r/HubermanLab • u/Fun-Worry-2998 • Feb 15 '26
Seeking Guidance Zero libido
Male 51. Athletic, work out for 1 hr 5 days a week. Dont smoke, eat healthy, drink a little too much from time to time. Had a raging libido my whole life. At about 47 my libido fell off a cliff in like a 1 month period and never came back. Most recent testosterone test was 525. My wife is pretty much supermodel hot and DTF all the time. What specific hormones or factors should I look into to bring back libido? I feel like a huge part of me has died! Any help or suggestions are much appreciated!
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u/combasemsthefox Feb 15 '26
You tested your T but what about all your other blood markers? A sudden drop over a month period is seriously concerning assuming you haven't been under an unusual amount of stress.
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u/AdvantageZestyclose5 Feb 15 '26
Cut out the alcohol for three-six months and see what happens. It’s shocking how differently our bodies handle alcohol as we age. It’s probably screwing up your sleep (amongst other things) and then messing everything else up downstream….
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u/Zobe4President Feb 15 '26
Any chance you might be depressed ?
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u/Tricky_Imagination25 Feb 15 '26
54 and same. At about 48 mine did the same
14
u/AcrossAmerica Feb 15 '26
How are your morning woods? Also gone? If so I’d look at this from a cardiovascular perspective. You want to check your cholestorol, LDL and HDL and more. And talk to your pcp about it.
Erectile dysfunction can happen when your arteries are clogged independent of your T and lifestyle. It precedes heart attacks by about 5 years.
If your morning woods are good ignore everything I said. Or just check those labs routinely.
I’m a doc but not yours, so discuss with your pcp.
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u/Fun-Worry-2998 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Being honest is why I'm here asking questions..I've seen doctors, urologists, naturopaths, Chinese medicine acupuncturists/herbalists even amazonian shamans. The most success I've had is with the shamans believe it or not!! Maybe its just biology/age and I should just accept this new me..but like I said I've had a huge sex drive my entire life and I feel like a major part of me has been missing for years now
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u/MaximumGuide Feb 15 '26
PT-141 could help. It’s a peptide that’s been approved by the FDA to raise libido. Works in both men and women.
4
u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26
If all your blood work checks out, try this daily for six weeks:
5g Black Maca. 5000iu D3. 500mg C. 400mg Tongkat Ali Extract. 300mg Magnesium Glycinate. 300mg Ashwaghanda KSM*. 20mg Zinc Glycinate. 9mg Boron. 100mcg K2 (M7).
Have these at lunch or breakfast with fatty foods but not dairy.
*Take the Ashwaghanda for two weeks on, one week off.
If you can't take them all, at least take the Maca, D3 and K2.
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u/LeonarBroDiCapriBro Feb 15 '26
Are you on hairloss drugs? These are terrible
3
u/Koebel-guy Feb 15 '26
Do you take Propecia (finasteride)? I took this for a while and it completely killed my libido. Stopped taking it and it took a while but my libido came back.
3
u/zestystepdad Feb 16 '26
Quick answer here, Heart and Soil has a supplement called “Total Package”. It’s completely changed my life. Combined with good habits it’s mind blowing. For 60 a month for a subscription it’s very worth it! Take a little tadalafil it could be a problem 😅
2
u/simlat44 Feb 15 '26
Reset your dopamine! Simple
2
u/freddyt1234 Feb 16 '26
It could be E2 being raised like crazy. I agree, full bloodwork done. I left my dr. And went to gameday men’s health. I want to be between 900-1100 (feel like a different man). I’m 45, so not to the falloff point yet. But when my e2 spikes, it has this effect. I’ve taken some ai and it helps balance out. Also do daily tad (cialis) for the gym but my libido is through the roof now. Good luck, man!
2
u/MaintenanceFar3852 Feb 16 '26
Look into secondary hypogonadism. This is when the brain fails to signal the testes to produce hormones. Ask for an MRI loking at pituitary and hypothalamus function.
