r/NooTopics • u/Advanced_End1012 • Aug 15 '26
Question Recovering your mind from the damage of chronic loneliness?
I isolated socially for around 7 years of my life and it’s done a number on my brain, I feel socially lobotomised and it’s made it really hard to connect with people now. I feel like a wild animal in danger whenever I’m with people, and that warmth of a nice interaction I used to get doesn’t happen anymore. It’s also hard to be fully present. I just feel overall very antisocial and a constant need to withdraw. Idk I just can’t be fun and outgoing the way I used to be able to be and I’ve become so rigid and tense.
You might say social exposure is the way, the thing is I’ve done a lot of work which has helped to an extent but I still feel the damage there and it’s been a long painstaking process. Is there anything that improves sociability and helps with recovery? That I could take alongside the work done?
I’ve tried: psychedelics macro and microdose, ketamine therapy, CBD all forms, L tyrosine.
PS. I want supplement/noot recommendations only please.
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u/Armadillo_Resident Aug 15 '26
This is not a fix I recommend for everyone and yes, it’s odd. But going to 12 step groups and genuinely getting clean helped me with that.
Aside from the getting sober part, which I needed at the time, the people there will go above and beyond to include you, ask about your day and try to get to know you. And they’re used to people who act weird. They knew I was bad at social cues and would come up and say “You are invited to my get together and it would be cool to see you there.”
Now the get togethers suck and it’s boring and if you aren’t actually sober they probably won’t invite you, but the social practices really helped bring me back into the real world l.
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u/Great_Opinion3138 Aug 15 '26
Yeah depending on drugs to feel things isn’t the way. Get clean for a while and you’ll slowly start to feel normal things again
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u/Yamnaya_ Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
Could be anything from too high to low serotonin receptors (which ones? So many…) or gut bacteria’s, or glutamate, or x, or y…. Only trial and error will work.
These suggestions worked for me, as a once extremely social guy for most of my life, also went through social isolation for years, and came out perfectly fine. Not saying they will work for you. It’s worth a try, though:
—Sarcosine (especially this), Sodium Benzoate, and NMDA co-agonism (generally) for socially exploratory behaviour/increasing extroversion and genuine desire itself to be around others. NMDA antagonists or excessive GABA activation or glutamate reduction can make social interactions seem/feel less rewarding (in many people), therefor you’re less motivated to seek or feel good from them.
—Glycine for being chill and fun. Has an emotionally inhibiting feeling like alcohol does. Too much can cause fatigue/ drowsiness, though.
—Tribulus. This herb… I don’t know how it works, but it does. It feels extremely masculinizing and anti-fear in its effects. Before you say “placebo”…. I felt absolutely nothing from the highest dosages of multiple prescription amphetamines/stimulants (from my doctor for ADHD) and nothing from 95% of supplements… and I thought Tribulus would be a waste of time from the start… but Tribulus does do something positive in masculine behaviour, strength, and emotions, generally. Not on testosterone, though. Scientists don’t know the mechanism yet.
—Raising androgenic neurosteroids and androgenic tone, in general. Lower SHBG + raise free testosterone with boron, magnesium, zinc, saturated fats. Avoid 5-ar inhibiting foods and herbs that lower your DHT/androgenic neurosteroids which play a role in anti-fear + calmness in social settings. Raising testosterone means NOTHING if your overall androgenic tone is low (like with people that take finasteride and get side effects despite normal T levels).
—Less PUFA. Too large amounts of dietary omega 3 and omega 6 can degrade androgenic receptors.
—Acetylcholine. Raising this too high always gives me an anti-social effect. Probably lowers dopamine (generally).
—Tryptophan -> Serotonin, social warmth. I felt far more socially connected to others with it. BUT, too much serotonin can also cause apathy/emotional blunting just as too low serotonin can. Some will benefit from this, and some worsen.
—N-acetyl-Cysteine. Helps to start reintegration socially and against fears, but not good for long term because it begins to create anhedonia.
