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ritch
12-02-2011, 02:53 PM
nothing new to many of you, but just thought I would revive some info that could be useful to some...

High levels of the hormone prolactin are a major cause of low testosterone levels,low sex drive, erectile dysfunction and impotency in men.
A surge in the hormone prolactin after sexual orgasm is the reason why men need a refractory period before they can go again.

Many men trying to lower prolactin levels choose to use the prescription drugs Bromocriptine and Dostinex (Cabergoline) but, although these drugs are effective at suppressing prolactin, they are expensive and many men experience a host of side effects whilst using them.
This natural prolactin inhibitor supplement stack will lower prolactin levels in men suffering from high prolactin levels.
In contrast to prescription prolactin inhibitor drugs, these supplements are extremely cheap and will not cause side effects in the vast majority of users.

Primary Prolactin Inhibitor Supplements:
1) Vitamin B6
2) Vitamin E
3) SAM-e

Secondary Prolactin Inhibitor Supplements:
1) Ginseng extract
2) Maca powder
3) Ashwagandha
4) Mucuna pruriens
5) Zinc
6) Ginkgo Biloba

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is a surprisingly effective prolactin inhibitor that is extremely cheap and safe: One human study showed a single 300mg dosage of B6 exerts ‘a hypothalamic dopaminergic effect’ which causes a ‘significant decrease of plasma prolactin’(1);
Another found that 300mg of B6 taken twice a day by 10 normal women lowered prolactin levels and slightly but significantly raised growth hormone levels. The authors concluded: ‘The effect of vitamin B6 is likely to be mediated by dopaminergic receptors at hypothalamic level’(2);
Another study found B6 to significantly reduce ‘opioids-induced hyperprolactinemia’(3);
This study on men found that ‘Pyridoxine (B6) suppresses the rise in prolactin and increases the rise in growth hormone induced by exercise’(4);
And a study on male rats found that, ‘Pyridoxine hydrochloride significantly suppressed the chlorpromazine-induced prolactin rise (p less than 0.01). However, the suppression was significantly less than that produced by bromocriptine (p less than 0.01)’(5).
[Note: The last study shows B6 to be less effective than Bromocriptine as a prolactin inhibitor but, stacked with vitamin e and SAM-e, along with some of the secondary prolactin inhibitors I list at the bottom of the page, effects comparable to bromocriprine can be achieved.]
The vast majority of people receive the very low RDA for vitamin b6 (2mg) from their diets so this isn’t an issue of correcting a deficiency. It appears, instead, that extra vitamin B6, i.e. around 600mg spread throughout the day, acts in a drug like manner to lower prolactin levels.
It’s important to realize, however, that the RDA for B6 is set extremely low and many people benefit from getting considerably more than 2mg per day of this vitamin. Vitamin B6 in high doses has been shown in studies to:
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Improve mood and combat depression
- Lower blood sugar levels in diabetics
- Act as an effective calcium channel blocker
A very high dose of B6 may act as a prolactin inhibitor in certain people by correcting a functional deficiency of this vitamin that can occur. Inflammation in the body can create a greater demand for B6 so bodybuilders and athletes may require more of this vitamin.
Pyrolurics, according to Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and Dr. Abram Hoffer, have an increased need for zinc and B6. People suffering from this illness create abnormally high levels of chemicals called kryptopyrroles, which bind to zinc and B6 in the body, creating deficiencies in both.
The standard treatment for pyroluria is high dose zinc and B6 supplementation, typically 50-150 mg and 250-1500 mg respectively (way above the RDA for both).

Side effects:
High doses of B6 taken for many months can cause nerve problems such as tingling in the fingers and numbness in the toes (peripheral neuropathy); B6 can also worsen sleep quality in some people and cause vivid dreams.
Fortunately, these problems completely resolve once B6 supplementation is stopped and, since it is water soluble, this won’t take too long.

Ways around these side effects:
One way to avoid the ‘finger tingling’ that high dose B6 can cause is to take the activated form of B6 called Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P5P) - the activated form of B6 does not cause these nerve issues.
In fact, the reason that high dose B6 causes nerve problems is that the body can’t always process very high B6 doses properly and this creates a deficiency of the active form of B6, P5P.

Recommended dosage:
To lower prolactin levels I would recommend you take 50 to 200mg of P5P a day, in divided doses. If you want to take regular B6, which as I've mentioned can sometimes cause minor side effects, take 300 to 1000 mg per day in divided doses.
Read the label before you buy B6 because the Pyridoxine Hydrochloride type of B6 (in most supplements) has been shown to be a prolactin inhibitor but Pyridoxal hydrochloride has been shown to be ineffective at lowering prolactin (6) – make sure you buy the right type!

daft205
12-03-2011, 03:01 AM
Great post ritch! Some good info here, for sure. Anyone here have any personal experience/success using p5p for prolactin control?