Weed withdrawal - erectile dysfunction

[biohack9]

the no libido/ED is part of the dopamine FLAT LINE. Mine even started BEFORE I quit cannabis as I scraped every last bit of dopamine out of my brain with constantly flooding/bombardment. When I realized for the first time in my life I was having these issues, I knew that livelihood depended on it. Just wish we could all fast forward the clock!

It does take time... this has been a massive lesson in patience, something I have ALWAYS been lacking, especially with THC in my life. The universal consciousness knows... and lessons are presented... we have to learn the lessons, and then we will fricken THRIVE!

[Thedford]

It would make sense if it is related to dopamine. I actually started taking a supplement called Levodopa which is the precursor to dopamine. It's derived from a plant called Mucuna Pruriens. I didn't really want to use anything except will power and a healthy lifestyle, but a couple of months ago I started getting severely depressed. Life was so awful and I had no desire at all. It was so bad I almost felt suicidal. So I decided to look for a possible solution without the use of antidepressants or harsh pharmaceuticals (I'm not against modern medicine, but I have a bad history of bad reactions to a lot of pharmaceuticals). I looked into some of the things related to Cannabis use and I did find that it increases your dopamine levels. I also looked into the function of dopamine in our brains and I came to the conclusion that after using cannabis for 14 years and having increased dopamine levels, now after quitting my brain is lacking dopamine and can't produce what it needs and has to adjust to life without the aid of cannabis. I read dopamine is responsible for motivation, desire, focus, pleasure, and other things as well. I started taking Levodopa about a month ago and I don't believe it's a miracle drug, but I have noticed that I'm not down in the pits like I was. This is only temporary of course. I'm only using it to avoid severe depression and as an aid for a few months until my brain can do what it needs without it. It doesn't feel like it's replaced cannabis either. I don't ever feel euphoric or like my brain is being flooded with dopamine. If it really is working then I believe it's supplying me with just enough dopamine to get by. I do believe you are right about it having a relation to dopamine levels.

[zzzz]

Hi guys

For me its day 157 since ive been clean.
Erections from before are better.

One thing that hasnt fixed up is anxiety.
I get to stressed up sometimes like today.

Just having to many panick attacks.

[biohack9]

It would make sense if it is related to dopamine. I actually started taking a supplement called Levodopa which is the precursor to dopamine.

That's not a "supplement" but a pharmaceutical designed for Parkinsons Disease. There can be withdrawal effects after stopping this drug so just be informed if you're self medicating with it.

Forget about PAWS, you do NOT want DAWS:

https://www.mdedge.com/neurology/articl ... withdrawal

Hi guys

For me its day 157 since ive been clean.
Erections from before are better.

One thing that hasnt fixed up is anxiety.
I get to stressed up sometimes like today.

Just having to many panick attacks.

Thanks for the update! Is your libido back to normal now?

[zzzz]

No my libido is still up and down

[biohack9]

No my libido is still up and down

Are your erections still weak and feels numb down there or improved a lot?

How's your sleep these days?

[SparkleFly12]

Just chiming in...3 days from 10 months now!

My Libido is finally seeing big improvements. Now, I seem to cycle from mild/moderate low libido to Normal/mild! Ill feel moderate low libido for a couple days, mild for a couple, then normal libido for a couple. It seems to cycle with my other paws symptoms.

Its so weird to have a sex drive again...not to be a creep but hot women really attract my eye again. Make me look twice, and my eyes just linger if I dont consciously tell myself to stop. I know this is normal for a guy, but its just so strange after not feeling that for so many months/years.

Erection problems are a lot better. I do still have them wen I am at moderate libido (the worst days); and when I have mild low libido, I have trouble maintaining an erection through intercourse. But its still improving; along with all my other paws symptoms, and I do feel like it will become more normal in time.

[biohack9]

Great news Sparkle! I'm 9 days from 3 months, and still in flatline and no nocturnal/morning wood unless I have cialis in my system. Sex is subpar on it, just doesn't feel that great without a good libido, so i'm actually just going to practice semen retention and stay in monk mode because I think that the orgasms really throw me back in PAWS. Just think it's wise abstaining from sex/orgasm, caffeine, alcohol, etc while the brain rewires. Making some drastic changes in my life like cutting out all sugar and most carbs, doing fasting for mornings and sometimes afternoons as well, and implementing meditation/breathing exercises.

You give me hope that in 6+ months i'll start feeling things that I haven't for a long time. It's crazy how high my libido was while using cannabis until it backfired... I was so damn addicted to weed and sex I just couldn't get enough, and it sadly was a big part of me leaving my ex-wife. Pretty sure that weed was a huge factor in how my thinking was around the entire marriage, and now can't go back, not that I would want to anyway.

Still wish there were more anecdotes here of recoveries, but gotta take what we can get. It also saddens me knowing what will happen to potheads over the long term, when they think it's so "safe".

[SparkleFly12]

Yeah for me I couldnt have sex without viagra for many months; months 1-7. I never had morning wood during this time. And the sex was...extremely boring. I had no interest in it, even while doing it I would just be waiting for it to be over. If I werent in a long term relationship I wouldnt have ever bothered to try.

