19. Hormones in self-experiments
Chapter 19 from "Testosteronecollapse"
Hormone effects can be studied on oneself. Despite all reservations about the placebo effect, my impressions were as follows:
I once had to take an equivalent of the stress hormone cortisol because of an eye condition: I slept little, was a bit chirpy and felt buoyed by energy. The subsequent withdrawal led to days of depressive listlessness. In rare cases, this stress hormone can trigger a manic episode to the point of institutionalization, an exaggeration of the normal stimulating effect (I knew a patient who reacted this way to cortisone several times).
In my experience, testosterone had a similar psychological effect: you become more adventurous, more expansive, you feel like you have 20 percent more energy, a state of mind that is also familiar after a sporting victory. Jogging is easier, your strides become longer and more energetic (testosterone can also trigger manic-aggressive states, more on this later in chapter 53). The much-vaunted effect on potency, on the other hand, is irregular, sometimes present, sometimes not at all. The phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Viagra etc.) have a much more powerful effect, but without the psychological effect. The withdrawal phase for testosterone is similar to that for cortisol: you go through a few days of inexplicably depressed mood with a lack of energy and desire, after which everything is back to normal.
While we're on the subject of self-experimentation: I tried a so-called beta blocker of the excitement hormone adrenaline once for pistol shooting, where a slight hand tremor always had spoiled my results before. I only shot maximum results. My comrades asked if I had been training. No, half a tablet had made all the difference, but I never took another one again.
The next chapter 20 will describe how we are influenced by drives and hormones without being aware of it. And this link takes you to the start of the book.
The German edition of this book is available as e-book, paperback or hardcover in any bookshop and here: https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/Testosteronkollaps/W-349-585-556.
