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Porn Induced Chemical Imbalance - Psyche Patients/Experts Welcome

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by schleprock, Jan 9, 2019.

  1. schleprock

    schleprock Fapstronaut

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    Well, I finally joined. So much I feel like writing, but I know I should probably keep it as short as I can.

    Already a sufferer of anxiety/depression, a brief period of edging (as in PM over a few months, which I had done very infrequently) a few months ago has seemed to result in a further chemical imbalance, essentially manifesting itself in paradoxical reactions to medication. About a week after the last edging session, I began experiencing a relapse of otherwise controlled anxiety that was suddenly being caused by a small amount of clonazepam I had been on for several years. (It took a month to realize that the was the cause, as things got worse the more I took - I was even feeling physically ill.) Things got to the point where I had to be admitted as an inpatient, where I was switched to Ativan. The Ativan helped with the depression, which is strange because it mainly treats anxiety.

    Upon release it wasn't long before my porn habit crept up again (at least I haven't edged since that last session.) On the second day of porn the anxiety/depression relapsed, and I began to get sick from the Ativan. After another stay as an inpatient I ended up on Abilify. Despite my best efforts I went back to porn, and again an anxiety relapse after a short amount of time. This one was a bit different, where the mental symptoms were accompanied by this kind of stiff feeling in my hands and feet, as well as leg cramps. I immediately reduced the Abilify and the symptoms dissipated after a few days. I started taking a tiny piece of the med at night (which still made me feel like shit for a few hours) to tide me over until I switched to something else.

    Not long after I started indulging in a more moderate dose of porn, which I was able to handle over a number of days (supposedly due to the low amount of Abilify.) Unfortunately, that moderate dose turned into seven hours one night, and then the majority of the day following. Now I'm on day 5 of the resulting extreme depression and anxiety and the catalyst appears to be nortriptyline, a medication I've been on 26 years and thought would always be safe from whatever the hell my body has been going through!

    So now I'm trying to figure what should be otherwise harmless arousal has done to me and how to fix it. (That last day of porn I was actually reaching the point of nausea the more I went on.) What I really want a grasp on are the chemicals involved and whether it has anything to do with not having orgasmed since last summer (my issues with POIS-like symptoms are another story.) All I know of is dopamine, and the meds I mentioned (even nortriptyline to a small degree) influence dopamine. So were the meds bringing dopamine to a critical point? Am I out of dopamine? Are the receptors damaged? Are my GABA receptors damaged? Or is it something more to do with the physical effects of stimulation, like somehow increasing my metabolism? And is it normal to feel too uncomfortable to bring this up with a doctor? Please join the discussion, I'm desperate.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
  2. Tiz

    Tiz Fapstronaut

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    I would discuss with your pdoc ASAP. I spent years on the psyche med merry-go-round when my depression and anxiety were definitely caused by excessive P use. I responded periodically to a medication that would eventually poop out and stop working (placebo?). The only med that worked for me consistently was a drug called Solian (amisulpride) which preferentially blocks presynaptic D2 receptors thereby increasing/regulating dopamine in the synapses which wouldn’t you know it is the exact system affected with heavy PMO use. It makes sense that it worked. This helped most of my P induced symptoms which allowed me to function better but unbeknownst to me at the time I had not tapped into the root of the problem yet which obviously was PMO. It was more of a bandaid. I’m not claiming by any means that this is the case with you but it would be worth investigating with a psychiatrist. I wish I had known about Nofap while I was seeing one.
     
    schleprock likes this.
  3. First of all, the meds you are talking about can never be a cure and will never be a cure. They are effective but are pure symptom management. Secondly, both PMO and all of these meds work on the same receptors, meaning they both target endorphins with the aim of making you feel good. Both pmo and meds can cause tolerance, as someone who's been on antidepressants myself I know for a fact meds aren't placebo, they make you feel sick the moment you start taking them because of the neurochemical change.
    I suggest you continue the meds for however long you may need but for heaven's sake quit the porn and masturbation. If you're lucky the meds will flatten out the withdrawals you may otherwise have had, and don't ever stop the meds abruptly.
     
    Anita88 and schleprock like this.
  4. Gota

    Gota Fapstronaut

    I think it's very hard to determine the exact consequences to brain chemical balance when you are on different medication and PMO because these two overlap. I take 2 kinds of antidepressants + sulpiride to decrease somatic symptoms I feel. When starting AD course I usually feel much worse the first 2 months, then my condition starts gradually to improve and I usually feel better after taking AD for 6 months and longer. The medication I take helps with depression, but I don't see much improvement with anxiety yet. I found nothing better than completely abstain from porn, masturbation and orgasm, also continue medication course and psychotherapy. My suggestion to you would be completely abstain from PMO and let medication do it's work. Be patient, it might take a long time until you'll see the results (saying this from my own experience).
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2019
    schleprock and Coolyorky like this.
  5. tet2vd

    tet2vd Fapstronaut

    So I am currently taking adderall prescribed by my doctor (who knows about my no pmo journey and me watching porn) to help me to focus on studying for my upcoming mcat. Not directly influencing dopamine, but it does activate more of the acetylcholine receptors which is another neurotransmitter in the brain and inhibit the reuptake( or reabsorbanxe) of dopamine for me. This isn’t a fix all solution for me and I aim to stop the adderall once my mcat is over in two weeks, but temporarily it’s a small aid to help me focus on my objective for studying and to help focus.

    It may seem difficult to discuss this with others at first, but I can assure you that discussing this with your doc (or another professional. For me it was my therapist) made this easier to deal with and working together will make it seem more bearable while working on your journey to no Pmo.

    So the choice is up to you. What is a little discomfort now as to holding it all in until it becomes unbearable?
     
    schleprock and Anonymous86 like this.
  6. schleprock

    schleprock Fapstronaut

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    Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately amisulpride and sulpride aren't available in the US. Anyone know which APs are most similar to them?
     
  7. Tiz

    Tiz Fapstronaut

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    I live in California and had to get resourceful with overseas pharmacies with the consent of a very cooperative psychopharmacologist in the Bay Area. I was able to get two shipments of amisulpride which I took for a little over 5 years. My doctor wrote a prescription for Solian that I faxed to the online pharmacy. One came from Australia and the other from Turkey. I would check the laws regarding this first as I’m not sure how they’ve changed but it was a fairly easy process. Again, I’m not saying you don’t need this medication, but my strongest piece of advice would be to put all your efforts into no PMO and go from there with the help of your doctor. Your symptoms could be completely cleared by this alone as they were in my case.
     

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