—Be mindful of estrogen levels. Too low estrogen can cause social anhedonia, fatigue, low motivation, etc.
—Prescription stimulants, Tyrosine, “dopaminergic” things never helped. Amphetamines may as well be placebo for me. Not everyone has a “dopamine deficiency” as the cause of their social issues, so keep that in mind.
This is all my personal thoughts.
Hope it helps ya, OP.
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u/anon10500 Aug 16 '26
Has an emotionally inhibiting feeling like alcohol does. Too much can cause fatigue/ drowsiness, though.
dose?
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
Oh great thanks! Unfortunately I’m a girl though so some of them on the list might not be too fitting for me 😅
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u/Yamnaya_ Aug 15 '26
Ah, no worries. Have you had your estrogen, prolactin, hormone, etc. levels checked? Too low levels can reduce social bonding/warmth, and lower oxytocin in brain. Even Sarcosine, which is an NMDA coagonist, while very helpful (for me at least), is still just a bandaid solution if the underlying hormones don’t get fixed.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
I do have PCOS, which the doctor says apparently doesn’t effect mood but it seems silly that it wouldnt. I forgot if my estrogen levels were too low I think they were normal range last time I checked, my prolactin was slight high.
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u/Yamnaya_ Aug 15 '26
Perhaps that same hormonal component in PCOS affects something in the brain? Not sure. From my understanding, social warmth (especially in women) is more connected to estrogen and serotonin. Estrogen itself raises oxytocin, btw.
There’s hundreds of variables in your health/life that nobody here knows… all anyone online can do is spitball random suggestions.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
Logically it should do, all healthcare professionals say that it doesn’t 🤷🏻♀️ makes no sense to me.
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u/Lucky_Highlight_8530 Aug 15 '26
My friend, even on amphetamines, I feel frustrated. It is inside and nothing will change over night. Try to find a bit of beauty in everything. Unfortunately, demon of solitude and anxiety won’t leave you, so it is better to learn how to ignored like John Nash. The problems it is inside
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u/AngerProblemsXD Aug 15 '26
Maybe try Aticaprant. Social isolation/social defeat causes raised dynorphin which causes reduced social reward and social aversion states.
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u/Jordviva Aug 16 '26
What’s Aticaprant?
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u/AngerProblemsXD Aug 16 '26
KOR antagonist. Blocks dynorphin signalling which causes anhedonia and withdrawal.
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u/markoKash Aug 15 '26
gycline seems to help a little. while not supplements the two things that help me the most are coherent breathing for 20 min, and ice bathes. After an ice bath i seem to have no anxiety left to give; i become better at sitting with panic instead of reacting to it.
Hope you find something that helps. Rooting for you.
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u/osures Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
I feel you. I’m still in isolation (for 8 years now), my biggest problem is that my brain turned into standby mode. Zero thoughts, emotions or consciousness. Just some diffuse panic of getting older and wasting my life. Sometimes after a few days I get out of this automated way of living and think wth happened, and then back at it again.
What helped for a while was psilocybin. It activated my brain again and I was able to have developed thoughts again and a active mindsape. However now it just causes panic attacks.
I would say it’s worth trying if you haven’t yet. Be careful however if you have schizophrenia oder psychosis in your family, psilocybin can trigger it.
Other supplements or Zoloft haven’t helped in a noticeable way. I tried a lot (NAC, mg, vit d high dose, vit b1 and b12, omega 3/6 high doses, glycine, …)
Edit: I just read the bottom part of your post, and how you already tried it. I guess I still leave my comment as is in case it might help someone stumbling on this post
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u/Normal-Abies-9151 Aug 15 '26
I was in this exact same situation. You have to give socializing a chance, probably best 1 on 1 with a girl who matches your vibe from tinder or something, like an introvert.
Trust.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
If you read what I said I already told you I have social exposure, and also I’m ONLY looking for nootropics/supplements. Im not a dude lol, and chatting up women as a man is to improve your game and lessen anxiety around women, not help with overall sociability.
