[sparx]

For those seriously suffering.
There is a drug called cyproterone ...

imre1:

May I ask (and please only reply if it is completely OK with you ... no obligation at all here); have you taken any prescription antidepressants as part of your attempts to treat POIS? If so, would you mind listing them or saying whether they were SSRI and/or DARI (dopamine reuptake inhibitors)?

[2shiny]

I'd like to offer some comments as a woman and as someone with many years' experience with natural remedies and nutritional supplements. Maybe there is something I can offer here that can help.

First of all, I was led to this site by a wonderful newsletter helping people to make sense of the chemical imbalances many of us experience due to frequent orgasm, especially how it plays havoc with our desire to have a long-lasting monogamous relationship and a healthy life. This site may offer some help to you folks here; it's called reuniting.org and I highly recommend it.

When I came here and started to read this thread, I felt so much empathy that tears formed ~ I had no idea this was such a common problem, and the comments from the young men really touched me, possibly because I have a young adult son. It's no wonder it was news to me because of how our society expects men to 'perform' and to keep a stiff upper lip ( among other things  [] )~ who would have the nerve to admit it in public. How very tragic that so many are suffering, and I am so glad someone had the compassion to start this site.

I was never much interested in masturbation; perhaps my Catholic parents caught me early on and with a well timed slap or two, and shook it out of me for awhile. It wasn't until I was a young bride and eventually pregnant, that I occasionally (about once a month) took part in the shower. My husband (unbeknownst to me at the time) was hankering after another woman who had never given him any reason to think he'd have a chance with her, yet he could not forget about her. Because of this, and an interest we both shared in yoga and meditation, he was not very interested in regular (for instance, weekly) intercourse, and perhaps I was also discovering my own sensuality at the time, as well.

When I did masturbate, I'd often feel like I was coming down with something the next day, as if that release had somehow compromised my immune system. If I took Vitamin E (400 to 800IU of ONLY natural source) that day or the day before, it didn't happen ~ I'd feel fine. In fact, over the years, I found that Vitamin E in particular actually encouraged my sexual well-being and libido. I learned this by experimenting with various vitamins, minerals, and herbal tinctures and teas on myself, one at a time. In fact, it has been a hobby all my life to learn about natural aids to health.

I'd read Adelle Davis, Linus Pauling, and similar material in the early 70's and learned about the uses of different supplements. In fact, when I married, I had my husband taking vitamins as well, mostly because he had been such a heavy young smoker, that by the time he was 23, he was smoking four packs a day and coughing up blood (before we met). I felt that he probably needed some help to repair his DNA after he quit, especially if we were ever to have healthy offspring. We did conceive about eight months after I started his vitamin therapy, and our only child is now finishing up her doctorate, so I guess it helped  [] Neither of her parents have a degree!

[Guthrie]

guthrie : if you are still watching this forum, would you please let us know how you trial of Vitex has been going? Thanks!

Hi sparx, to answer your question: I took Vitex for about 6 months.  While I thought it seemed to be having a bit of an effect at first, it ended up being mostly minimal.  So, after a number of months of no further improvement, I stopped taking it.

[demografx]

Only 18 years for me... It's amazing how an entire life can really be wasted due to this illness. And with the years i feel that pois is worse because it last longer than before. Please we need someone to find a CURE !   

Martin88, many thanks for your honest voice. It reflects the misery of many people here. We need to get an outside research endocrinologist to look over all our posts and recommend a cure!

But we're closer to a cure now than at any time in POIS history, with this Forum!

For the new people, if you can help by finding someone to assist this POIS Forum, please do!

[sparx]

Hi sparx, to answer your question: I took Vitex for about 6 months.  While I thought it seemed to be having a bit of an effect at first, it ended up being mostly minimal.  So, after a number of months of no further improvement, I stopped taking it.

hi Guthrie,   Sorry to hear Vitex hasn't helped (it looks good on paper but perhaps prolactin has nothing to do with POIS in the end, or Vitex doesn't lower prolactin enough). Would you mind saying how much were you taking and how often?  I've been taking it for about 6 weeks and thought it might be having some effect ... could be placebo! Thanks anyway!

hi imre1, considering Guthrie's experience with Vitex (and my own which is relatively limited so far) my earlier suggestion to you about Vitex could be completely misleading. I wish you the very best of luck with whatever you decide to try.

