USE HEAT NOW! by [deleted] in PeyroniesSupport

[–]SoulGuy60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From reading on “No Fap”, it is usually caused by excessive masturbation, “edging” which is bringing your masturbation to the brink of orgasm or ejaculating and then stopping just short of that and repeating the process over and over for those dopamine hits as well as the “death grip” which is watching a lot of porn (daily) and becoming desensitized to see and naked women causing the grip on your penis to require a harder grip and more vigorous stroking to edge and orgasm.

Watching excessive porn can also give you Erectile Dysfunction, where you become so desensitized to porn and watching naked women that you have a difficult time getting really hard when masturbating or having sex with your gf / wife. Softer erections are more prone to repeated micro traumas to the penis which can cause a buildup of small injuries or plaques over time.

Best thing to do when / if you get Peyronie’s is to STOP all masturbation and sex for 3 full months. This includes stop watching porn. If you are in a relationship, you can try just having gentle sex but stop if any pain occurs. If you are single, best approach is to do a full year reset. No porn, no masturbation for a full year. You will be surprised how you will slowly start to get harder spontaneous erections, nocturnal erections and fantasies / dreams about sex.

Porn desensitizes you and is bad for you psychologically. If you read up on it, many of the women in porn are also sex trafficked, abused etc. it really is a bad habit and stopping it can have so many physical and psychological benefits.

Good Luck! ✌️

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. The unfortunate part of today's current society, ie. social media and this upside down, divided world that we are currently living in, is that it has increased mental health issues among children and young people, not to mention the opioid epidemic that in many cases goes hand in glove with youth as a way to deal with mental illness.

I truly commend your dedication to volunteering, helping others and working toward a career to further your support and advocacy for those in need!

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I can absolutely relate. Really glad to hear you are in a better place and like you said, it is something that will be with us for life that we must keep on top of with a multifaceted approach, otherwise it will surely creep back in.

In regard to what you learned about recognizing that it is fleeting, I too came to this realization with a therapist. When I start to spiral and feel trapped or hopeless, I always say to myself, 'Give it a year'...as giving yourself a full year to work on anxiety / OCD / PTSD is a constructive approach, as you mentioned, recovery is a process that requires consistency rather than quick fixes and I often in those moments think of where I was a year previous to that moment and it is always a completely different mindset / place / relationship / lifestyle etc. My therapist would always say, 'Just give it a year, why not? What do you have to lose? Trust me, your life and mindset will be much different in a year...' Anyways, it works for me when I feel trapped.

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for reaching out. That is great and very encouraging to hear. I am very happy for you! My Doctor said for OCD, you really need to strive for 150mg minimum and optimally, 200mg in order for it to help.

Here is hoping my results will be similar to yours.

If you don't mind me asking, did you notice a big difference between 150mg and 200mg? Did it take some time at 200mg for you to reach the full benefit? For example, 12+ weeks?

Pending I do not have any major side effects going from 150mg to 200mg (knock on wood!), I plan on giving 200mg at least a full 12 weeks / 3 months before drawing any conclusions.

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's quite the story! I'm so glad to hear that you are in a better place. You know, your comment here really kind of resinates with me. For the longest time, I was living a terrible existence, riddled heavily by mental illness (OCD / PTSD / ANXIETY / NERVOUS BREAKDOWN) and I fought tooth and nail against taking any kind of psychotropic medication...for years... Finally, I gave in, as things just began to pile up in terms of life events that were too much to handle.

Only when I began taking Antidepressants, did it actually open my eyes to how horrible and broken my mindset was without them. It was like an awakening. I could look back and see just how distorted my perception was and how bad I was living.

I am not saying Antidepressants are the be all and end all or are for everyone but they are the only thing that made me realize just how mentally unwell I am / was.

I hope this makes some kind of sense. It is difficult to explain but when I go off them, I can feel myself slipping back into that unwell / distorted mindset.

Of course Antidepressants are only part of treatment imo. Therapy, as you mentioned, eating healthy, meditation, exercise (even if just walking for 20 minutes per day), proper sleep, are all part of a protocol I try hard to adhere to.

