Abstract
In this study we aimed at approximating efficacy of different interventions used to treat PSSD based on self-reports found online. Most promising rates of significant improvement were found for: clomiphene (0.7, n=11), hcg (0.6, n=15), mesterolone (0.6, n=15), tongkat ali (0.5, n=10), testosterone (0.5, n=61) and psilocybin (0.4, n=31).
Methods
16110 posts from r/PSSD forum were gathered. 4472 were chosen for further analysis based on presence of arbitrarily chosen keywords and total post length. This subset was then analyzed with use of LLM instructed to extract effects resulting from given interventions, where effect was measured on a 1-5 scale with 1 and 5 being defined as significant worsening and improvement respectively. Records referring to cases of polytherapy were discarded. Interventions found in less than 10 records were discarded.
Results
| Intervention | Rate of significant improvement | N |
|---|---|---|
| clomiphene | 0.727 | 11 |
| hcg | 0.600 | 15 |
| mesterolone | 0.600 | 15 |
| tongkat ali | 0.500 | 10 |
| testosterone | 0.459 | 61 |
| psilocybin | 0.419 | 31 |
| modafinil | 0.364 | 11 |
| thc | 0.280 | 50 |
| st. john's wort | 0.267 | 15 |
| lamotrigine | 0.250 | 12 |
| tadalafil | 0.246 | 65 |
| paroxetine* | 0.227 | 22 |
| venlafaxine* | 0.227 | 22 |
| escitalopram* | 0.222 | 45 |
| amphetamine | 0.214 | 14 |
| dextroamphetamine | 0.200 | 15 |
| citalopram* | 0.190 | 21 |
| inositol | 0.188 | 32 |
| ginkgo biloba | 0.182 | 11 |
| vortioxetine | 0.179 | 28 |
| probiotics | 0.167 | 12 |
| cyproheptadine | 0.148 | 27 |
| maca | 0.143 | 14 |
| bupropion | 0.122 | 123 |
| mirtazapine | 0.121 | 33 |
| sertraline* | 0.121 | 58 |
| sildenafil | 0.111 | 54 |
| clonazepam | 0.100 | 10 |
| buspirone | 0.083 | 24 |
| fluoxetine* | 0.071 | 42 |
| trazodone | 0.042 | 24 |
| alcohol | 0.032 | 31 |
| vitamin d | 0.000 | 20 |
| methylphenidate | 0.000 | 13 |
| quetiapine | 0.000 | 11 |
| nicotine | 0.000 | 10 |
* reinstatement
Limitations
Data was unreliable in the first place, analyzing it with LLM made it even less reliable, emphasis should be laid on "approximating" in the title, this is not a valid measurement of anything.