ED at 22

[killerb]

has anyone else this young had this problem? please share your experiences.. i don't know what is wrong with me and i fear i'm on the brink of sinking into a deep depression... i don't want to live with this the rest of my life ...

one of my best friends had this issue around the age of 25-26...
he had a girlfriend at the time & found that he was unable to get it up...
he said that he had never had a problem before & was really worried...
I knew they were having problems, so I asked if that might be a factor...
he said it wasn't, so I suggested that he see a doctor...but he didn't want to...
he tried various herbal supplements but they didn't help enough...
I don't know if he ever saw a dr. or if the problem ever resolved...
I do know that he broke up with the gf & it was a couple of years before he had another one...

in your case, since you have seen several docs, I would try this...
take a short break from any sex for at least 2 weeks...
try some yoga...
clear your mind...

 

[B_625girth]

i think the first incident of impotency is fucking with your head. maybe see shrink. at 22, you should not be experiencing ED. when I was 22 (a long time ago), 5-6 erections with my gf overnite was common.

 

[D_Martin van Burden]

The worst of any erectile dysfunction, for me, comes when I have had too much alcohol. Cialis, Jesus, and a stint of popsicle sticks couldn't get me hard.

In all seriousness, here's the toughie to deal with: You're already concerned about your ED, and worrying about it only makes the problem worse. Once you go through the checklist of diet, nutrition, exercise, stress, etc., you have to leave it be.

I would continue checkups with your GP to make sure that you're biologically squared away. But so long as there isn't anything wrong with you, you just have to make your ED more external. You're not doing anything wrong. You're not stripped of a genuine attraction to women. Rather, you just haven't found your new bag; and it's not really all that uncommon if your tastes and attractions change. You might not be attracted to the same sets of tits, hair color, physique, etc. for life.

 

[FuzzyKen]

ED has no set age. It can have many causes.

The first thing to look at very seriously is a drug used for male pattern baldness called finasteride. The trade name is "Propecia".

Propecia works by short circuiting the conversion of testosterone into DHT. DHT is the one responsible for the secondary sex characteristics and sexual function. A standard hormone panel can in fact in a user of finasteride show astronomical levels and still problems will exist as if there were no testosterone at all.

Most blood pressure drugs will have a negative impact on erectile capability. If you are taking any of these drugs you need to go to the good old MD and try something else.

Anti-Depressants are also as a rule a downer for erectile capability. There is one however that is exactly the opposite and has been known to cause priapism.

Statin drugs used to lower cholesterol in some people can also have a negative impact on erectile function. Again this is someting to track.

In your text you stated a known testosterone level. At the same time you also spoke of low ejaculatory volume in addition to the ED.

One thing that possibly needs to be examined and performed would be a full endocrine work up. You can have for example very high testosterone levels naturally and if you are not producing the conversion enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, you would present a perplexing puzzle because muscle development and other obvious traits would appear normal and yet without the conversion of the testosterone to DHT several things would happen. The first is that the pituitary axis would shift and try to compensate by increasing general testosterone production to a far higher level. The next would be sluggish genital development and body hair characteristics including beard growth. This is one of those puzzle jobs that the average MD and or Urologist is not going to catch unless they have had a great deal of specialized training. There can be many complications here and this is one of those weird cases where if this were the problem the cure for the whole thing would be placing you on DHT cream or patches. The laugh is that the cure for the problem in that case would be more testosterone in a different form to actually reduce the testosterone level that your body can't convert.

I really would get a full endocrine work up. Make certain that you have all the information to make a complete determination.

I am an ED patient and have been on Quadmix for over two years. It has been the best decision I have ever made. It is cheaper than the orals and more effective if you really have ED. To me the orals only work if the ED is relatively mild.

When I was myself undergoing the evaluations to be placed on the injectable meds, I had a great deal of conversation with the MD simply because I am involved in the management of several Yahoo groups. One of these groups deals with ED specifically and is geared more towards those using the injectable medications. The idea is to bring people with this together so that everyone can get the best information.

What I learned from the M.D. I questioned at length was that E.D. knows no age. The specialized medical practice I went to treating this has patients that range from later teens to their 80's and the causes are varied among all of these men.

