OXYTOCIN...reduced social anxiety

[johnjuanb1]

researching some soon, what's the half life? everything I read seems to be 5-10mins. Dosing just once a day?

I know, it's odd because it lasts a long time. Some guys dose 10mcg twice a day but before bed is best unless you use stimulants throughout the day as it makes you very relaxed. I wouldn't want to it in in system preworkout.

 

[lordsks]

Dosed 20mcg tonight, very slight flushing for few minutes and very relaxed now.
Will report back in a few days how things are going. Doing 10-20mcg at night for now.

 

[lordsks]

So far I like it as a nighttime peptide, dose it before bed. As far as during the next day I do feel more like talking to people and BSing about nothing. Which is not like me. I don't feel sluggish at all in the morning. It could be because I'm dosing pretty low.

 

[prometheus1982]

Any interactions with Prozac with oxy or selank?

 

[johnjuanb1]

GREAT STUDY ON OXYTOCIN AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO SKELETAL MUSCLE

Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration.

AuthorsElabd C, et al. Show all Journal
Nat Commun. 2014 Jun 10;5:4082. doi: 10.1038/ncomms5082.

Abstract

The regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle declines with age. Previous studies suggest that this process can be reversed by exposure to young circulation; however, systemic age-specific factors responsible for this phenomenon are largely unknown. Here we report that oxytocin-a hormone best known for its role in lactation, parturition and social behaviours-is required for proper muscle tissue regeneration and homeostasis, and that plasma levels of oxytocin decline with age. Inhibition of oxytocin signalling in young animals reduces muscle regeneration, whereas systemic administration of oxytocin rapidly improves muscle regeneration by enhancing aged muscle stem cell activation/proliferation through activation of the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway. We further show that the genetic lack of oxytocin does not cause a developmental defect in muscle but instead leads to premature sarcopenia. Considering that oxytocin is an FDA-approved drug, this work reveals a potential novel and safe way to combat or prevent skeletal muscle ageing.

 

[JonStrongbach]

Been using some superior oxytocin for research, between 10-50mcg subject experiences calmness, flushing, and increased hunger.

 

[AshopRep]

I might have to try some of this.

 

[sundevil94]

I might have to give this a try as well. Curious...does it make you drowsy or just relaxed?

 

[mace123]

Here is a post from another forum. Apparently, oxytocin comes in 10unit tabs, meaning 10mcg. That's 200 doses in a 2mg peptide vial.

I just want to preface this with the statement that I have not read through the entire thread, but have personally found it difficult to find the conversion of iu-mcg in relation to oxytocin.

Every compound is different. 10iu, or "units", can be as small as a handful of mcg, or several mgs. There are international standards for the conversion of iu to mcg/mg for compounds, but all of the oxytocin studies I have read thus far have only talked about IUs, with no mention of the actual mcg/mg used in dosing. I have also not yet been able to find any accurate conversion in order to replicate some of the studies I have read, but I should have enough time this weekend to really put some time into it.

To illustrate my point, think about how many MG are in 10iu of gh. At the same time, 10iu of something like vitamin A retinol converts to 3mcgs, meaning 3mg of vitamin A converts to roughly 1000iu. As you can see, there is a big difference between 10iu = 3mg, and 10iu = 3mcg.

I just want everyone to realize that an iu is NOT equivalent to a mcg in most cases.

If anyone has anything they can point me to that shows the conversion of iu to mcg it would be greatly appreciated. If not, I'll update this thread when I find something this weekend.

 

[mace123]

With a quick search of journals using the keywords "oxytocin" coupled with mg, mcg, milligram, and microgram, this was my first hit. This study gave male rats .25MG/kg. Meaning 25mg for a 100kg rat. I'll go over some others as well.


Antidepressant-like effects of oxytocin in mice are dependent on the presence of insulin-regulated aminopeptidase.

Abstract:

Oxytocin is a neuromodulator with antidepressant-like effects. In vitro, oxytocin is rapidly cleaved by insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP). Oxytocin metabolites are known to exert strong central activities that are different from the effects of the parent molecule. Our goal is to investigate in vivo whether IRAP deletion modifies the antidepressant-like effects of oxytocin. Male and female C57Bl/6 mice, IRAP wild-type (IRAP+/+) and knock-out (IRAP−/−) mice were injected subcutaneously with saline, oxytocin or oxytocin combined with angiotensin IV. One hour after injection, immobility was timed during a 5 min forced swim that was preceded by an open field to study locomotor behaviour. Oxytocin induced antidepressant-like effects in male (0.25 mg/kg oxytocin) and female (0.15 mg/kg oxytocin) C57Bl/6 mice subjected to the forced swim test. Oxytocin did not influence locomotor behaviour in mice, as shown with the open field. These findings were reproduced in transgenic male (aged 3–6 months) and female (aged 12–18 months) IRAP+/+ mice. However, the major findings of our study were that the antidepressant-like effect was reversed in angiotensin IV treated IRAP+/+ mice and was completely absent in age- and gender-matched IRAP−/− mice. The lack of an antidepressant-like effect of oxytocin in young male and middle-aged female IRAP−/− mice attributes an important role to IRAP in mediating this effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)


If you would like me to post the entire study just let me know.

