Dopamine withdrawal symptoms

I don't know anything that helps except time.

 

You’re saying you woke up one day and felt good again but the day before you felt shitty?

 

Yes. There was a great difference. The previous day, I was 100% shitty then I woke up 99% healed. Over the next week, I was 100% okay.

 

I’m 29 and I’ve had a lot of trouble my whole life. With some depression, stress, anxiety, not having many friends, not wanting to be around people or talk much. I’ve been on antidepressants, had blood work, some ct scams and X-rays of different parts. Nothing has really ever helped. I have been PMOing since before I was a teenager probably. I haven’t yet had any PIED problems, I still want to have sex with my wife, and other women on the street really turn me on and I fantasize about them. Me and my wife’s sex live is basically non existent, I hope we can work on that still. Anyways I have wanted to be PMO free for a long time. I just went 30 days but relapsed. I think cuz I was disappointed I wasn’t feeling much better. I knew 30 days wouldn’t cure it. But was hoping for some improvements.

Since I have tried to stop and relapsed so many times over the last 5 months or so I have been having a lot of problems, some withdrawal, maybe some other health maybe? Anyways some of what I’ve been feeling is.. looootsss of fatigue, depression, anxiety, used to not bother me talking to people, now I avoid them and if I do talk I start feeling very anxious and nervous, I feel I get anxious and I blink a lot or movey eye brows up and down. I also had a period where I was very thirsty and I couldn’t get enough water no matter how much I drink. I’ve had headaches, sometimes weird tingling headaches, teeth and jaw pain, sometimes feeling cold no matter how warm it is, sometimes parts of my body feeling very warm. Some minor aches and pains. White coating on tongue, DR said it was from sinus issues, dentist said it looked normal, I do not believe him. Sometimes it looks like spots are starting to clear up and then it comes back.

If I remember more, I’ll come back and edit.

 

It has gradually got better with me. Mentally sometimes it comes in waves. But overall it’s like a slow, slow download speed on a 100gb download if that makes any sense.

 

Do NoFap for a longer period of time. If it's not helping, look up Transcranial magnetic stimulation.

 

It seems like whenever I relapsed yesterday, my biggest hurdle was anxiety and stress. Does anyone one have great way to manage these? I had started going back into the gym 2-3 days a week. I went last night after my high from relapsing, now today I can barely get off the couch again. I know the usually responses, get sleep, eat well, meditate and pray, but anything else? Anyone take any supplements such a as St. John’s wort, Gaba, or l-tryptophan.

 

Read some books about the subconcious mind, if you didn't already. Everyone knows the 'placebo effect', but few are ones who know how powerful this really can be, when practiced regularly! I don't really know what to suggest you more than this and meditating. Because those two things seriously changed my life in a short period of time. But I've always been kinda open minded for this stuff, so first of all, when you try it out: don't focus on the immediate effect of it! It can take some time for most people... Anyway, I'm only 20y old so I've got less exprerience of life than you do, I know this. But if I can help, this is all I can bring you

 

I’ve heard a lot about meditation but never tried it. Ive downloaded a couple phone apps. Headspace and simple habit. I will see how those go for me. Thanks for your advice. I know the mind is very powerful and if think something long enough your body will believe it!

 

The average intensity of the symptoms was bad but it was actually wave-like, increasing when I was in stressful situations or when I tried to get my work like it did before the symptoms came. I am glad I came out of it. At one point, I concluded that I was going to live with this forever because the improvement, if any, was negligible. Well, how long have these symptoms been plaguing you since you quit?

 

How long have you been trying to reboot for and how long and how heavily did you do pmo for?

 

I started nofap in 2012. But prior to that I’d say 2010-11ish I was on the decline with some small symptoms. Since 2012 it declined so far and every relapse put me back to square one only for me to decline even further with new symptoms
appearing. It feels like I have been in brain fog for years and my concentration and cognitive abilities has been dreadful prior 2017 2010.

PIED since 2011, I’m a pretty severe case.

Struggled with insane gut symptoms for years. Only for them to dissapear after being porn free.

You name it, the dopamine withdrawal from all these years has given me every fucking symptom I’ve ever read in post acute withdrawal. It has been a living hell for many years. I felt like I lost my sense of self, hobbies.


Anecdotallly, when I first started pmo’ing all my grades dropped in school. Before fapping I was expected exceptional grades.

 

I only did P heavily for nine months and suffered these symptoms for before I quit and eighteen months after I quit.

 

Okay, I remember having conversations with you, but you say every relapse has put you back to square one? So you never gotten better? Not even a little alleviation? Things have gotten better than when you were using constantly right?

What’s your longest streak? How heavy is heavy? Frequency? How many times a day for how many hours?

 

In my experience this is an in it or not mentality much like any substance abuse issue. I used to relapse before and I would feel a little bit better on day 70 etc. But now I’m only starting to feel better after my current run really in the 7th month. I never got better whilst relapsing.

Things are much better now though but I have a long road ahead. If you truly want to be free of this all you have to give it up indefinitely especially the porn, never look back.

 

I never experienced relapse. Maybe it was so because I told my mum about my addiction and we helped each other kick the addiction. I was always determined to get this thing out of my life. So there you have it, I succeeded in my first attempt thanks to my mum, for her support, and thanks to me, for seeking help.

I frequency over the nine months were five-seven hours per day. I did it every day of the week.

 

I’d say anywhere from 1 year to 18 months, max.

 

I find I struggle with the same problem. It's not so much hot flashes but just not feeling like myself. It's almost feels like I'm dissociating a little from reality. Like I'm not fully present in the moment. I also find that I am emotionally stunted. I don't feel extreme anger, happiness, sadness, joy, or anything really, just survive. I don' feel attraction toward any woman I see and it's starting to scare me. When will my libido return?

 

Yeah. I would say everyone should expect a two year recovery period. Many of us won't be here if scientists took this phenomenon seriously.

 

you would be facing more problems than mentioned above