There should be no feelings of anything negative over E.D.. It is a medical condition much as a person with high cholesterol or a broken arm. It is not a marker for masculinity and when treated it is not even a marker for sexual prowess. I can guarantee you that I can do things now that I could not do as a teenager. I was not multi-orgasmic as a teen, I am now and I can if the energy level is there do it several times and have a blast.

Yes, there are psychological factors that can happen. When I questioned the specialist on this his statement was that this viewpoint is dying because the psychological factors are usually a result of failure to obtain or maintain an erection and the problem itself was what caused the psychological factors.

Get in and get to the proper specialists to get this treated. It may take some time and some adjustment to get used to the new you, but, once that adjustment is made, your whole world will change and sex will be something you look forward to and enjoy rather than something you face with trepidation or fear.

 

[Dave NoCal]

What is Quadmix?
Dave

 

[Viking_UK]

OK, if you're getting erections from talking to your ex on the phone, it probably isn't a physical or chemical problem. A typical doctor's answer when they're not quite sure what to say or do is to prescribe tablets rather than to find out what's really going on. If you want to carry on down the medical route, get referred to a specialist rather than relying on your GP, who may know the basics, but is no expert.

If you've been masturbating in one way for years, either with or without porn, your body gets used to that and doesn't get the same stimulation if you change the way you do things. Not to put too fine a point on it, your hand feels totally different to a vagina, a mouth or someone else's hand and that may be root of the problem. You may have to do a bit of retraining.

As Dave suggested, try some sensual play with no pressure and take it from there. Don't make the mistake of going, "Quick, I'm hard! Brace yourself!" Get yourself properly worked up and take your time over it. Talk about your fantasies. Work out what really turns you both on. Maybe even do a bit of role play. Get her to tease you, but above all, relax and get into it. Other things you can try are changing the way you masturbate. If you normally use your right hand, switch to your left. If you're a fast stroker, go slow or vice versa. You could even investigate anal play and prostate stimulation.

 

[abcd1]

thanks to all of you guys for all this - everything is helpful at this point. i went to a specialist yesterday who was just as perplex as i am, but i'm getting blood tests done today and going back next week for a rigiscan (the nighttime erection test) and if necessary a doppler after that.

fuzzy ken - can those endocrine levels be determined by blood tests, or are they something i need to request myself?

 

[ledroit]

thanks to all of you guys for all this - everything is helpful at this point. i went to a specialist yesterday who was just as perplex as i am, but i'm getting blood tests done today and going back next week for a rigiscan (the nighttime erection test) and if necessary a doppler after that.

fuzzy ken - can those endocrine levels be determined by blood tests, or are they something i need to request myself?

Great topic, abcd1--I'm glad you raised it here. When your blood is drawn for routine testing (physicals, etc), the analysts don't automatically look for everything. So your MD would have to request specific analysis to look at endocrine levels. But if you went to a specialist for EDs, they would have done this. You can confirm and ask them specifically if they looked at x,y,z when you get the results.

I liked the precise way that fuzzyken addressed the physiological side of ED. When it comes to the behavioral side, here is another question. Some guys naturally compartmentalize sex and emotions. One is completely independent of the other. These are the guys who can have a hard time telling you how they feel if you ask them, and can be oblivious to emotions, which is a plus in sports or the military. If you have that kind of temperament, I suspect that would increase the chances that this is more physiological or biological in origin.

But other guys have more integration between the emotional, sexual, relational, personal worlds. One influences the other. I am definitely in that group. I've never had ED, but my emotions definitely fuel my sex drive. An intimate conversation about a completely non-sexual topic with someone I love can make me get aroused and drip all kinds of pre-cum, even if I don't get fully hard or feel like having sex. I can also see a porn star in person and be completely indifferent about having sex if there are no emotional or personal drivers.

If you do have a temperament anything like that, in which your feelings/emotions trigger sexual responses, then the advice about exploring the personal/emotional/behavioral/relational components of sex is also good. It's not at all about being crazy or needing a shrink in those cases. It's about understanding the triggers, and understanding how and why you need to feel a certain kind of comfort, security, openness, trust, etc., or even a certain kind of reciprocity, before you can relax enough to let the stream go.