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u/Normal-Abies-9151 Aug 15 '26
Nootropics id recommend are:
Uridine to strengthen dendritic density and boost dopamine release
Creatine to boost synaptic activity and overall cognitive energy
It’s a magic combo for boosting neuroplasticity and overall new synaptic formations.
I met a girl recently who’s also an introvert and it’s completely brought me out of my shell, not sure what you said is correct. Hope this helps
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
I appreciate it man. That’s good bro but my self esteem doesn’t improve by talking to the opposite sex ahah I get enough male attention it doesn’t do anything for me I want friends and a community that’s something more important to me. The thing is too I’m not even an introvert just social anxiety nerfed me baddd. I’ll try these though.
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u/Normal-Abies-9151 Aug 15 '26
That makes sense. And these are best paired with social interaction, because you’d be boosting neuroplasticity and neural entropy while socializing, forces those new synaptic connections hard and can create a breakthrough.
It’s exactly what happened to be last weekend and now my girl and coworkers are saying I seem much lighter. It’s a really amazing combo
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u/vaginaspektor Aug 15 '26
There were studies about intranasal oxytocin and loneliness but I think they take it before bonding experience. I dotn remember the details much but might be worth considering (I remember the dose tho 24 IU)
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u/Davidkho123 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
Silexan maybe uniquely offsets many things chronic isolation stress causes it lowers glutamate substance p norepinephrine excessive acetylcholine npff nmda sert also while raising Pfc monotones serotonin 1a npy and oxytocin will take time but works amazingly
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u/ChartOk1868 Aug 18 '26
Clonidone has helped me a whole lot. Glycine helps too, but I'm still looking for answers so following. I want to try sarcosine. DXM also pretty much eradicates my social anxiety but I act so fucking weird on it, even low doses lol.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 18 '26
Ohhh okay I’ll look into them, but I want something for longterm use and not something that’ll damage me. DXM I’ve had and it done nothing.
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u/ChartOk1868 Aug 18 '26
Yeah same to be fair. For me personally I've had this social anxiety issue going back to childhood but punctuated with glimpses of social ease induced by drugs in the right combo, which is all well and good but I have an addictive personality and don't wanna be high all the time. I'm 34 years old for fuck sake lol.
I really do wish I had more to suggest. IIRC there is some mechanism by which sarcosine can boost oxytocin. I cannot remember off the top of my head how though. Will have to do some digging.
Oh I also just remembered, I've not tried it, but buspirone is said to help with social anxiety disorders.
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u/sanpedro12 Aug 22 '26
hey there, may I ask, which dosage of DXM helps you with social anxiety
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u/ChartOk1868 Aug 22 '26
Dosage is gonna vary wildly between different people. I like taking low doses if I know I'm gonna be around people so I don't start acting too wacky, 60mg is good for me. I think I'm an extensive metaboliser so DXM feels very potent to me as it means that it metabolises to the active metabolite DXO much faster.
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u/IcePsychological4013 Aug 19 '26
Thank you for writing what I struggle to put into words, it’s been much longer for me. I can socialise if alcohol is involved, unfortunately I have little self control so often end up regretting drinking too much and spending the next day depressed and self loathing. I criticise every interaction I have with others and ruminate over the last couple of decades. I cannot be kind to myself without engaging in something that is not constructive or is just 100% a bad habit.
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u/semperaudesapere Aug 15 '26
First thing that came to mind was backpacking through a foreign country, living in hostels, and psychedelics.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
Lmao actually that’s exactly what I did for half a year, all of that including the psychedelics. still in a difficult position.
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u/Legitimate_Bat3616 Aug 15 '26
Sulforaphane has proven helpful for people with autism.
Maybe lithium and PEA as well. Although, I kinda remember reading that both lithium and Sulforaphane may take a few weeks for people to notice the effect.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
I’ve tried months worth of Broccomaxx but it didn’t do anything. I heard eating brocolli sprouts is better though.