I will continue to look for an accurate conversion of iu to mgs.

 

[mace123]

The dosing in this study was 1mg/kg. Or 100mg for a 100kg rat.

Adolescent oxytocin exposure causes persistent reductions in anxiety and alcohol consumption and enhances sociability in rats.

Previous studies have suggested that administration of oxytocin (OT) can have modulatory effects on social and anxiety-like behavior in mammals that may endure beyond the time of acute OT administration. The current study examined whether repeated administration of OT to male Wistar rats (n = 48) during a key developmental epoch (early adolescence) altered their physiology and behavior in later-life. Group housed rats were given intraperitoneal injections of either 1 mg/kg OT or vehicle during early adolescence (post natal-days [PND] 33–42). OT treatment caused a transient inhibition of body weight gain that recovered quickly after the cessation of treatment. At PND 50, the rats pre-treated with OT displayed less anxiety-like behavior on the emergence test, while at PND 55 they showed greater levels of social interaction. A subgroup of OT pre-treated rats examined at PND 63 showed a strong trend towards increased plasma OT levels, and also displayed significantly increased OT receptor mRNA in the hypothalamus. Rats pre-treated with OT and their controls showed similar induction of beer intake in daily 70 min test sessions (PND 63 onwards) in which the alcohol concentration of beer was gradually increased across days from 0.44% to 4.44%. However, when given ad libitum access to beer in their home cages from PND 72 onwards (early adulthood), consumption of beer but not water was significantly less in the OT pre-treated rats. A “booster” shot of OT (1 mg/kg) given after 25 days of ad libitum access to beer had a strong acute inhibitory effect on beer intake without affecting water intake. Overall these results suggest that exogenous OT administered during adolescence can have subtle yet enduring effects on anxiety, sociability and the motivation to consume alcohol. Such effects may reflect the inherent neuroplasticity of brain OT systems and a feed-forward effect whereby exogenous OT upregulates endogenous OT systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Who knew rats liked to drink?

So far the dosing is looking fairly high in the studies I am reading, but that does not mean a low dose is not effective.

 

[mace123]

All of the human studies are only referring to iu's. :banghead:

Prarie voles (pretty similar to rats) given 2-8mg/kg.

Oxytocin had dose-dependent developmental effects on pair-bonding and alloparental care in female prairie voles.

The present study examines the developmental consequences of neonatal exposure to oxytocin on adult social behaviors in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Female neonates were injected within 24 h of birth with isotonic saline or one of four dosages of oxytocin (OT). As adults, females were tested in an elevated plus-maze paradigm (a measure of anxiety and exploratory behavior), and for alloparental behavior and partner preferences. At 2 mg/kg OT, females took longer to approach pups, but were the only group to form a statistically significant within-group partner preference. At 4 mg/kg OT, females retrieved pups significantly more frequently but no longer displayed a partner preference; while females treated developmentally with 8 mg/kg spent significantly more time in side-to-side contact with a male stranger than any other treatment group. OT may have broad developmental consequences, but these effects are not linear and may both increase and decrease the propensity to display behaviors such as pair-bonding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

 

[mace123]

more rats

Up to 30mg/kg

Anxiolytic-like activity of oxytocin in male mice: Behavioral and autonomic evidence, therapeutic implications.

Rationale: Oxytocin (OT) acts as a neuromodulator/neurotransmitter within the central nervous system (CNS) and regulates a diverse range of CNS functions. Notably, evidence from studies in females has revealed an important role for OT in regulating anxiety behavior. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of OT on both behavioral and autonomic parameters of the anxiety response in male mice using three pharmacologically validated preclinical models of anxiety: the four-plate test (FPT), elevated zero maze (EZM), and stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH). Results: In the FPT, both peripherally (3-30 mg/kg i.p.) and centrally (1-10 μg i.c.v.) administered OT produced dose-dependent increases in punished crossings, indicating an anxiolytic-like effect. The effects of centrally administered OT in the FPT were blocked with peripheral administration of a brain-penetrant OT receptor (OTR) antagonist WAY-162720 (30 mg/kg i.p.), and the effects of peripherally administered OT were blocked with central administration of a non-penetrant OTR antagonist L-371,257, suggesting OT acts centrally. In the EZM, centrally administered OT (0.1-1.0 μg, i.c.v.) produced significant increases in the percentage time spent in the open quadrants of the maze, comparable to alprazolam (0.5-1.0 μg, i.c.v.). In SIH, OT (1-10 mg/kg i.p.) dose-dependently attenuated stress-induced increases in core body temperature, comparable to the reference anxiolytic chlordiazepoxide (CDP) (10 mg/kg i.p.). Conclusions: These results provide specific behavioral and autonomic evidence of anxiolytic-like effects for oxytocin in males and, together with previously reported observations in females, suggest the potential utility of OTR agonism as a therapeutically relevant mechanism of action for novel anxiolytics in both sexes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

 

[mace123]

This makes me suspect that human dosing would be much lower than animal trials.