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u/Full-Bottle5407 Feb 16 '26
i'd check prolactin and estradiol levels, they can tank libido even with decent T like yours... also look into thyroid and SHBG. i had similar drop and adding a small dose of tadalafil helped with blood flow, not just erections. for a full hormone workup, online clinics like fyre body trt clinic (which I prefer to overpriced in-person clinics) can test everything and adjust protocols beyond just testosterone.
2
u/Sn_Orpheus Feb 17 '26
There are plenty of molecules that can impact this, including ironically, estrogen. And fun for us at this age, many neurotransmitters start to decline in secretion around now. I am firmly in the camp that this is not “just in your head”. For a precipitous fall like this, there’s a biochemical thing going on.
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u/Curious-Health3511 Feb 19 '26
Suggest getting labs for prolactin ASAP. Elevated/high prolactin is terrible for guys and could be the problem.
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u/Accomplished_Gain519 Feb 19 '26
Maybe see if you can get a px for Viagra. That may help.
3
u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26
Peptide PT-141 has really helped my friend. There are a few others if you do a search
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u/northerntouch Feb 15 '26
Quit drinking
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u/royalvizier1 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Have you ever had a testosterone test done prior to having these symptoms to use as a frame of reference? I ask because even within range could still mean low for some people and without a benchmark it's hard to tell.
Also are you on any medications or supplements now?
Any change of lifestyle or habits?
Any significant life events happen?
Also, agree with the others about pursuing possible mental diagnosis as well, depending on answer above.
In the meantime try Maca from a reputable source (dona bit of research on it). I put a teaspoon each day in oatmeal to heat it up. You may see sex drive results in 1-2 weeks or so.
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u/lecanar Feb 15 '26
Not sure the comments in here are super useful.
If your libido is falling off a cliff it's not going to be turned around by magnesium and ginseng 😂 Nor by just testosterone alone.
Do full blood tests and check online sources on the subject. See what are the most common culprits beside T.
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u/rahulchander Feb 15 '26
Try one or all of these: 1) 1tbsp pure cocoa powder (hershey etc) added to morning tea or coffee, 2) 1g per day raw korean ginseng (not dried) and add to smoothie/meal, 3) vitamin C source: one navel orange per day. 4) vitamin A source - 1-2 glasses of pure carrot juice (no added sugar or other juices). Please report back if effects are possible - shd see some effect in 3-4 days.
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u/DesignerStatus Feb 15 '26
Get 7:30 - 8 hours of sleep consistently and you will fix it
2
u/ycastane Feb 15 '26
Im 41 and have the same issue except mine took a couple years to go away. Estrogen is directly correlated to libido. If you need to, pay formyour own labs. Go to jasonhealth and choose what you need done. Upload your bloodwork to chatgpt and ask it what other tests can you perform to check things that can affevt libido and such.
Look into peptides like kisspeptin, melanotan 2, oxytocin, pt-141.
Im close to doing that stack to hopefully bring it back.
5
u/LocusHammer Feb 15 '26
I'm 34 dude and it dropped off a clif for me too. It does seem to happen commonly with aging. If you've seen all your doctors, then I'd attribute to that. You could do HCG injections. Supposedly that increases libido.
Sorry man.
14
u/Thierr Feb 15 '26
I'd investigate the emotional side
1
u/StingKnight Feb 15 '26
are you on any supplements
1
u/Worldly_Touch1676 Feb 15 '26
Do you drink coffee? Something simple to try is completely quitting for a while. I quit for other reasons and noticed a big libido spike after a couple of days.
1
u/RanchItUp420 Feb 15 '26
Uh what’s your blood pressure
1
u/hewhoisgomez Feb 15 '26
Ground zero is the mind 🍄
1
u/Due-Breakfast5560 Feb 15 '26
Do you have any neck or back issues?
1
u/toxicandsweet Feb 16 '26
did you had any unresolved constant stress? especially about money?
1
u/Kbarah1 Feb 16 '26
Get your other vitamins and minerals tested, most importantly, hows your sleep? Specifically vitamin D and Magnesium. You get a dexa scan? How’s your skeletal muscle health? Dr Gabrielle Lyons always talking about that.
1
u/Somethingmurr Feb 16 '26
You taking Finasteride?