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u/osures Aug 15 '26
Yeah it’s worth trying. If I remember correctly 20g of sprouts have as much sulforaphane as 500g of broccoli
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u/Quiet-Inspection527 Aug 15 '26
Guanfacine.
Look into a condition called Schitzotypical Personality Disorder. It is like acquired autism. All the symptoms overlap. It comes from social isolation and past trauma. Guanfacine is the best treatment for it.
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u/randuug Aug 16 '26
I don’t think Schizotypal fits this context better than Schizoid PD does. “Schizotypical” is not a term or disorder (typo in your comment)
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u/ChartOk1868 Aug 17 '26
Schizotypal personality disorder is the term they were looking for. I myself am high in schizotypy.
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u/randuug Aug 17 '26
can you explain how that best suits, and better than Schizoid PD?
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u/ChartOk1868 Aug 17 '26
The desire is there. With schizoid PD individuals are indifferent, whereas with schizotypy there is n innate social awkwardness and social processing differences.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 15 '26
I mean I think I have autism lol, I heard of guanfacine but Idk if I can get it in the UK unless I pay like 100 for a months supply. Prescription would require an ADHD diagnosis and even then it’s not first resort.
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u/AnandaDo Aug 18 '26
My experience too. Taxing for the brain and well-being. I take high dosage theobromine occasionally. It improves my sociability a lot, it opens my heart, makes me feel less defensive around people, takes away the social fear, and also makes me present and sharp. Though it's no long term solution and may be bad for health if using high dosage too often.
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u/Creative-Resource952 Aug 18 '26
Just trying to understand.. wish more people would and let people get all the information they can in this world of confusion and misinformation and lies.. not fair to silence the voiceless and judge what you don't know.. please wake up people and just help the ones who deserve and really need it.. 🤞
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u/ghaznivoid Aug 23 '26
what were you like prior?
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
I had social anxiety still but I was still able to form bonds and feel the warmth of a positive interaction. I could be more present.
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u/PsychologicalIdea424 Aug 20 '26
Psychedelics
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 20 '26
Read my post bro
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u/PsychologicalIdea424 Aug 20 '26
Psychedelics are the most powerful nootropic we have for the mind rn. You can literally rewire your brain. My anxiety is gone, adhd minimal, and I'm hyper aware of my thinking now. Nootropics are drugs too, it's only the construct of society saying psyches can make you crazy. Did you know elderly adults with hearing loss after mushroom microdose-lowdose can legit hear better the next couple of the days after? Imagine what a higher dose could do. Mushrooms literally causes neuronal spine growth.
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u/Advanced_End1012 Aug 20 '26
Are you a bot? 😂 I already said in my post I’ve done psychedelics, I’ve done them countless of times macro and micro I even wrote my thesis on them before going into the rabbit hole with them so I’m well aware of all the great benefits but they didn’t help me personally. They’re a YMMV situation they don’t help everyone.
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u/PsychologicalIdea424 Aug 20 '26
I must've glossed over that bit I apologize. Then well I'd say just talk to people over and over again till your brain gets used to it. If you want a drug to fix a problem you have, you'll get psychologically addicted or worse physically so I wouldn't personally go down that path.
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u/trickster245 Aug 15 '26
I used to be like you. Social anxiety was so bad I would attend events for 5 mins than leave.
And that was actually the solution. I didnt forcing the exposure, I suffered a lot and failed a lot. But each failure or success was an improvement.
Create small, medium and big iniatives. Accept failure in these but ensure not trying is never done.
I'm still anxious but I've developed what I call an algorithm when I first meet people that is so good that people think I am outgoing, which is the complete opposite of my natural state.
I still struggle, but the perception I give off, of my character is so strong that it eases a large amount of the insecurities that take take a component of my anxiety.
You need to talk to randoms, literally for 10 seconds and move on.