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By Serge Kreutz (2003)
No matter how complex a pattern of thought or emotion, it is chemically encoded in the human brain in a manner specific to that thought or emotion. We can assume that certain components of thoughts and emotions are the effect of certain molecules or molecule groups. Such common components may determine whether a thought or emotion is associated with pleasure, fear, or sexual excitement.
Furthermore, in spite of the pride we take in being equipped with reason, we all are really just products of evolutionary accidents. We may possess reason of sort, but we are in many aspects not what we are because of a reasonable choice of our own.
No matter how complex our character, it is but the expression of specific biochemical constellations in our brains.
In some aspects, I'd like to change my character. Not in the form of a New Year's resolution to be more friendly or more attentive. I believe that over our characters we have much less willpower than we would like to. Willpower can just change nuances.
I have great interest in character-modifying drugs, and I have experimented with a good number of them.
Some character-modifying drugs are famous. Prozac, for example. Too bad that the modification I have in mind is not one of being more contented with the status quo.
I'm a competitive personality, and therefore driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine rather than serotonin (which is enhanced by Prozac). And I would like to re-create myself as an extremely sexuality-driven character.
As a man with an atheistic, in many aspects nihilistic, and even pessimistic outlook, I cannot really find value in anything else than the sensual self-dissolution that is achievable only in sexuality. If my sexuality were lost, I could as well commit suicide. Though many a young and completely non-philosophical character may feel the same way, I believe my judgments rest on a sound philosophical base.
I don't think I'm fitted any better than other men for a lifestyle for which indeed I have decided by means of reason (which anyway is but a neurochemical constellation of my mind; with the difference maybe that philosophical thought molecules probably are better organized than molecules in general).
I lack in humbleness. I'd like my life to be an orgiastic fest. But I, and other people, have not been created for this. As we age, all of us do or will experience sexual dysfunction to a certain degree. Previously, this was considered a normal development in life. Now it finds the attention of the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry, and is defined as a condition. I am grateful for this, because it delivers the substances needed for the kind of pharmacological intervention a.k.a. sexual enhancement.
If it were available, I'd like to have some genetic engineering done on myself. To be re-engineered in a manner that allows me to enjoy the sexuality of a 20-year-old for 200 years, or, why not, 2000 years. I am thoroughly convinced that science will advance to a stage were this will be possible (we should never lose the perspective).
Too bad that I won't be around to enjoy the fiesta. But in spite of the fact that I have a clear vision of what science will achieve, I am, for the moment, occupied with the comparatively mean task of reacquiring my 20-years-old sexuality just a few years later. And this sometimes seems ridiculously difficult to do (though I have made some clear progress).
As genetic re-engineering is not yet available at my doctor's practice, the only means I can think of for changing the chemistry of my character are pharmacological.
I've tried almost everything that is marketed as prescription or over-the-counter drug and sounded promising enough in terms of character modification. I have tried many herbs and other health supplements and was disappointed by most.
The pharmacological substances I have tried are of mainly two categories. Neurotransmitter modulators and hormonal modulators. Neurotransmitter modulators with a reputation to enhance libido are usually of the kind that enhance dopamine function. Practically all mediations in the treatment of Parkinson's disease do this (but they do not uniformly enhance libido).
It is much easier to attest to the effectiveness of neurotransmitter modulators than to the effectiveness of hormonal modulators. This is both a strength and a weakness.
Neurotransmitter modulators produce a direct effect, which sets in between half an hour and one hour after they have been ingested orally. Some have a definite effect such as bromocriptine and lisuride, and, if taken properly, the effect does have a sexual component.
The problem is that if you don't know how to take dopaminergics correctly, and even more so if you don't know which ones to choose, you will likely be too nauseated to enjoy the dopaminergic benefits. You can get rid of much of the nausea, but even then you will still be aware of the fact that you have taken a neurological agent.
Apart from the fact that they are mostly short-acting drugs, there is another disadvantage with all neurotransmitter modulators used as Parkinson's disease treatments: their effect wears off.
For patients with Parkinson's disease, this spells a death sentence. For those who take these neurotransmitter modulators for sexual enhancement, it's just a disappointment.
We have therefore concluded that neurotransmitter modulators are inferior to changes in a man's hormonal profile. The following may happen if hormonal sexual enhancement is done right: stronger sexual fantasies, flashes of desire, and over time an improvement of sexual function.
The options for hormonal sexual enhancement include testosterone patches, testosterone injections, synthetic steroids, and tongkat ali (a newly rediscovered herbal medication that enhances testosterone levels).
However, exogenous testosterone (patches, injections, or steroids) have tremendous negative side effects, last not least a definite shrinking of the male genitals. The advantage of tongkat ali is that it enhances the body's own testosterone production. (per)
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Copyright Serge Kreutz