Stimulants, ED and how to talk to a GP?

🍆 Erection issues
1

So I have noticed that my erections are not working as they used to and hence I’ve found my way here.

It’s a bit complicated.

I’ve always been a regular masturbator and had a high sex drive. I love sex, it was always a place of deep connection, peace and restoration for me. In someways it was my place of rest and healing. I’ve live most of my life (I’m 43) with undiagnosed ADHD and sex, masturbation and porn my principal go to for dopamine for my starved brain.

In recent months I have been diagnosed and started treatments, of which a rare side effect is ED. I didn’t really notice an issue until I got to the highest does. However, the issues have remained even though I’ve drop my dose (which my doctor says should have a near immediate effect) I will probably try a full cold turkey to strike this possibility off.

So I’m wondering if I could have a different physical issue or whether it’s all now in my head (once I get a final answer about the stimulants) Sex had not been very satisfying and had become routine which contributed to my lack of interest but this never affect masturbation like it does now. I’ve talked about these issues with my partner and she’s all on board with trying to help me relax.

I’m in good health otherwise, I run 20-30k a week, I have slightly higher than normal blood pressure (have my whole life) but not enough to be diagnosed with hypertension. I now work from home though and wonder whether months of sitting on my crappy chairs could have damaged the blood vessels.

I worry if I go to the GP he will focus entirely on the stimulants and not really check for other things. GPs are really under pressure at the moment and I fear being brushed off.

Any advice? I’m tempted to simply complete my tests about the stimulants and then focus on psychological issues, but I really would prefer to know the plumbing is good before hand, or my breathing and relaxing could frustratingly be for nothing.

All this over thinking, and hyperfocus has killed my libido… at the moment masturbation is more about checking I still can than pleasure.

2

I can relate to this—I recently turned 30 and was just diagnosed with ADHD. You’re right, it is complicated! Looking back, I can clearly recognize that I have used masturbation (and porn) to stimulate and provide dopamine to my brain, even when I wasn’t exactly aroused.

This somewhat unconscious habit has been additionally layered on top of performance anxiety I’ve dealt with off and on for years. Because my issues with keeping it up predate the beginning of my treatment for ADHD, I’m pretty confident most of my challenges are psychological, but I am curious about how stimulants might be contributing as well.

Despite these struggles, receiving my ADHD diagnosis makes me feel so much more hopeful about also tackling my performance anxiety. I now feel like I understand why I allowed myself to develop an unhealthy relationship with porn (which, ultimately, I do believe can be a healthy part of your sex or masturbation life) instead of beating myself up about it. I also wonder about how having ADHD makes me so easily distracted before or during sex.