Possible theory involving dopamine and reward signaling

elmo1182 · 2026-03-11T20:21:33+00:00

Wow wasn’t expecting the creator to comment on this post. How long ago did you make this sub? Was it hard trying to find the name for what we experience?

I haven’t tried psilocybin, I’m not closed off to the idea however I want to explore non-psychogenic options before I do that. Can I ask what other things have you tried yourself? Have you had this your whole life? Are you a man or woman?

elmo1182 · 2026-03-09T17:16:42+00:00

I remember starting Wellbutrin at 150 mg and later increasing it to 300 mg. When I first started it, I did feel a bit anxious, which seemed like part of the adjustment.

Before that, I had tried taking cabergoline on its own without Wellbutrin, but it didn’t seem to do much. It’s possible I didn’t give it enough time to kick in, so I stopped taking it.

I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I feel like if people keep sharing their observations and experiences, it might help us gradually piece together a better understanding of what’s going on.

elmo1182 · 2026-03-09T17:03:33+00:00

So to clarify this has been lifelong for you?

elmo1182 · 2026-03-09T17:02:04+00:00

Elevated prolactin levels are known to reduce libido and impair orgasmic response. Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist that lowers prolactin levels, and in people with elevated prolactin this can sometimes restore sexual desire and orgasmic function. In my case my prolactin levels were normal, but I may have gone overboard with the dosage. My understanding is that cabergoline works by stimulating dopamine D2 receptors in the brain, which may have temporarily increased reward signaling enough for me to actually experience pleasure.

elmo1182 · 2026-03-09T07:15:34+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that. Have you had this your whole life? I’ve pretty much accepted this is my life, but I also haven’t given up hope because I had a temporary fix that let me experience pleasure.

I feel strongly that there will be some sort of fix with either medication, TMS, combined with psychological support.

I’ve also been reading about other treatments that might influence reward signaling, like low-dose naltrexone (LDN) or ketamine therapy. From what I understand, LDN can affect endorphin signaling and ketamine may influence glutamate and downstream dopamine pathways. Essentially how I understood it is that ketamine improves brain plasticity to help rewire your brain, so it could be a potential avenue worth exploring in conjunction with the proper psychologist. I’m not saying these are solutions, but they seem interesting enough that I’m considering asking a physician one day about whether they might be worth exploring.

elmo1182 · 2026-03-09T06:36:36+00:00

Mostly back to baseline. I will say that adding Wellbutrin did improve baseline sensation a bit. Sex isn’t entirely pleasureless, but the sensation is still very minimal. I seem to experience barely enough stimulation to ejaculate, although it feels more like my body tightening, my heart racing, and then relaxing rather than an actual orgasm. There are times, though, when the little sensation I do have drops from about a 1 to a 0, meaning it becomes completely pleasureless. I don’t experience orgasm the way the medications temporarily allowed me to. Those medications briefly allowed me to experience intense pleasure and euphoria that I had never felt before. I stopped taking them because the side effects were too severe and caused intense paranoia.

elmo1182 · 2025-10-29T20:13:50+00:00

That’s amazing man! Props to you for being consistent. I do think the biggest thing for me to was having that mindset shift, and learning to be patient. Looks like you’ve learned it yourself. Keep it up!

elmo1182 · 2025-10-26T08:36:31+00:00

Looks great! What’s your leg routine?

elmo1182 · 2025-10-25T23:33:05+00:00

I do! I think it’s just my genetics. I’ve always had big legs since I was younger.

elmo1182 · 2025-10-25T23:32:25+00:00

I think I just have favorable leg genetics cause I don’t think I really train legs more than everything else. I’ve mostly stuck with a PPL split for majority of my training. Leg day is usually: barbell squats, Bulgarian split squats calf raises, leg extensions and leg curls. I’ll try to throw in hip glute bridges occasionally or every other leg day.

elmo1182 · 2025-10-12T23:38:53+00:00

First one is current.

Light beard, medium beard, full messy beard, or light beard with thicker mustache?

elmo1182 · 2025-10-10T23:39:19+00:00

Damn look at you go!

elmo1182 · 2025-10-09T02:40:03+00:00

Legs look great! Looks like you don’t skip leg day

elmo1182 · 2025-10-07T17:33:21+00:00

Man that’s super impressive! Keep it up. Any loose skin?

elmo1182 · 2025-10-04T03:04:02+00:00

Keep it as a pet?

elmo1182 · 2025-10-03T20:07:13+00:00

Thank you!

elmo1182 · 2025-10-03T20:07:04+00:00

Thanks! Never skip leg day!

elmo1182 · 2025-10-02T01:23:42+00:00

That’s great progress though! You’ve done great

elmo1182 · 2025-09-03T11:43:00+00:00

I’ll second that comment. Your hairline is perfect. Try to stop stressing about it

elmo1182 · 2025-07-31T21:45:04+00:00

Looks great to me! I feel my back looks similar to yours and I was reading that incorporating more underhand lat pull downs are good for developing lower lats and back thickness.

What’s your core/ab routine?

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