Brain fog, anxiety, and altered personality

[pert]

Hello everyone, I'm a semi-new member. It's good to meet all of you wonderful souls, and I'm glad that I'm not carrying around the only brain in the world that hates sex.

About me: I'm a 24-year-old male computer programmer in Virginia. I'm still a virgin, but I've had relationships with girls, which have been problematic for me-- POIS affects me not only after masturbation, but also after arousal. Therefore, pornography, physical intimacy, and even fantasizing will all cause problems.

When I get triggered, these symptoms manifest:

• Brain fog
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty walking
• Altered personality
• Inability to repress sexual thoughts

I've been looking around the forums for someone with similar symptoms to me, but I haven't found anyone with a perfect match yet. My symptoms are triggered by purely psychological events, and most of the cases I see on here have psychological and physical triggers.

I have had a few tests, including a testosterone test, TSH test, an LH test, and a few other hormone tests (before and after ejaculation), all of which have indicated normal hormone levels. The doctor noticed I had a slight vitamin D deficiency, and I have been taking supplements for that, but it has not improved my symptoms.

Since my symptoms sound so similar to a brain tumor in the frontal lobe, my current theory is that something is causing brain inflammation. I am trying nanna1's supplement stack for preventing inflammatories from norepinephrine production, but unlike him, I don't have symptoms after I work out, and I'm 12 days into his treatment and I am seeing no improvement.

What's most difficult about my triggers is that they are so different from most POISers' triggers; also, they're caused by any sexual appeal at all, which sometimes makes me think that my POIS is psychosomatic. However, I have not read of any such thing happening in medical articles, and I have never experienced sexual trauma before. Not to mention, the symptoms that I experience still feel very real. However, I'm not throwing out the idea that this is all just psychological.

So, that's where I'm at. Thanks for reading. If you have any suggestions for where I should turn next, I'm all ears. Thanks in advance for your responses!

[demografx]

pert, welcome!

[Clues]

Hi pert, welcome to the forum!

I have all of the symptoms you list, with the small exception that my headaches are very mild. I do also get other symptoms, such as light sensitivity and cold/heat sensitivity, but other than that your symptoms sound very similar to mine.

In my case I'm not sure I get symptoms from arousal alone, but I know quite a few people on the forum do.

I suspect the symptoms in my case come from mast cell activation. But why the mast cells are activated I don't know.

Be careful with meds, and good luck with your investigation!

[BoneBroth]

Welcome pert! Souns like my pois. Do you have low blood pressure, adrenal exhaustion or POTS?

Low blood pressure = Any of SYS/DIA lower then 90/60 (or just above) (at rest)
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition in which a change from lying to standing causes an abnormally large increase in heart rate (+20 beats/second)
Adrenal exhaustion = When a person arises from a lying to a standing  position there should be a rise of 10 mm in blood pressure in the systolic (top) number. A drop or failure to rise, indicates adrenal fatigue. More ways to test here.

Please do the blood pressure poll here:
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3580.0

[OpiesDad]

Well, good news for you (sort of), I map to what you are describing very well.  It's not consistent, but when a sexual thought really arouses me mentally, I get a wave of cognitive POIS symptoms.  It's not a usual full durations POIS event (which for me is 4 days of constant symptoms / 3 weeks intermittent symptoms thereafter), but a wave that can last from an hour to 1 or 2 days.  All of the cognitive and emotional symptoms you mention are in play.  I am older than you and my POIS started 2 years ago after a fairly normal life until the condition emerged.  The most successful treatment I've found to date has been prescribed Propranolol (beta blocker).  Helps with the headaches/head pressure, anxiety and just generally calms my "nerves."  If you look at my post history you will see at least one instance where I talk about the non-O arousal causing POIS like symptoms.

[Muon]

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition in which a change from lying to standing causes an abnormally large increase in heart rate (+20 beats/second)

Correction: HR +30 BPS

[BoneBroth]

but when a sexual thought really arouses me mentally, I get a wave of cognitive POIS symptoms.  It's not a usual full durations POIS event (which for me is 4 days of constant symptoms / 3 weeks intermittent symptoms thereafter), but a wave that can last from an hour to 1 or 2 days.

I'experience exactly the same. I think POIS can advace to diffrent stages and when a though is enoght to trigger POIS, it's a quite advanced stage. However, I also experience improvements after long time of avoidances of such thoughts. You are then buiding up some kind of buffert of some kind of substances/hormones. I've read that it might take very long time (1-2 years) of avoidances to restore the body to an acceptable state.

[Journey]

but when a sexual thought really arouses me mentally, I get a wave of cognitive POIS symptoms.  It's not a usual full durations POIS event (which for me is 4 days of constant symptoms / 3 weeks intermittent symptoms thereafter), but a wave that can last from an hour to 1 or 2 days.

I'experience exactly the same. I think POIS can advace to diffrent stages and when a though is enoght to trigger POIS, it's a quite advanced stage. However, I also experience improvements after long time of avoidances of such thoughts. You are then buiding up some kind of buffert of some kind of substances/hormones. I've read that it might take very long time (1-2 years) of avoidances to restore the body to an acceptable state.

I notice I overall feel more energetic and less brainfogged when I avoid sexual stimulus of ANY KIND when I get horny or aroused or get an erection or view some sexually stimulating materials something in relation to the sexual reproductive system activation changes either the nerve working stlye or maybe different hormone ratios happens as during arousal and afterwards my brain gets foggier.

[BoneBroth]

And do you also have stubburn erections some hour before you wake up that interferes with the sleep and cause you to be not enough thoroughly rested???

[Journey]

And do you also have stubburn erections some hour before you wake up that interferes with the sleep and cause you to be not enough thoroughly rested???

I think only on abstinence streaks but don't think they disrupt my sleep.

[mevsp]

''When I get triggered, these symptoms manifest:

    Brain fog
    Headache
    Anxiety
    Depression
    Difficulty speaking
    Altered personality''


I have all of these symptoms when I suffer from POIS. At this very moment I feel it. It's unbelievable. I don't get how this illness doesn't get more attention in the media.

[BoneBroth]

Maybe "POIS depression" is just another word for deficiency of mental strength - something that requires energy, and the brain doesnt process energy optimal when there is a POIS inflammation. Its just the same as physical tiredness. When your starved and tired after a days work, noone would not come up with enoth energy to change the tires of the car. Depression is the lack of something, not an "addition" of something (like negative thoughts). Its the abscence of thoghts. It takes energy to have thoughs. When the daily routines load up on you on a state where there is no mental energy to handle them, then you would react as someone ask you to do a heavy physical task when your physical tired. That might give the impression that you are "depressive".

[pert]

Hello again guys,

Thanks for your helpful responses. I've gotten in contact with a doctor who is willing to help me, and they are prescribing me several types of medicine so maybe something will help reduce my symptoms. Sadly, nothing has helped yet, but we won't stop trying!

The supplements I've tried so far are:

• Zinc
• Ashwaganda
• Turmeric
• Fish Oil / Omega 3's
• S-Adenosine Methionine (SAM-e)
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B (complex)
• Fenugreek

The medications I've tried are:

• Hydroxyzine
• NSAIDs

The medications I want to try but haven't yet are:

• Pseudoephedrine
• Tramadol
• Clonazepam
• Pregabalin
• Gabapentin
• Topiramate
• Propranolol

[BoneBroth]

Do you experience any of theese things?

• Bloating
• Gas
• Pain in stommach
• Changing consistance or colour of your poop during POIS or anytime
• Exzema or some red skin
• Acne on your back on POIS, or anytime
• Mental stress when you dont have POIS