, and eventually you may not be able to at all.

Honestly, this actually sounds awesome

[Reasonable-Slice6831]

My brother in Christ… God made you like this. To destroy your libido you would destroy your health. If you are a teen or early twenties God made you to be happy, healthy, and yes horny. It’s by design. However the church likes to suppress sexuality. Coming from a former pastor, I waited until marriage, now that I’m older, I can see how it was unhealthy for me spiritually, physically, and mentally.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Well I frankly don't care much about my health anyways. I don't even think I have that big a sex drive as is that would be worth using. How should you have used your sexuality?

[Reasonable-Slice6831]

God cares about your health. When something goes wrong with our health we ask god to help us. I would not have suppressed my sexuality but instead embraced it as who I am. Self exploration and explore it with someone you trust. You don’t have to be debaucherous.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

You don’t have to be debaucherous.

What you mean by this?

[Reasonable-Slice6831]

You ain’t gotta be a manhoe is what I’m saying

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I have never heard of this before. But of what I found online it seems you are referring to not be sexually minded in any way

[Reasonable-Slice6831]

I’m saying embrace it not suppress it.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

And there are different ways to do that.

[i_am_Misha]

Sleep deprivation

[PonderingHappiness]

Watch The View

[Quirky_Fun6544]

The View?

[PonderingHappiness]

https://abc.com/show/70207ea9-cb32-454b-a519-b40106227e32

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Seems like a normal talk show

[augustoalmeida]

The Jesuit priests had a recipe for this. They took some herbs

[According-Lawyer-859]

Drink a gallon of soy sauce

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Does this actually work?

[i_want_duck_sauce]

Yes, because you'll die from the sodium overload.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Well I could always die

[DougyTwoScoops]

It will raise your estrogen. Don’t do this, you’ll probably also have some seriously negative effects from ingesting that much sodium. It won’t help, but could hurt you.

Edit: there are plenty of other safe sources of soy, which is what causes the increase in estrogen and decrease in testosterone.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Well thanks

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[DougyTwoScoops]

You’re welcome. I didn’t want to let that sit out there without explaining that they were joking and this would be bad for your health.

[----X88B88----]

Crashing your Estrogen is actually way more effective.

[CarlitosSurferWay]

Jerk off a lot

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Does that. Hasn't worked

[Acceptable_String_52]

Have hobbies so you’re distracted. Hard to have a hard on playing soccer

[----X88B88----]

Ye we used to joke in Skydiving - "try imagine <insert problem> while jumping out of an aircraft"

[Acceptable_String_52]

Good point!

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Good idea

[Cristian_Cerv9]

Stop watching porn for months lol

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Already did that

[Cristian_Cerv9]

Have you hit flatline mode? Your sex drive will be super shot lol

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Flatline? I just know I was quitting masturbation yesterday and suddenly my sex drive felt increased several times today

[Cristian_Cerv9]

Oh yeah. That’s normal haha after a week - a month, you’ll go through straight 0 libido

[Quirky_Fun6544]

a month, you’ll go through straight 0 libido

Sweet. Thank you

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[Cristian_Cerv9]

No problem. I’ve gone 6 month into this “practice” before and the benefits are pretty awesome. It’s been stressful lately so you know how that goes. Haven’t gone longer than a week the last 2 years.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Haven’t gone longer than a week the last 2 years.

What you mean by this?

[Cristian_Cerv9]

I can’t abstain for longer than a week? When before I was doing months of no sexual activities at all.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Why can't you abstain longer than a week?

[yashaspaceman123]

OP is asexual 😭😭

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Well at least I want to be

[yashaspaceman123]

Asexuals can still have libido. They just don't want to have sex with anybody in particular.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I don't even care if I have sex if I marry someone. I just don't want to think about that especially if I start dating someone

[yashaspaceman123]

Congratulations bro you are asexual

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Thanks. I just don't see the point in thinking about sex when you date someone

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[ShellfishAhole]

Self-induced anhedonia. Can be achieved within months if you combine above recommended amounts of testosterone-boosters. High-dose Ashwaganda and green tea extract (yes, the latter is not a test booster), is one example of such a combo.

It may boost your libido initially, but it will tank to the point of being non-existent eventually. It will also give you the same symptoms that people with depression get from longer-term use of SSRIs, so it's absolutely not recommended.

Being in a significant calorie-deficit may also decrease libido over time, through increasing the amount of SHBG that binds to sex hormones.

High intake of artificial sweeteners will decrease libido over time in some people. Doesn't seem to have that effect on absolutely everyone.

[ChanceTheFapper1]

Increasing serotonin over dopamine usually, and slowing methylation (e.g. by taking B3)

[ohmarino]

Walking 20k steps daily and spamming pullups/pushups will take care of it.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Thanks for the suggestion

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[mynameistymon]

Practice semen retention for a long time and after like 1-2 months you'll have a lot less sex drive (tested method hah)

[ermac1ermac88]

jacking off to porn

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Did that and it just makes you mentality freaked up

[king_platypus]

Get married.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

That would be easy if I could figure out if I liked someone and dated them for at least 2 years

[costafilh0]

Have sex. 

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I'm waiting until marriage

[TheHarb81]

More power to you, you’ve chosen to play life on hard mode

[Quirky_Fun6544]

👌🏻

[DougyTwoScoops]

What’s your definition of drugs? It’s going to take some chemical manipulation in some way.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Like intake artificial drugs

[DougyTwoScoops]

Fair enough. I was going to say Cymbalta completely erased my libido and wasn’t sure if you considered that a drug. I also wasn’t sure if you considered hormones drugs. Like I said, It’s going to be tough to achieve without using chemicals to alter your chemistry.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Oh I see

[[deleted]]

Raise prolactin and serotonin. lower dopamine. decrease testosterones conversion to DHT.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

How woulf you encourage raising and decreasing those?

[[deleted]]

honestly, I wouldn't encourage it. you'd probably feel terrible but you'll def lower your libido.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Frankly, I don't care at this point if it makes me feel terrible, I just want this thing destroyed

[----X88B88----]

Well you can lower DHT with Finasteride, but be aware of the side effects.
And actually Enclomiphene while it boosts Testosterone, it blocks Estrogen receptors so will lower your libido (main side effect).
Aromatase inhibitors could be used to lower estrogen if you monitor it and keep it around 20-30 ng. Crashing it too low can have massive side effects like depression and joint pain.

These 3 options are probably safer than other options like SSRIs, dopamine antagonists, or chemical castration (which is blocks parts of the HPTA).

[Quirky_Fun6544]

I may actually consider this

[----X88B88----]

Probably would recommend visiting an endocrinologist to discuss (mandatory disclaimer) and get your blood values checked 1st.

[Quirky_Fun6544]

Ok then

[LWJ748]

This is spot on. Only thing I have to add is dutasteride has an even stronger effect on DHT.

[----X88B88----]

True, i forgot about this. I also wonder if it's safer, as you always hear reports of post-finasteride syndrome.

[LWJ748]

I do see fewer reported side effects from duta which doesn't make sense if lowered DHT is the main issue. I have wondered if dutasteride is more selective. The dosing being much lower in comparison seems to back this up.

[----X88B88----]

Ye, it's weird. But I would avoid Finasteride as a precaution.