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Q. I'm a 28-year-old male and I've never had much of a sex drive. I recently learned from a family member that my mother, believing it curbed sexual appetite, dosed my brother and me with a spoonful or two of saltpeter each day.
I don't know how long this went on, but I'm worried about what long-term effects chronic saltpeter consumption may have, sexual and otherwise.
A. Saltpeter is a common name for potassium nitrate. It is used as a preservative in cured meat and an ingredient in toothpaste for sensitive teeth. Many decades ago, doctors prescribed potassium nitrate for asthma and arthritis.
Despite persistent folklore, there is no evidence that saltpeter reduces libido. At high doses, it can cause headache, stomach upset, kidney damage or anemia. If you are well now, you probably don't need to worry about your previous exposure.
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I do not think you went far enough in addressing this young man's problem of low libido. Perhaps he needs to talk with his Doctor about checking his Testosterone level and persue other reasons for his low sex drive.
The letter writer did not say that his low sex drive was a problem in any way. Furthermore, I question the concept of "low sex drive", as if there were some "correct" level of sex drive that one "should" have. Society tends to pathologize normal variation. I don't think that anyone should be messing around with exogenous hormones without very compelling reasons.
I also have had low sex drive. My doctor worked with me from several directions. Nothing worked. I guess because my Testosterone was under 200 as a guy!! Finally I ended up taking Testosterone (low doses) 50mg twice a week which brought me to normal levels. Keep in mind Testosterone alone doesn't fix sex drive. My estrogen was also high prior to taking Testosterone. Testosterone only made it go higher. I then needed Arimidex (anti-estrogen, which can be bought in a cheap liquid format. That brought my estrogen back down. If estrogen (E2) is around 20, sex drive will be the best. I then added HCG to make my testicles not fail.
Remember IF you end up having to go with Testosterone the other drugs, Arimidex, and HCG will almost be a necessity to keep your hormones in balance.
It's better to do it without all those drugs if possible. Remember that exercise, healthy eating and managing stress might help sex drive without drugs.
Yikes. A psychiatrist may be needed if there are issues other than physical ones if the mother went to such lengths to decrease her sons' sex drives. I would bring my concern to a doctor just to get his or her advice on the matter, just to be safe.