[sparx]

It seems improbable given all the discussion so far, but I'll ask anyway;

Has anyone here experienced "ejaculation without pleasure" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhedonia [nofollow] ), but still suffer from POIS afterwards?

[girlwind]

We need to get an outside research endocrinologist to look over all our posts and recommend a cure!

Hey demografx:   I have put out word to alternative health care providers who are familiar with endocrine testing. I am still waiting... and waiting for
a response. It seems like there's two categories of health care providers I've run into: those who smirk and condescend to the idea of POIS, (screw them!
Yes--pun intended), and those who show some empathy and interest, but have absolutely no experience with it and are rather baffled by it. I am hoping
to appeal to a few of the empathic ones. They are out there, but like needles in the haystack. Maybe we'll get lucky in time, with so many of us persisting
and persevering as a united front. It is SO much more encouraging to have a group of us working on this, rather than just each of singly attempting to
blast open the minds of all those many closed minded medical doctors. Cliche but true: there is power in numbers. Viva la revolution!   []

[demografx]

It seems improbable given all the discussion so far, but I'll ask anyway;

Has anyone here experienced "ejaculation without pleasure" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhedonia ), but still suffer from POIS afterwards?

<raising hand affirmatively> and it was truly disappointing. Another false hope, I somehow thought that non-pleasurable emission might avoid POIS. It was just as bad as any of them. Such an evil malady!

[demografx]

We need to get an outside research endocrinologist to look over all our posts and recommend a cure!

Hey demografx:   I have put out word to alternative health care providers who are familiar with endocrine testing. I am still waiting... and waiting for
a response. It seems like there's two categories of health care providers I've run into: those who smirk and condescend to the idea of POIS, (screw them!
Yes--pun intended), and those who show some empathy and interest, but have absolutely no experience with it and are rather baffled by it. I am hoping
to appeal to a few of the empathic ones. They are out there, but like needles in the haystack. Maybe we'll get lucky in time, with so many of us persisting
and persevering as a united front. It is SO much more encouraging to have a group of us working on this, rather than just each of singly attempting to
blast open the minds of all those many closed minded medical doctors. Cliche but true: there is power in numbers. Viva la revolution!   []

GO GIRLWIND GO! I gave up on doctors long ago. We are sadly OUTSIDE their textbooks. A rare, rare malady. But it's so exciting to see this tiny POIS population explode right here at this little Forum! I'm so spoiled now, that I don't even want my 75% cure, I prefer abstinence. Yuk!

[Counterpoints]

imre1: I would use cyproterone only as a very last resort.  PLEASE try pretty much every SSRI and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (for a period of at least 3 months) before moving onto cyproterone.

[demografx]

imre1: I would use cyproterone only as a very last resort.  PLEASE try pretty much every SSRI and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (for a period of at least 3 months) before moving onto cyproterone.

I tried many SSRI's and SNRI with no POIS impact at all. Also, each separate drug takes 4 to 6 weeks before effects can be determined. But I'm not enthusiastic about cyproterone.

[demografx]

MEDICAL ADVICE

Everyone: Unless you are a doctor and the person here is your patient, I really feel it could be dangerous giving any medical advice, especially with POIS. It's a condition that can get desperate and lead to an attitude of "what the heck, I'll try anything". Anyway, there is absolutely no way to safely make an accurate individual diagnosis here just from a person's posting! Even by a physician.

