Vorinostat
Vorinostat (also known as SAHA) is a prescription HDAC inhibitor originally developed/used in oncology contexts. HDAC inhibitors change gene expression broadly by altering histone acetylation state, which is why they’re sometimes discussed in “epigenetic reset” theories. In PFS/PSSD/PAS circles, vorinostat comes up specifically because some hypotheses frame these syndromes as involving durable, “stuck” transcriptional states—so a drug that can shift gene-expression programs is sometimes viewed (speculatively) as a potential lever.
That said, vorinostat is a high-impact, high-toxicity category medication, not a supplement. It can affect many systems at once (CNS, immune signaling, metabolism, hematologic parameters), and it has a real side-effect burden in its approved medical use. Even if the “HDAC theory” sounds conceptually relevant, the practical reality is that vorinostat’s effects are broad and not targeted to a known, proven PFS/PSSD/PAS mechanism—and any “reset” framing remains hypothesis-level.
Crash Anecdotes (Community Reports):
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/1l6j7zh/vorinostat_trials_someone/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/ztrqe4/snorting_vorinostat/
How to Interpret This Page
This page summarizes anecdotal reports and community observations, not medical evidence. “Risk” here refers to how frequently severe or prolonged symptom worsening is reported, not to proven causation or population-wide probability. Individual responses vary widely, and absence of issues in some users does not rule out significant reactions in others.
Reported Improvement Mentions vs. Reported Risks
Community reports for vorinostat skew heavily toward no meaningful improvement in people who tried it, including accounts of group attempts (e.g., WhatsApp/peer groups) where many experimented without clear benefit. Alongside the low signal for improvement, there are also crash/worsening stories—often described as significant destabilization (fatigue, mood/anxiety spikes, cognitive worsening, sleep disruption, and difficulty returning to baseline). Overall, the pattern reads as high downside with little consistent upside, despite the theoretical appeal of HDAC/epigenetic mechanisms.
Evidence basis:
Established pharmacology and safety profile of vorinostat (HDAC inhibition); theoretical discussions around epigenetics/gene expression; anecdotal reports (online forums, group self-reports). No controlled studies demonstrate safety or efficacy for PFS/PSSD/PAS.
Community Reports: Mixed Outcomes & Variable Risk Signal
Among individuals who already have PFS/PSSD/PAS, vorinostat is generally described as extreme-variance but high-stakes, with most anecdotes reporting no benefit and a non-trivial subset reporting clear worsening/crash-like reactions. Because vorinostat can shift gene expression widely and carries meaningful systemic risks, many in these communities treat it as a “do-not-self-experiment” item and a poor risk–reward tradeoff—even for people who are otherwise willing to try aggressive interventions.