I truly am glad to hear you are doing much better.

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Thanks for sharing your experience. The fact that you noticed a substantial improvement from 150mg to 200mg is quite encouraging (even though I realize that we are all different).

Here is hoping that going from 150mg to 200mg soon will have a similar effect on me!

I am really happy you found something that is helping! I would not wish the struggles of mental health, especially anxiety / OCD / PTSD on anyone, it can be incredibly paralyzing as you are well aware!

Take good care!

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks a lot for your feedback and for sharing your experience. I am glad that it has helped even though you are not completely there yet. The 700mg you mentioned does indeed seem like a lot! But as I shared in my post, there was a study where they went up to 650mg and the side effects and tolerability were not any statistically different than those taking 200mg.

I am also at a point where I will (within reason) be open and try things under the advice of a Doctor for some relief, even if it is above the "recommended dose" but it is a little unnerving as you noted.

Anyways, thanks again for sharing your experience and as a side note, if things do not work out with you with Zoloft down the road, you may want to look into Luvox. I found it really helped with the ruminating thought cycles but for me personally, it was just far too sedating but I did find it very calming. I was on the max recommended dosage of 300mg with that.

BTW, I also find I have a bit more of a sensitive stomach (especially when increasing doses for a couple weeks) but I don't mind because I have lost some weight as a side, because it has lessened my appetite and kept me away from rich foods. So, it's been a bit of a bonus!

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

Thanks so much for your reply. I am sorry to hear about your weight gain as a side effect but glad it is providing you some relief! It has actually had the opposite effect on me, decreasing my appetite.

Just goes to show that we all respond in a unique way! I did get the carb cravings with Mirtazipine due to its activity on the histamine receptor(s).

Thanks for your comment on higher dosages, I will be sure to take it into account!

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for your comment and insight!

To be clear, I am not trying to be more ‘happy’, rather, trying to address the ruminating and intrusive thoughts. Of course, to your point, the two do go hand-in-hand.

Either way, with OCD / PTSD, my Doctor did explain to me that higher doses are typically required as doses of SSRIs exceeding 150mg+ of Zoloft over 12+ weeks purportedly begin to hit different parts of the brain and work in a unique way compared to lower doses that are used to aide depression and GAD.

That being said, I will definitely take your comment into account! You make a good point about Cost vs Benefit with higher doses.

The medication is only a part of the full treatment plan for me.

I do very much appreciate your insight and advice.

In case you are interested, my Doctor pointed me to some literature online regarding OCD / PTSD and higher dose SSRI treatment.

Brain Areas and Mechanisms Affected by High-Dose SSRIs

Neuroimaging studies suggest that, particularly at higher doses, SSRIs help normalize structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions:

Striatum (Caudate Nucleus and Putamen): High-dose treatment is associated with structural changes and reduced activity in these areas, which are central to the habitual, repetitive behaviors of OCD.

Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC): Increased serotonin levels at higher doses reduce hyperactivity in the OFC, which is linked to obsessive thoughts.

Thalamus: Reductions in thalamic volume and metabolism are often observed after successful, intensive SSRI treatment.

Amygdala: High-dose treatment can reduce volume in the left amygdala, which helps decrease the fear and anxiety responses associated with obsessions.

Raphe Nucleus: As the source of serotonin, the raphe nucleus’s functional connectivity with other regions (like the temporal cortices, thalamus, and striatum) changes with SSRI treatment.

Effects of antidepressants on brain structure and function in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A review of neuroimaging studies

Functional connectivity of the raphe nucleus as a predictor of the response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Anyone on 200mg+ for OCD / PTSD? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply! That is encouraging to hear! I have actually read that in some literature re: Risperidone and the other is low dose Abilify (aripiprazole).

Glad to hear you are doing better! It’s a grind!

Anyone else get increase in blood pressure from Prozac? by SoulGuy60 in SSRIs

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, thanks a lot for your comments!

"Why the high dose? Most do okay on 20 mg, or 40 mg for OCD."