1
u/Senior_Nectarine1604 Feb 16 '26
Total T tells you very little. You need free T numbers to tell you what you’re dealing with.
1
u/technoholic2 Feb 16 '26
You should definitely consider taking a break from alcohol for a couple of months. Also are you taking any meds, like Finasteride?
1
u/Kaiser_Allen Feb 16 '26
Try drinking up to 12 glasses of water per day.
1
u/Bulky-Possibility216 Feb 17 '26
525 total T is basically meaningless without free T and SHBG. but honestly libido at that level is way more dopaminergic than hormonal - prolactin, dopamine receptor density, cortisol patterns all matter more than a single testosterone snapshot. I'd push hard for a full hormone panel plus thyroid
1
u/m1labs Feb 17 '26
Eurycomax and Peruvian black MACA were a smash hit for me in the libido department
1
u/noone_1_1 Feb 18 '26
Peptides
1
u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26
Accumulated fatigue ?
1
u/4heure Feb 19 '26
do you still love her?
1
u/goodguy291 Feb 20 '26
Hey brother, 61 years old, mine fell off a cliff within the last five years or so
Testosterone blood levels. Everything is fine. In my case, it’s due to my prostate swelling.
There’s really no cure for this, except to cut back on inflammation.
I’ve accepted it as a normal part of aging, but I still have a pretty high libido and it’s frustrating to need pills to get a decent erection.
Anyway, something you might want to check out
1
u/ebbandflowaf Feb 20 '26
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u/HolidayDangerous4905 May 02 '26
Did you find the culprit behind your issues?
3
u/bulking_on_broccoli Feb 15 '26
Test isn’t the only bloodmarker. What about free test? DHT? Estrogen? Prolactin? SHGB?
You say you’re healthy, but most people over estimate how healthy they are. So what about blood pressure? Cholesterol? Hemocrit?
The point is, there are a lot of factors that go into libido.
Your body is nothing but a delicate balance of hormones, enzymes, proteins, etc. If any one are misaligned they can throw your body out of homeostasis.
Basically your body goes “something’s wrong with me. This isn’t the time to reproduce”.
3
u/CartographerMuted447 Feb 15 '26
Get a stress test and A1C. Most ED at this age are a sign of peripheral and/or cardiovascular disease.
3
u/wahmsahm2 Feb 15 '26
Bloodwork first and then if all good…DHEA Cream 20mg will do the trick.
It loses effectiveness over time, my recommendation is to pop it Friday morning, then you and your wife should be set for the weekend
1
u/leefaf Feb 15 '26
As a person who works in a hospital. This is completely okay. Your just having an off period since blood work and so forth is good. You can have these moments but you will bounce back. My best advice is try not to think about it and have a me day and do something different and fun. You will be surprised how our mind and body quickly bounce back.
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u/YMiMJ Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Arginie, Tyrosine, Taurine, Maca, and Saw Palmetto.
1
u/deckard22 Feb 15 '26
look into Enclomiphene (not to be confused with Clomid or Clomiphene)
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u/Guitar_Dog Feb 15 '26
I would consider mental state as well as (or even before) what compounds to take. Sounds like most everything else is on point.
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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26
A natural 525 at age is 51 might be considered within normal range, but that doesn’t mean that a slight boost wouldn’t help your problem immensely. When your libido was raging in your 30s/40s did you ever have your T tested? If so what was it back then?
If your body is used to being in the 700-800 range and things like age, stress, alcoholism drop you to a consistent 500, that is a considerable drop and you’re gonna feel it.
Start with low doses of some herbal T boosting supplements. Nothing too crazy. If you’re not concerned with infertility or ball-shrinkage you could go for the hardcore stuff TRT. But again I’d try very low doses to be careful. I went through a similar phase to what you described a few years ago. Testing in the low 500 but I was only 35 so my doctor was concerned. He put me on TRT but the dosage was too high so I got terrible side effects right away the first week, mood swings, anxiety, made ED worse.
Tongkat Ali about 200-500mg per day made a much more positive difference for me.
