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New member would like some help, especially from men.

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:56 am
by zulofu
Hi everyone,

My name's Lee, I'm 30 years old and for the last year and half or so I've been having severe Erectile Dysfunction. Even with the use of Viagra its difficult to stay hard enough for sex. I have not been diagnosed with MS nor has my doctors brought it up but after extensive google research I believe it's something I should ask my doctors about.

Besides my severe ED and lack of sex drive, I have had excess dribble after urinating (my brother has this as well, this started about 8 years ago), pressure in the ears (comes and goes, I did have tubes in my ears as a kid with frequent ear aches), tingling in the hands and feet (temporary goes away with movement), frequent fatigue, depression, anxiety, I also have some eye floaters at times. Most of these symptoms started when I was 14 or 15.

I have been diagnosed with low testosterone as well as low fsh and lh levels but from what I've heard low t by itself is rarely the cause of ed. I've also never had a great libido and have and some ed problems on and off since I was 20 but the severity and suddenness of the lack of libido and ED is what has caused me concern. All my thyroid levels were fine but I did have TPO antibodies, I'm not sure what that means and I'm not diabetic. I've also been diagnosed as bipolar at 11 and have had mental health issues since I was 6 or so.

I'd really like some help determining what tests I can have performed to rule out MS. I'm currently seeing a endo/urologist for this issue, should I get a referral to a neurologist? Also if there are any men who have ms and ed problems gave you give me some insight on how your ED came about, was it sudden, gradual, etc. Have you had any success in treating it?

I'm otherwise healthy except for being overweight, depressed and anxious about my ED and thinking about a number of possible causes. Any advice anybody can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Re: New member would like some help, especially from men.

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:17 am
by jimmylegs
hi not male, but helped get rid of my ex's ED

here's some science linking your issues with nutritional status.

Zinc, hydrochlorothiazide and sexual dysfunction
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8556776
"Serum zinc and sexual dysfunction were measured in 39 middle aged hypertensive men who had been taking hydrochlorothiazide in average daily doses of between 25 and 50 mg daily for at least six months, and a control group of 27 unmedicated middle aged normotensive men. ... The medicated group had a higher incidence of sexual dysfunction (56 pc) as compared to 11 pc in the control group. The use of hydrochlorothiazide did affect serum zinc levels significantly in 20 patients. Sexual dysfunction occurred more often in older and overweight patients (p < 0.004). ... Subsequently one group of the patients were supplemented with zinc 500 mg daily for 30 days. ... After supplementation with zinc, the serum zinc levels returned to normal only in eight patients. There was improvement in the symptoms of sexual dysfunction in five patients".

take away points
1) low zinc (in this case from the drug) was associated with sexual dysfunction.
2) that drug is really a badass zinc depleter if you can't fix the problem with 500mg/d x 30d of zinc supplementation.
3) it's impossible to say from the information in this abstract, whether there was a correlation between improvement of sexual dysfunction and serum zinc 'optimization' as opposed to 'normalization'

MALE INFERTILITY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE OF ZINC
http://colmed-alnahrain.edu.iq/nahrainm ... df#page=74
"Fifty-eight male (infertile group) partners who were undergoing investigation for infertility and thirty-seven men (fertile group) whose wife were pregnant and have normal
sexual life studied as a control group. ... All semen properties (count, motility and morphology) for the infertile group were lower than for the fertile group. No significant differences were found in the levels of L.H. and F.S.H. between the two groups while testosterone levels were significantly lower in the infertile men group than in the fertile group (p<0.005). It was also found that the mean level of serum and seminal plasma zinc concentration were significantly lower in the infertile group compared to the fertile group (p<0.0001). ..
Serum Zn (70-120μg/dl) : : fertile group mean 118.7 μg/dl : : infertile group mean 97.5 μg/dl ..."

takeaways:
1) zinc is 'normal' in fertile and infertile groups of men.
2) zinc is higher normal in fertile men, compared to low normal in infertile men
3) testosterone is higher in the fertile, higher zinc group.

Modulatory effects of Selenium on Spermatogenesis: Involvement of transcription factors CREB and CREM
http://www.nwpii.com/ajbms/papers/AJBMS_2010_4_04.pdf
"Selenium (Se) is essential for male fertility. ... the present study was designed to explore further the intracellular pathways involved in spermatogenesis, by analyzing the transcription factors, CREB and CREM under Se status conditions. Also, the levels of Leutinising (sic) hormone, Follicle stimulating hormone and Testosterone were monitored to gain insight into the hormonal circuitry involved in the process. ... There was a significant decrease in the mRNA and protein expression of CREB and CREM after Se deficient and excess diet feeding. Also, there was a decrease in the levels of serum Testosterone, LH and FSH along with altered testicular histoarchitecture. Thus, spermatogenesis is altered by alteration in Se status. The altered Se status lead to changes in the levels of steroid hormones and the testicular circuitry was hampered."

takeaway:
1) mouse study, but still interesting and ties in the low LH and FSH also seen in your particular situation

Selenium, a Key Element in Spermatogenesis and Male Fertility
http://download.bioon.com/view/upload/2 ... df#page=81
"...The testis represents a specific and privileged target of Se. This element, in fact, appears to be essential for maintaining a normal spermatogenesis and for male fertility. In case of Se deficiency, regulatory mechanisms strive to maintain an adequate level of this element in the male gonad and, when selenium is administered again, the Se is supplied to the testis with priority over other tissues.1"

that's enough science for the moment.

FYI a typical north American diet has lots of influences to impair zinc intake and retention. eg greater tendency to red meat avoidance, along with excess consumption of zinc-binding antinutrients like gluten (wheat and other grains), phytate (legumes), dairy (lactose), sugar, alcohol, etc - not to mention significant zinc depletion from certain pharmaceutical drugs such as hydrochlorothiazide (for hypertension).

i think at least some if not all of these anti-nutrients would affect selenium absorption and retention. alcohol for sure. but i haven't run across as much research on selenium and absorption, not yet anyway.

Re: New member would like some help, especially from men.

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:49 am
by zulofu
Thanks I have changed my diet to a low fat diet with lots of fish, fruits and veggies, I'm trying to lose weight all around and hopefully get my blood pressure and cholestrol under control. I'm also supplementing zinc as well. I'm not on hydrochlorothiazide, maybe I missed something but I'm trying to find any possible solution to my problem. I was concerned it maybe MS related and wanted to get some input from that angle.

Re: New member would like some help, especially from men.

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:35 am
by jimmylegs
ms patients also tend to have poor zinc and selenium status, among other things, in comparison to healthy controls. the 'other things' correlate well with some of your other issues.

your fish intake sounds good for selenium.. halibut, tuna and cod pack the most punch in terms of mg per serving, followed by sardines shrimp and salmon.

how much zinc do you take daily? is it balanced with copper?