What are the symptoms of dopamine withdrawal?

I just can't sleep at all. I'm exhausted as hell but I cant close my eyes. I've had this head ache all day.

 

had the same problem

 

agreed, worried a bit but its needed

 

Oh man, I feel like I've found the holy grail in this thread. I'm on 81 days nofap, 16 days not using porn and have been experience unbearable withdrawal for the last week. I've had:

• panic attacks almost daily
• severe anxiety
• feeling worthless/hopeless
• difficulty concentrating
• intense fearful thinking (I'm going to lose my job, my fiance, etc)
• chills (feel very cold past few days - which is weird because I usually run very hot)
• shakiness

I thought I was going insane so I went to the psychiatrist and started on Prozac - also got some sleeping pills. Now I'm thinking I don't really need the meds and it's just porn withdrawal.

 

Hi, I'm on day 68 hardmode. After 2 weeks Nofap was not too difficult for me, felt like I can go as far as I want. But in the last 1-2 weeks my anxiety rises like hell. It can be still withdrawal symptom?

 

I am also experiencing crappy withdrawal symptoms. I feel my head is numb. I can't explain it. It's like a feeling of pressure in my head and I have terrible brain fog. Do you feel the same? I'm literally freaked out help

 

I am craving cocaine , which I haven't touched since last year . Strange thing this porn . It really is a head fuck

 

I've had some periods of brain fog where I feel slow and have difficulty concentrating. I haven't felt the "pressure" in my head, so I can't speak to that. Is it like you have a headache?

I will say the worst of my withdrawals lasted about a week and went away! I'm feeling much better now. I think your symptoms will pass, just give it time.

 

It’s like a tension heache but a wave like sensation. I’ve had it around my temples, forehead, behind the eyes and on top of my head. It’s a dumb, null feeling. Fuck knows what it is scientifically. I’ve had it on and off for over 300 days.

 

Doesn't sound like porn withdrawal to me. Might be migraines. I would check with your doctor. Good luck brother!

 

Hard hitting stuff! I quite like it couched in 18th century English.
I'm trying to go all Victorian on myself.

 

Hi everyone!
I experience a hard pressure in my temples and my jaw, it is like bones cracking, like a pressure directly in the bones, sometimes with irradiation in my chest und guts, is that fimiliar to anyone?

 

Yes. These are all physiological symptoms of stress you are describing. If you are fearful to boot it's called anxiety. Should you get feelings of anxiety it's important to acknowledge and accept these and let them happen. Adrenalin really is a bitch, but it's always your body telling you something in your mind or body needs attention.

 

It is a misconception that change in dopamine is the cornerstone of addiction related issues and therefor lack of dopamine is what produces withdrawal symptoms.
Dopamine is the mechanism that drives your behavior and focuses your attention, so lack of dopamine alone will lead to poor attention, lack of focus as well as sluggish memory and impaired abstract thinking.
Dopamine is what causes you to seek the behavior over and over, but it is not the only thing that gets deregulated.

Addiction deregulates many neuro-transmitters and affects brain activity patterns. This mean that central nervous system does not send proper signaling to organs, which trows many systems in the body out of "balance". Basically when you mess with the brain significantly, things like oxygen saturation, vitamin and mineral presence in the blood, temperature control, hormone secretion among many others are affected and usually combined net effect is not conducive to good health. Body takes measures to counterbalance these sweeping changes to bring everything within "normal range" and so we do not die, but when you stop addictive behaviors, all of that ongoing counterbalancing effort now deregulates your body's functions on its own accord, as it is adjusting for something that no longer has any effect and it will take time, sometimes weeks to find new balance without addictive behavior.
It is critical to support your recovery with quality healthy diet(plants, salads, vegetable juices) allot of water and critical vitamins, as well as some level of exercise and allot of extra sleep.
Doing so will shorten recovery process many times and reduce the negative effects of recovery.

Worst thing you can do is to stop addictive behavior and eat fast food garbage or ready to eat meals, you will struggle for weeks or months. Obviously as a rule you should always eat quality food but if it is not financially possible then doing so at least for a month during recovery is going to make a huge difference.

 

Thank you

 

From a medical standpoint, a lack of the catecholamine dopamine in some parts of the brain produce Parkinson like characteristics - disturbed movement, depression and lack of motivation. Schizophrenia is also characterized by a flawed dopamine system, where parts of the brain show increased dopamine activity (causing hallucinogenic effects) while the midbrain show impaired dopaminergic activity (causing social withdrawal, apathy etc.).

It's important to know that virtually all activities cause some dopamine release - if you have no dopamine at all you would cease to function. Rats with an impaired dopamine system see no reason to eat and die pretty fast.

So, a down regulation of dopamine receptors and/or free dopamine due to behavioural and/or substance addictions should give the following effects:

- Lack of motivation
- Anhedonia/apathy
- Social withdrawal
- Weight loss due to growing disinterest in sucrose
- Tremors
- Low libido

The list can of course be made longer.

 

I’m about a month in on no porn only (only masturbated twice in that time). Physical symptoms started hitting two weeks ago, at first it felt like a bad cold, headache, tiredness, chest pain, slight temp spike, etc that lasted about a week. That seems to have been replaced by occasional nausea, floating headaches, brain fog, social inability (really don’t want to talk to anyone), mood swings (getting angry more easily), sinus pressure. Started freaking out a bit until a fellow fapstronaut reported similar symptoms which was reassuring but hell this is rough! Dream state is getting more erotic with an increase in sex dreams, whilst I have no libido whilst awake. Trying to maintain an even keel for everyone’s sake, I don’t want to have to explain I’m going through porn withdrawal, I don’t think they’d understand. But this really feels like it’s added 20 years (me 50, porn user 30+ years) and my brains shrivelling like a raisin!

 

Stick with it dude!

 

Release the chemical? What is that supposed to mean?

 

I’m trying brother, really am but this is rough. Not getting any urges but the physical dopamine withdrawal is unlike anything I’ve experienced. Waves of nausea coupled with feeling lightheaded is something else. Visions been a little off at times but my eyes are screwed anyway from years of staring at monitor screens. Today’s been bad but at least my headaches are lifting and I have a bit more energy. Interacting with the family is probably the hardest aspect, I can’t discuss this with the wife as the last time she found out I’d watched porn she blew a fuse, so that Avenue is dead. I just got to tough this out because I can feel minor improvements here and there. Not much but it’s like I’m perceiving things slightly differently. Is this normal? The mere thought of my brain chemistry being forced to rewrite itself is pretty scary!