[Counterpoints]

Demo,

It is good sense to consult the doctor; I also worry that people could try potentially harmful medications out of desperation. But it is useful to suggest medications as possible relief, and to share with others what has or hasn't worked.  It's just also worth adding a disclaimer.

cyproterone is pretty drastic.  Someone mentioned that Zoloft worked for them.  I know people tend to be reluctant to take an anti-depressant because of
1) side effects
2) a reluctance to acknowledge the possibility that their condition may be in part psychological or related to a chemical imbalance

There are many things worth trying in order to treat POIS, and SSRIs and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors, honestly, are near the top of the list in my opinion. I think it is definitely worth taking the time (notice I suggested 3 months in my previous post) to go through several of these before deciding to change your sexuality.

[martin88]

Imre1  i won't follow you on this one (cyproterone). Here is a common side effect of this drug in men : http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=gynecomastia&gbv=2
Perhaps it doesn't bother you after all. I don't know if it's reversible.

[neilep]

MEDICAL ADVICE

Everyone: Unless you are a doctor and the person here is your patient, I really feel it could be dangerous giving any medical advice, especially with POIS. It's a condition that can get desperate and lead to an attitude of "what the heck, I'll try anything". Anyway, there is absolutely no way to safely make an accurate individual diagnosis here just from a person's posting! Even by a physician.

Demografx is absolutely right. Any suggestions/recommendations for treatments must first be  talked about with your GP. Please note that any referrals to treatments are down to peoples own personal opinions and that everybody's bio-chemistry is different...plus, you must consider the reactions with existing medications that you may be on and the possibility of allergic reactions too.

Please note that whilst we hope you find the info here interesting and informative, it really is just for general information purposes and does not constitute bona-fide authoritative advice and thus no assurances regarding the accuracy or applicability in relation to your own specific situation is given. PLEASE SEE YOUR DOCTOR before commencing a new treatment.

[demografx]

It is good sense to consult the doctor; I also worry that people could try potentially harmful medications out of desperation. But it is useful to suggest medications as possible relief, and to share with others what has or hasn't worked.  It's just also worth adding a disclaimer.

YES, I HOPE THESE MESSAGES RE MEDICAL ADVICE DON'T STOP FOLKS HERE FROM SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE OF WHAT WORKS FOR THEM! WE'RE JUST TRYING TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT MAKING SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS TO ANOTHER PERSON. THANKS.

[girlwind]

I think we should all be free to share both our positive and negative experiences with treatments of all kinds. Some of
the best recommendations I've received regarding health issues have come from friends who have been through the same
health problems and found the answer on their own. (Most of these were NON-drug solutions.)

Consider the following when taking any "medical advice" from anyone, (whether they are licensed to kill or not):

"The JOURNAL of the AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA) Vol 284, No 4, July 26th 2000 article written by Dr Barbara
Starfield, MD, MPH, of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, shows that medical errors may be the third
leading cause of death in the United States.

The report apparently shows there are 2,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery; 7000 deaths/year from medication
errors in hospitals; 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals; 80,000 deaths/year from infections in hospitals;
106,000 deaths/year from non-error, adverse effects of medications - these total up to 225,000 deaths per year in
the US from iatrogenic causes which ranks these deaths as the # 3 killer."

[demografx]

WOW, GIRLWIND, WHAT AN EYE-OPENER!

[John21 (OP)]

I was symptom free at the beginning of this current episode, but 3-5 days later I have experienced symptoms: mentally wiped, dull pain in lower back, a barely perceivable ache in groin area. My current thoughts: my problem (and possibly ours) is due to chronic prostatis. I have been tested for this years ago when I was relentlessly going to doctors looking for a cure. I had my PSA checked, secretion analyzed, semen ananlyzed, had more than one physical and had a camera jammed up my urethra for a look-see. Everything was "normal". But what I'm feeling now is telling me the tests were imperfect. Perhaps it is easier on a swollen prostate when you eat soluble fiber, less pressure against it. This of course would not explain girlwind's situation, but at the moment I am convinced. 

[martin88]

Hi John, i feel this has to be checked.
Also you can read on this page :
The fluid that emerges during female ejaculation has a composition similar to the fluid generated in males by the prostate gland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skene's_glands