PSSD Collaborative Research

The natural and intuitive thing to do when is to take the serotonin reuptake mechanism as the main culprit when the subject is pssd and even the whole discontinuation syndrome, this was my first way of thinking, ffs, we are dealing with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors! After reading Ghost's work about neurosteroids, my focus started to shift.

I have a symptom that I read some people reporting about too, reduction of the whole body sensitivity, I started looking for answers about it. I found similar symptom on people who used finasteride and steroids(bb forums), not only the skin thing but a lot of others symptoms reported by people after SSRI discontinuation. So, what all this drugs have in commom? All of them messes with neurosteroids. Allopregnenolone seems to have been particulary affected by finasteride, ssris, mirtazapine and isotretenoin. So I started looking at them, which led me to find this book:

Neurosteroids and the Nervous System by Steven R. King
http://www.mediafire.com/file/q925jb220kri322/neurosteroids.zip

Take a look at section 8.2 and 19.1 in special.

Thank you very much for the link. Good info!

The description of neurosteroids being directly synthesized from cholesterol in the tissues where they are used is sad but true. Sad because blood tests that show circulating levels of those hormones may not reflect a severe deficiency of those same hormones in parts of the nervous system.

Yes, it contain a lot of good info, theres a chapter who can even explain my jaw problems and tinnitus... More and more I think that neurosteroids are the culprit, not only for pssd but for the whole post ssri symptoms!

I think you're right. At least as far as altered neurosteroid levels being heavily involved in causing symptoms. Perhaps altered levels or activity of neurosteroid-metabolizing enzymes is the root cause of the whole mess? Hopefully we find out soon.

The author of that booklet you linked is probably the second leading neurosteroid researcher behind Dr. Melcagni. He has published all sorts of studies on their role in behavior and sexual behavior. He has also done much of this in association with Baylor University, but don't know if he is involved in the Baylor PFS studies in any way.


S. R. King et al., “An Essential Component in Steroid Synthesis, the Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein, Is Expressed in Discrete Regions of the Brain,” J. Neurosci., vol. 22, no. 24, pp. 10613–10620, Dec. 2002.
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/24/10613

S. R. King and D. M. Stocco, “Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein Expression in the Central Nervous System,” Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 2, 2011.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355896/

S. R. King, “Emerging Roles for Neurosteroids in Sexual Behavior and Function,” Journal of Andrology, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 524–533, Sep. 2008.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2164/jandrol.108.005660/abstract

S. R. King, Neurosteroids and Sexual Behavior and Reproduction. Springer US, 2009.
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-0-387-88186-7_20

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We have already talksd about neurosteroids. Yes, itvis all about neurosteroids. In PFS there are scientific studies say a steroid production downregulation in the brain

In the last 15 years it has been proved SSRI primallyalter neurosteroid production increasing allopregnanole biosynthesis (in acute) giving the antidepressant effect but a cronic SSRI uptake lead to an important neurosterid levels decrease. So, yes, we probably have a big issue with brain neurosteroids.
We are going to fund a study(lead by Melcangi and his Staff) that will test neurosteroids levels in PSSD rat brain

Coraggio wrote:We have already talksd about neurosteroids. Yes, itvis all about neurosteroids. In PFS there are scientific studies say a steroid production downregulation in the brain

In the last 15 years it has been proved SSRI primallyalter neurosteroid production increasing allopregnanole biosynthesis (in acute) giving the antidepressant effect but a cronic SSRI uptake lead to an important neurosterid levels decrease. So, yes, we probably have a big issue with brain neurosteroids.
We are going to fund a study(lead by Melcangi and his Staff) that will test neurosteroids levels in PSSD rat brain

I have just started a campaign to raise money called run against castration. I am running marathons. I am doing the first one for the rxisk prize but maybe this marathon campaign can continue and I can raise towards when the PSSD foundation comes and this study?

Coraggio wrote:We have already talksd about neurosteroids. Yes, itvis all about neurosteroids. In PFS there are scientific studies say a steroid production downregulation in the brain

In the last 15 years it has been proved SSRI primallyalter neurosteroid production increasing allopregnanole biosynthesis (in acute) giving the antidepressant effect but a cronic SSRI uptake lead to an important neurosterid levels decrease. So, yes, we probably have a big issue with brain neurosteroids.
We are going to fund a study(lead by Melcangi and his Staff) that will test neurosteroids levels in PSSD rat brain

How crazy is this! Big pharma produced, sold and marketed SSRIs with the idea that serotonin were the responsible for the antidepressant effect, and it may be wrong! This could explain why SSRIs just stop working after long term. My first SSRI was paroxetine, after some time I started feeling like shit again, then I was put on escitalopram, he worked the first years, then, I started feeling bad again, but that time the mess was already done.

I read Melcangi study, and Im very happy that hes taking the neurosteroids path. After understanding what antidepressant do, I started looking at similar problems, mainly PFS and Post Accutane, and one word kept appearing: ALLOPREGNANOLONE! It may not be the culprit for us being stuck like this, but I bet its the main culprit for the symptoms.

All of this is what make pete's recovery very intriguing to me! At lower doses SSRIs dont have the reuptake inhibition effect, but they still boosts allo synthesis. Doing this in cycles like he did, is like an engine with recoil starting. Its a very abstract view of the problem, but I think thats a nice one.

Does anyone ever tried Etifoxine?

"Etifoxine is adrug that has been shown to stimulate the biosynthesis of endogenous neurosteroids, namely 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone. Several studies have shown that the synthesis of neurosteroids is essential to the pharmacological actions of etifoxine. Inhibitors of neurosteroid biosynthesis reverse the anxiolytic and analgesic actions of etifoxine."

This drug acts on the neurosteroid system, if the "neurosteroid theory" of PSSD is true, this drug could actually be a real treatment for PSSD. Does anyone tried it?

sjv16477 wrote:Does anyone ever tried Etifoxine?

"Etifoxine is adrug that has been shown to stimulate the biosynthesis of endogenous neurosteroids, namely 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone. Several studies have shown that the synthesis of neurosteroids is essential to the pharmacological actions of etifoxine. Inhibitors of neurosteroid biosynthesis reverse the anxiolytic and analgesic actions of etifoxine."

This drug acts on the neurosteroid system, if the "neurosteroid theory" of PSSD is true, this drug could actually be a real treatment for PSSD. Does anyone tried it?

Interesting.