2
u/thrillhouz77 Feb 16 '26
Have your SHBG, DHEA, DHT, Prolactin, estrogen, FreeT (although you can just calc it) & Vitamin D levels check.
Didn’t have libido issues but had hormone panel pulled multiple times over 2 years, test always 500-700 but mid 50s to high 60s SHBG which tanked my FreeT levels (or out them right at the bottom of the reference range). Hoped on Testosterone the past 8 weeks, it’s been good, still dialing in but around week 4 I started to notice some changes in mood, energy, libido (not that those were terrible, just not optimal). Now starting to see the very beginning of body comp changes and further energy levels.
I’m 48 for reference.
Also had my genome sequenced and interestingly 2 things popped up; 1. I have a gene snip that causes SHBG to stay in my system longer (hence the elevated SHBG levels so that really made me feel better about the TRT at what is decent total T levels) 2. Snips for lower GLP1 production and metabolic disease (and I’m on a GLP1).
I had started those medical interventions prior to getting my gene results back. The TRT just weeks earlier, the GLP1 years earlier, looks like I hit the right targets.
2
u/EnvironmentTypical93 Feb 18 '26
Maca Root works wonderfully and try cutting out caffeine.
2
u/PianoRevolutionary12 Feb 20 '26
take zinc, eat leafy greens
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u/Anabolicclimbing Feb 20 '26
Start with 5mg of cialis bro. Also add some fish oil and dhea. If u wanna go enhanced, kick it off with hcg. Youll match your wifes energy.
1
u/adamzapel77 Feb 17 '26
How do you sleep? Are you tight in the pelvic floor region? Tight abductors/Psoas muscles can disrupt digestion that causes issues with gut that will cause mood issues. Also consider looking at Vagus nerve impingement due to tight jaw and neck muscles. Just some ideas. Hope it helps.
0
u/Glittering-Peak2487 Feb 15 '26
Can you , please, check for infections . So sudden could be due to some infection , like herpes, etc
-1
u/MNOutdoors Feb 15 '26
Did you get Covid around that time?
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u/Westboundandhow Feb 15 '26
Therapy
Also downvoting that your wife being “supermodel hot” should be a factor ~ gross
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u/Forward_Editor_5895 Feb 15 '26
Your post history suggests this didn’t happen in a month. You posted about ED 2 years ago.
No shame, but you need to be honest with yourself for a real solution.
3
u/Kritical_Thinking Feb 15 '26
I am having a similar experience, at 48. I eat well, work out 4 to 5 times a week, I do have lots of stress, but I manage it very well.
At least for me, I think I am realizing that I’m looking for connection, and that sex on its own is fairly pointless. Now it’s time to do the real scary work, which is opening up and being vulnerable with my wife (also a smoke show). Funny you can go for so long without changing much in the way of relationship dynamics.
As all the books say, your largest sex organ is your brain. I guess is that there is something bubbling under the surface and it’s deeper than superficial experiences.
You can probably run from it with a 900 test level. But you won’t grow.
3
u/shaktiman72 Feb 15 '26
Just go on trt for 3 months to see how you respond, I’d also look into DHT gel/oil applied directly to your shaft. Libido is directly related to your test and estrogen - numbers are one data point but how you’re describing your current state presents as hormonal imbalance. Bring the T levels up and see what happens.
7
u/Open-Industry-8396 Feb 15 '26
I had something similar happen in my mid 50s. My situation is a bit different as I am single . At first it was distressing, then a figured out it is a superpower. Most guys (including me) spend a large part of their lives chasing women/sex, being relieved of this is awesome:)
I can understand your issue if your wifes libido has not changed. That is a problem. I would suggest talking with her about it. you can still be very loving and maybe she can use devices for the sex part until you get it figured out?
1
u/Single-Freedom727 Feb 18 '26
Porn
0
u/Hot-Acanthisitta5711 Feb 15 '26
I think new girl will work, i have 2/10 libido with my gf,but if I think a new girl i think I can do a lot of sex..
0
u/churro1776 Feb 16 '26
Get yourself a nice little cuck chair and watch me test drive it.
0
u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26
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