Animus’ POIS symptoms (from his introductory post - approx. 2009)...I just wrote to him and asked him for his POIS symptoms for the Forum. This is a post he retrieved from his meticulous record-keeping. He has also volunteered his time to NORD’s POIS researchers.
Greetings,
I'm glad I found this discussion forum. I think I have POIS too, although I have a slightly different spin.
I've been through a lot in the last 5 years. I'm now 38 years old.
In January 2003, I bought and used a product called VigRX. VigRX are those "penis pills" that enlarge the penis and increase the amount and intensity of the ejaculation. It works by causing more blood to rush into the genitals during sexual excitement, and thereby slowly enlarging the penis over time because of the ballooning effect.
I found the product to be very effective. My penis increased in girth from about 3" to 5", although length was not affected. My testicles enlarged to about twice their original size, and the sac became more pendulous. I ejaculated twice as much semen, and the quality of semen was whiter, thicker and ribbon-like.
But it soon began to feel that this added intensity was becoming very taxing to my system and that I was undergoing some rather dramatic systemic changes because of it.
Most troubling to me was:
1. Extreme exhaustion after ejaculation lasting days. Feeling utter weakness and intense sleepiness. I sometimes needed to sleep 16 hours after ejaculating. It took me up to 7 days to recover from an ejaculation. during that time I was very weak.
2. Intense hunger and craving for protein, fats, and sweets. Weight gain. My food consumption increased a lot in the days after ejaculation. It felt like my body was trying to refuel from a complete drain of resources. And the overall fat gain felt like again a hedge against this total depletion. Having previously been a rather well-balanced physical specimen- enjoying good fitness and vigour- I became something of a "sex-machine"! It felt like all my body's resources were being diverted to the genitals, and to semen production. My genitals became turbo-charged while the rest of me withered away and I became grossly out of balance.
I could actually feel a higher level of activity and movement in my testicles. They would also tend to ache a lot.
3. dizziness. Inability to stand up alone with my eyes closed. I experienced a minor concussion one night when I fell over backward in the dark on the way to the bathroom. I could remain vertical and walk but I had to consciously keep correcting myself.
4. Hot flashes. Those are when the skin suddenly feels burning and feverish.
5. Increased perspiration. My shirts became soaked with sweat and the smell was much more pungent. Shirt armpits all got stained yellow.
6. Poor digestion. I began to have constant diarrhea instead of hard, healthy stool. Stomach grumbled a lot. I to this day haven't had good healthy stool since 2003.
7. Jitteriness. Shakiness, feeling of overstimulation. This went along with the weakness. I felt a certain instability in my chest, instead of being relaxed. This effected my work, my relationships, and my ability to think and relax.
8. Inability to exercise. Since taking VigRX I have not been able to run, bike, swim, lift weights, or do any aerobic activity. Exercise causes me to become extremely weak for the next few days. Also, it causes an intense stress to my body that is hard to recover from. I just don't have the internal resources to exert very much. My body seems to save all that for sexual activity now.
9. Compromised immune system. I began to catch colds much more easily, and catch flu. Generally much more sickly. I needed to go to the hospital emergency room a few times.
10. Lack of control over my libido. I would go through this cycle of intense sexual stimulation, where I would be compelled to masturbate or have sex. It felt out of my control.
11. Belligerence. My personality changed dramatically. I think this was caused by the increase in testicle size, and the increase in testosterone. Although, interestingly, I was still within the normal range for testosterone levels, and for testicle size. The normal range seems to be quite broad. But for my body it was too much. Increased testosterone also caused my hairline to recede quickly.
12. Back and joint pain. Feeling of deadness in my spine. development of an exaggerated curvature to my spine. Much neck problems. Pain and weakness in joints. I think this is also in common with the others who have posted here.
13. Mental deterioration. Mental fogginess. I forgot how to spell words, and often couldn't find words to express myself. My writing also changed and I began to switch letters.
14. Mental depression. In the days after ejaculation, I feel quite down and unable to socialize satisfactorally.
I've listed just the major symptoms, I think they match what others have felt with POIS. But unlike some of you, I've not had POIS since puberty. I developed a particularly strong version of it after taking VigRX- which caused in a way, a second puberty- or a second major growth/ development of the genitals.
My life turned dramatically for the worse after all this happened. I no longer felt I was able to function in the world or take care of myself. I came near to really ending my life. And I had to be hospitalized at a psychiatric ward.
Also, due to VigRX I developed an enlarged prostate- which causes incontinence. The size of the prostate is directly effected by how much testosterone is produced. Having enlared testicles causes enlargement of the prostate. Enlarged prostate can cause incontinence- and it did for me. I became unable to control my bowel movements. After my oriectomy, and the subsequent lessening of testosterone, it cured my incontinent urges. I'm also taking Flomax, a medicine to reduce the prostate- and that has worked quite well.
My understanding of the problem is that my sexual function became too demanding for my body. My body in it's normal state couldn't support the amount of sexual activity that became demanded of it. And all these symptoms were a result of my body's greater expenditure of semen. A lot of my problems were also caused by hormonal irregularity because of increased testicle size.
I reason that much of my problem is caused by the overproduction and overejaculation of semen. Or the production and ejaculation of semen beyond that which the body can comfortably tolerate. There could be something to the orgasmic chemical release as well. But I think the main cause is "overejaculation", and the cure for me is "dry ejaculation".
My solution was to remove the organs responsible for manufacturing semen. The first and easiest to remove are the testes.
I had a "bilateral oriectomy". This is the removal of both testicles. I experienced almost immediate relief after the surgery. I went on a lowered dose of testosterone, which cured the dizziness, and the rampant libido, and the shakiness in my chest. It also cured the intense food cravings after ejaculation, and it cured the belligerence. My hairline returned to normal. It lessened the recovery time from 7 days to 2-3 days currently.
I also started taking a high dose of Prozac to combat the mental depression and cognitive problems. That has helped me a lot also.
I still have the problems with exhaustion, back pain, diarrhea, inability to exercise, depression, and so on, after ejaculation. I have looked into what it would take to remove the other two organs which make semen. Ultimately, I think that "dry ejaculation" will solve much of the problem. My body has not returned to normal levels of semen production, and it it still overproducing and over-expending due to the VigRX.
The testes are responsible really only for the sperm in semen, which comprises very little of the volume. The majority of the seminal fluid is produced by the seminal vesicles and the prostate.
The next step for me, logically would be the removal the seminal vesicles, the cauterizing of the ejaculatory ducts, and perhaps the reduction of the prostate through a TURP. These would cause me dry ejaculation.
I've arranged for this operation, but put it on hold because no one is recommending it, and it is expensive and time-consuming, and involves going out of the country. All of which I'm not sure is worth it right now, not yet. But I keep the option open while I explore other options.
I'm curious what other people have done to effectively reduce their POIS symptoms.
Animus