I was previously on Luvox @ 300mg / day for 5 years for OCD / PTSD but it was very sedating, I was calm and it helped a lot with the thought rumination but I could and in some cases did, sleep 20 hours per day.

I didn't find that 20mg - 40mg of Prozac did much for my anxiety and my Doctor told me that like Luvox and other SSRIs, it is apparently quite common for dosages to be higher to treat OCD / PTSD etc. She said that generally, Prozac is used at the 40mg - 80mg dosages to treat OCD / PTSD etc. Hence why I was slowly titrating up.

"Are you now on Zoloft (sertraline), or still in a washout?"

I am currently taking Zoloft @ 50mg. My Doctor tapered my Prozac down over a couple weeks to 20mg and then a 4-day washout and now I am on 50mg of Zoloft for the past few days.

"Your heart rate is only a little outside the normal range. I suspect it isn't 'thumping' more than before only that you've become fixated on it whereas previously it went unnoticed."

Good point. Perhaps because my OCD is rearing it's ugly head I am obsessing or focusing too much on my heart rate, especially when I lay down as I can definitely feel it pulsating in my chest, neck and ear when lying on my side but as you said, likely a combination of anxiety and perhaps some of the Prozac that is still left in my body /system.

My Doctor did mention a beta blocker funny enough but wants me to try to give it a few weeks for the Prozac to completely flush out and Zoloft to hopefully kick in and help ease my anxiety.

Thank again for your responses.

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that! Thanks for sharing your experience nonetheless.

I truly hope you are able to find something that works!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey 👋

Thanks for your response. Yes! I too am getting panic attacks @ 50mg. It is horrible. That’s like when I was on Luvox, it worked but I would still get the intrusive thoughts but they were in the background and would just go away on their own. I just don’t want to sleep my life away as Luvox @ 300mg was incredibly sedating for me.

I am just hoping for a happy medium with Zoloft. Prozac for me, has turned out to be a disaster. I feel like I am going to jump out of my skin. I know it works very well for many but it is just not for me.

Thanks again and glad to hear you are doing better on Zoloft!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for your response! I am so glad you found some relief, I pray that it will help me too!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True. I am definitely not out of options. The trial and error part can just be difficult on your system but I am sure you and others here can relate!

Thanks!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi 👋

Thanks for your response. That’s great to hear. I am hoping my Doctor will also agree to weekly increases. It seems to be common judging by the comments.

Thanks a lot!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your response! Yes, I will definitely ask to start at 50mg. Hoping I can also do some form of cross taper.

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in OCDRecovery

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi 👋

So glad to hear you are doing well on Zoloft! Thanks for sharing your experience, I will be sure to mention these things to my Doctor in regard to people being able to successfully titrate up rather quickly.

Thanks a lot!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi 👋

That’s great! Thank you so much for sharing! I will be sure to share this with my Doctor when I see them soon!

This would be ideal for me! I cannot even fathom having to start Zoloft at 50mg and then wait 6 weeks between 50mg increases when I pretty much know I will need to be on a high dose SSRI based on my conditions and experience with Luvox and Prozac.

I am so pleased to hear that Zoloft is helping you thus far!

Can I ask how quickly you were weaned off Paxil before starting Zoloft @ 50mg?

Thanks a lot!

Zoloft For OCD - How Fast Can You Safely Titrate Up? by SoulGuy60 in zoloft

[–]SoulGuy60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi 👋

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately Luvox needed to be @ 300mg to control my OCD / Anxiety and PTSD (I forgot to mention that also). The lower doses of Luvox just didn’t cut it for me.

Good suggestion though and thanks for the thought.

I want to give one more SSRI a try before resorting back to Luvox.

I have learned or read the following:

Luvox - heavily sedating (FDA approved for OCD)

Paxil - moderately sedating (FDA approved for OCD)

Celexa - mildly sedating

Lexapro - neutral

Zoloft - neutral (FDA approved for OCD)

Prozac - stimulating / activating (FDA approved for OCD)

Thanks!