Tangkat Ali Experience - negative mood and well being when cycling off

General
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Hi all,

I’ve been taking Tongkat Ali on and off for a few months now, either 400mg of 2% eurycomanone or 100mg of 10% eurycomanone from Nootropics Depot (Vietnam), which I believe is just a reseller for the original since all the branding is the same.

Recently, I’ve been stacking it with 500mg of Shilajit and 200mg of Cistanche after learning about this combination from Lucas.

Without a doubt, I’ve noticed a significant difference in energy and general well-being within a few days of taking Tongkat each time. However, after a a couple of days, it seems to level off and become the new baseline. The first time I took it, I also experienced libido through the roof, which again leveled off after a couple of days. Overall, it’s been pretty great.

The reason for this post is to figure out what’s going on when I cycle off Tongkat after 6-8 weeks, taking a break for 7 - 10 days to try and maintain the positive effects. I’ve followed this pattern for about 3 or 4 cycles now, although I haven’t tracked it very well—just leaving a note in my calendar.

Each time I stop, I definitely notice a severe change in my mood and mindset. It’s such a significant shift that it takes me by surprise, and I find myself wondering what’s going on. Out of nowhere, I feel super stressed over the smallest things, become unfocused, and experience a general dip in mood. It’s not anhedonia, but it’s enough to make me notice the sudden change. I didn’t think much of it initially, but after realizing that this has happened at least three times after stopping Tongkat, I began to question if there’s something more going on.

When I’m on Tongkat, I feel great. But after a week or two off, I start taking it again, so I’m not sure how long the negative symptoms would last if I stopped completely. My routine—whether I’m on or off the supplement—has remained mostly the same: going to the gym 3 or 4 days a week and maintaining similar eating habits.

Since I haven’t kept detailed notes or a diary, I can’t be 100% certain, but this is the third time I’ve noticed it, so I’m starting to wonder if there’s a connection.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? What pathways could Tongkat be affecting to cause these changes? Could it be a disruption or imbalance in the dopaminergic system? Is testosterone affected so significantly? Or am I just losing my shit? lol

I’ve never had my hormones checked, and quite frankly, I don’t have the cash at the moment. I’m 36 years old, and rarely get in less than 3 days a week at the gym. Not sure what else to add. I live in Vietnam, and while I’ve heard it’s possible to get bloodwork done here, I’m not sure what specifically to check or what options are available.

I’ve considered not cycling Tongkat at all and just keep taking it long-term, though I’m not sure if that’s a wise decision. Alternatively, I’ve thought about taking it for longer periods than I am now (3-6 months) and then ‘winding down’ when coming off, gradually cutting the dose in half over a couple of weeks or so. I’m not sure if that approach would be beneficial or potentially harmful.

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated, cheers

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There may be a very good reason for why you’re feeling this. but i thought id make a comment that its a common experience that when we really like a supplement and believe it to be very functional after a while we psychologically feel incomplete without it.

its the dark side to placebo that when we believe something works, it actually works better however the downside is that when we are without it we feel as if it was doing more than it actually was.

if you find this may be true for you consider starting to question whether the dip you feel is physiological or psychological. one time i did this, really focused on affirming that my energy level arent dependent on this one factor and when i stopped it i found no significant dip in mood.

in saying this of course there could be a very real mechanism at play.

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Hey Asclepius, I appreciate the reply. I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s something along the lines of what you’re saying. I’m aware of what you’re talking about. I would say that the effect I’m feeling is most definitely psychological, so this could very well be right. I still feel physically about the same. There could be some sort of subconscious placebo thing going on that I’ve mentally assigned it a label of working wonders. I don’t know. It’s a noticeable change that I don’t understand anyway. I didn’t think that a herb could have such dramatic effects over a period of days. So it very well could be a placebo and I need to become more aware. Definitely something to think about, at least. Cheers

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What about lowering the dose overtime?

5

Hello!
If you just want know yours testosterone,take total test,free test and SHBG.i think that is not too expensive.

1 Like
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that’s probably what I will do moving forward and see how it goes

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I thought it was much more complicated than that. I’ll look into it here, cheers