Proconvulsive effects of oxytocin in the generalized pentylenetetrazol mouse model are mediated by vasopressin 1a receptors.

The possible involvement of oxytocin (OT) in the generation of seizures has not received a lot of attention in the past, although generalized epileptic convulsions were observed in humans following intravenous OT infusion. We here aimed to investigate the effect of exogenous OT administration on seizure susceptibility in C57Bl/6 mice subjected to the pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) model. In addition, we studied via which receptor possible effects on seizure thresholds could be mediated since OT binds to both the OT receptor (OTR) and the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR).We showed that C57Bl/6 mice treated with 0.5mg/kg OT had decreased PTZ thresholds for ear twitch, myoclonic twitch, tail twitch, forelimb clonus and falling. This pronconvulsive effect was reversed by the OTR antagonist L-368.899, however, it was not mimicked by the OTR agonist carbetocin (CBT). Nevertheless, CBT had antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test that could be reversed by L-368.899. These experiments shed some doubt on the involvement of OTR in the observed effect of OT on seizure thresholds. Therefore, we investigated the role of the V1aR as a possible mediator of the proconvulsive effects of OT. We found that the proconvulsive effects of both arginine vasopressin and OT were reversed by the V1aR antagonist SR49059. In summary, OT has proconvulsive effects in our mouse model of generalized seizures that could not be mimicked by CBT. Our results suggest that the binding of OT to V1aRs is the most plausible explanation for the proconvulsive effects of OT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Off to bed. I'll dig deeper over the weekend.

 

[BBC]

Isn't oxytocin the compound our bodies release after sex, in love etc..?

 

[johnjuanb1]

Isn't oxytocin the compound our bodies release after sex, in love etc..?

Yes, it is.

 

[BBC]

Interesting. I'm looking for something to help with my anxiety and general overall well being, the feedback seems positive.....might grab some during my next order.

 

[AshopRep]

Interesting. I'm looking for something to help with my anxiety and general overall well being, the feedback seems positive.....might grab some during my next order.

Let us know how it works.

 

[BBC]

I ordered the 200iu Troche’s, should have them by tomorrow with some luck.


According to the website, I'm to dissolve 100iu twice per day between my gum and cheek.

I'll update once I'm a week or so deep.

 

[Metal85]

The thing I hate is the physical addiction. Mentally its simple, physically diarrhea and all sorts of GI issues once you stop, which suck

Given its ability to break-down social barriers, induce feelings of optimism, increase self-esteem, and build trust, oxytocin is increasingly being seen as something that can help people overcome their social inhibitions and fears. Studies are showing that it may be effective in treating debilitating shyness, or to help people with social anxieties and mood disorders.

Chronic enhancement of brain oxytocin levels causes enduring anti-aggressive and pro-social explorative behavioral effects in male rats.

AuthorsCalcagnoli F, et al. Show all Journal
Horm Behav. 2014 Mar 26. pii: S0018-506X(14)00049-X. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.03.008. [Epub ahead of print]

ABSTRACT

Oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behaviors, including intermale offensive aggression. Recently, we showed that acute enhancement of brain OXT levels markedly suppressed offensive aggression and increased social exploration in resident rats confronted with an intruder in their home territory. Moreover, a different responsivity to the exogenous OXTergic manipulation was observed among individuals based on their baseline aggression. In this study we aimed at evaluating the behavioral response to chronically enhancing or attenuating central OXT levels, and at scrutinizing whether the trait-aggression moderates the treatment-induced behavioral changes. To this end, resident male wild-type Groningen rats were continuously (via osmotic minipumps) intracerebroventricularly infused with synthetic OXT or a selective OXT receptor (OXTR) antagonist for 7days. Changes in behavior were assessed performing a resident-intruder test before and at the end of the treatment period, as well as after 7days of withdrawal. Chronic infusion of OXT was found to selectively suppress aggression and enhance social exploration. Chronic blockage of OXTRs instead increased introductory aggressive behavior (i.e. lateral threat), yet without affecting the total duration of the aggression. The magnitude of the anti-aggressive changes correlated positively with the level of baseline aggression. Interestingly, OXT-induced behavioral changes persisted 7days after cessation of the treatment. In conclusion, these findings provide further evidence that enhanced functional activity of the central OXTergic system decreases social offensive aggression while it increases social explorative behavior. The data also indicate that chronically enhancing brain OXT levels may cause enduring anti-aggressive and pro-social explorative behavioral effects.