[biohack9]

Yeah for me I couldnt have sex without viagra for many months; months 1-7. I never had morning wood during this time. And the sex was...extremely boring. I had no interest in it, even while doing it I would just be waiting for it to be over. If I werent in a long term relationship I wouldnt have ever bothered to try.

Wow, that gives me plenty of hope, because i've been using cialis for years. So you don't need viagra now anymore? And do you get morning wood these days? Sounds like I have a long road ahead of me still damn, but if there is sunshine on the other side of 7+ months, that's definitely reassuring.

I can relate to the extremely boring sex... that's why i'm telling my friend I need time off to heal my brain lol Also explains possibly why I got bored with my ex... I think I was suffering these issues even ON cannabis after a while. Enough is enough, I am enjoying sobriety and focussing on my diet and health.. but good days/bad days... the sleep is still so weird with all the morning dreams, but i'm feeling better in the daytime, and love the eye bags disappearing. I can't believe I messed up my life so much with a decade+ of abusing this bs drug. Then again, plenty of good times, and overall a better life than now, even with the side effects I would think.

[SparkleFly12]

@biohack Yeah, I experienced ED when I was using weed too. It wasnt nearly as bad as the ED after quitting; it was intermittent. Actually, it was exactly like I am right now, at 10 months clean. I do still use viagra on days when I know my libido is low and I would have ED issues.

I still dont know if my ED will eventually be cured; or if it will be intermittent again like it was when I was smoking.

As far as morning wood, when I was smoking I would get it soemtimes; after quitting I never got it for 8 months; and it slowly started to come back. Now I have it on days when I sleep at least 7 hours - which is not every day since I still have sleep issues.

[SparkleFly12]

I actually had ED and quite a few of my other PAWS symptoms when I was smoking regularly. Others were poor sleep, muscle soreness, headaches, depression. These symptoms were the biggest reason I decided to stop smoking; it just took me a long time to accept that they may be coming from weed. Im still not positive all of them came from weed, since all of them havent gone away yet (ED included).

[biohack9]

So do you have days where you don't need the viagra? Sometimes I wonder if we've damaged our dopaminergic systems beyond full repair, especially if at 10 months your symptoms in regard to ED parallel when you were actually smoking? But now that the morning wood is returning slowly, that's a really good sign. But it's related to sleep quality, which may take another 6 months or so to get back to normal. Damn this process is slow!

I can relate to the poor sleep and muscle soreness, but not headaches, nor depression. My muscle soreness sucks these days, but links back to the shoddy sleep. My depression seems to be lifting though, also linked to sleep.

Classic chicken or the egg scenarios, but we can only know for sure if we go the distance.

[SparkleFly12]

My experience with paws was different than most, mostly because of the headache. Most people dont get that but for me it was debilitating...got better slowly each month but the first 3 months were hell; and thr next three only slightly better.

Unfortunately my current situation with my SO doesnt allow us to have sex often, so when we do I want it to count and I usually use viagra just in case. But recently I tried it w/o it, and it was fine for a while but then I went soft. So no, I have not yet been able to w/o the pill but I have only tried once. It was also at the end of the day though, when my paws symptoms seem to be at their worst (they are all much better in the AM, and get worse as the day progresses)

For some reason I havent been able to sleep well the past 4 weeks. Before that I was actually at a point where I would get 7-8hrs each night and I was thrilled. But at that time I still had libido problems. Now libido has gotten better but I sleep like 4 hrs of terrible sleep a night.

Just as you said, Im just waiting it out. I may have some underlying issues with sleep (poor sleep is why I started smoking in the first place). I may have some underlying issues with libido. But the only way to figure it out is to stay off the weed. I figure that once I have no ither symptoms for at least 2 months, then Ill assess whether I should see a doctor about my sleep or livido issues.

[biohack9]

Yeah I remember reading your progress about the headaches... that's crazy, but they're all gone now? You mentioned that you used a lot of concentrates/extracts/oils, I wonder if maybe they weren't the cleanest and had trace butane? Could help explain the headaches, or not.

I can't even remember the last time I had sex without ed meds... when I had my sex addiction for years I used a lot of cialis, and I wonder if I messed something up and now am dependent on it. I did have a crazy libido when using cannabis, which is basically non existent anymore. I can get wicked nocturnal erections, morning wood, and spontaneous erections when I have some cialis in my system. Must be a blood flow issue.

Damn, your sleep sounds worse than mine at this point. I don't usually have issues falling asleep, just staying asleep. I can get about 3 hours and then just wake up, have to use the washroom, and then get another 3-5 hours, but it's crazy rem rebound, tonnes of 1/2 waking dreams, but I can sleep in longer than I used to in month 1 and 2. I'm really excited to see where this goes in the next 1-2 months. If I can get some solid sleep, I think that will take care of all my PAWS, which I think basically just stem from the insomnia.

At least you're progressing... instead of stagnating... any kind of progress is good progress.