... psychopharms as having everything ranging from 'Bipolar NOS' to 'Depressive Anxiety' to 'Adult ADD.' I also have chronic insomnia, chronic pain, and Testosterone Deficiency (caused by ongoing 8-year methadone treatment for my chronic pain)! And since '95, I've been prescribed every permeation of every medication 'cocktail' out there. My p-doc keeps changing meds on me even when I seem to go through seasons of being fine; so I feel forever trapped and dependent on the constant barrage of meds I continue to be prescribed. Right now - aside from Methadone - I take Cymbalta, Klonopin, Provigil, Dexedrine, Depakote, Temazepam&Trazodone(both for sleep), and Synthroid. My doc has kept me on this regimen for longer than he's kept me on any other (about 7 years) - probably because he doesn't want to change much while I'm still taking Methadone (now 50mg), as there are so many interactions with that med. Finally, my Endo started me on Testosterone Replacement a bit over 1 year ago (now take weekly Cypionate shots, 150mg, along with Arimidex 2xweekly, as my Estradiol levels were getting too high). Now, on to my question: I've recently been reading a lot about Oxytocin - mainly abstracts of various studies and trials that have shown the potential for exogenous oxytocin to help treat mood disorders. Over the years, I've tried many alternative therapies in an attempt to see if I can ever break free from all these heavy meds, which really have never helped my symptoms beyond minimally. So I am interested in trying Oxytocin; the studies done for the hormone in mood disorders all utilized intranasal or sublingual forms; and I've read about a few products on the market that do not require a script. Of course, neither my Psychopharm nor my Endo are being at all helpful in responding to my questions regarding interactions and safety (because they are both skeptical of any unconventional treatments). Anyway, I ended up ordering a bottle of 1 of the sublingual oxytocin products online called "OxytocinFactor" sold by ABC Nutriceuticals. Anyone know of it or has experience with it? A single dose is 6 drops under tongue, equal to 10IU of Oxy, which the company support has told me is extremely low compared to what they use in mood studies and even lower compared to the amount used to induce labor. On that note, Support has been very helpful in answering my questions about safety - especially concering if & how it would effect my TRT and Estradiol levels, etc..In the end, though, they of course conclude that it would be safe for me to try. Problem is, I'd really like to see what you guys think, as I'd expect the product's customer support dept. to tell me it's absolutely safe, no interactions, etc... I just want to end by stressing that - despite my current complex med & hormone regime - I still suffer symptoms of social anxiety, loss of interest in life or meeting others (I tend to stay indoors and isolate), and general dysphoria. According to all the studies I've read, these are the exact type of symptoms that low-dose exogenous Oxy can ameliorate, by - among other actions - controlling cortisol (stress hormone) in the Amygdala, thereby increasing stress threshold; it also has been shown to increase pain thresholds and even help opiate-withdrawal symptoms (I'm currently attempting a slow but difficult taper of my methadone). And of course it promotes positive social, behavioral aspects & basically helps to aim the body-mind in the intended, correct direction of self-healing (great for those stuck for years like myself - possibly due to oxytocin deficiency). Lastly, many sources have noted that long-term opioid use & SSRI use can create such a deficiency of endogenous oxytocin (not surprised, as opioids can - and often do - create Testosterone deficiencies in men, like it did to me; and oxy is another hormone. Sorry for my wordiness - but I even ordered the bottle and received it but feel I need more opinions by people other than customer support before I feel safe to open and try it. Anyone?? Thanks,
Peter