That kind of analysis is about about understanding how your brain also works with your body to shut down or start up behavior. So both approaches, looking at endocrines/physiological things and looking at social/personal things, are very complementary, and will give you a more rounded picture than pursuing one or the other in isolation.

Great topic though--good luck with the research & investigation. I am positive you & your team will figure out what the issues are, and get them resolved.

 

[abcd1]

I've doing some research online lately, and it seems that other guys have had a problem where they can't get an erection other than with porn. I admit, this could be a problem with me. I've been looking at porn at least 5 times a week (sometimes a lot more) since I was .. maybe 12 or 13. I used to be able to get off just by looking at my dad's one Playboy hidden in his closet, but lately, as I've gotten increasingly desensitized, I've been looking at much dirtier stuff (orgy, gangbang stuff..). Since that's not at all what my sex life is, I figure maybe I'm just not getting turned on by these girls, especially my latest girl even though she's very attractive. So, I've stopped the porn completely, and for good. I haven't masturbated in a couple days, but in the future when I do I will just use my imagination (which, by the way, I haven't done in years because ever since getting into the more hardcore stuff, I simply haven't been able to). Hopefully I'll be able to retrain myself to be turned on simply by kissing and undressing a girl, which used to get me rock hard. I will find out what is behind this and I refuse to be beaten by this bullshit.

 

[B_spotted_duck]

you probably don't want to see a psychiatrist since their specialty is in medications for depression and mania. Persons trained in therapy may be a psychologist, therapist, or licensed social worker, among other titles. you want someone who is well versed in sex therapy. if it worth it? for me, it was. if you are in college, check with the student health center to see if they have such a person on staff or can refer you to. otherwise, your MD should be able to do so.

Just a correction: Psychiatrists are generally trained in therapy. However, insurance usually won't cover seeing one for therapy, and so these days they have more practice with meds, so to speak. I like a psychiatrist because when I talk to an MD I feel like I can be more uncensored about bodily functions, but that's just me.

I would start with whoever your MD refers you to, or if you have insurance you can just call in, say you're having relationship issues you'd like to talk to someone about, and they'll find a list of who's covered. If you are in school do try the student health center. I wasted some of my college years because I didn't go for help when I needed it.

There's no shame in seeing one. Living is difficult, period. (If it's not you are probably doing it wrong.) Getting help with something difficult that is making you unhappy is not shameful.

 

[Dave NoCal]

As someone who has worked a number of years in a department of psychiatry at a major university, I have to disagree with spotted_duck. My observation was that psychiatry residents who were actually interested in the disciline of psychotherapy was about one in ten.
Dave

 

[FuzzyKen]

Notes from Fuzzy Ken....

Quadmix is an injectable drug that is used to treat Erectile Dysfunction. The injection is given with an extremely fine insulin needle into the corpus of the penis (the blood chambers). Now, this sounds really fearsome. With proper technique it does NOT hurt at all and it is very easy to do. The drug has multiple formulations and is made up of four drugs Atropine, Papavarine, Phentolamine and Prostaglandin. There is Caverject, Bi-Mix, and Tri-Mix as well. These are other singular drugs and combinations made from the above (4) four drugs.

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One of the things that I have seen in this and in other men who have experienced this problem is a tendency to "blame" some outside influence. E.D. is caused by masturbation, E.D. is caused by watching porn, E.D. is caused by the position of the moon.

- - - - - - - - -

When I went through testing I found out a number of things. One of the interesting things is that men with E.D. can sometimes maintain an erection in the sitting position and in the standing position, but can't maintain an erection lying down.

- - - - - - - - - -

If you're masturbating watching porn on the net what position are you in. Odds are better than average that you are in a chair.

Again, I learned one ton of information on this and paid through the nose for the specialist I had. The man "nailed" everything before I could even say it and he was absolutely right. I was position sensative and I had my good moments on some positions and bad moments in others and the specialist knew which ones were which.

What was really strange was that he was even able to tell me what sex positions I was able to function in when the E.D. first started.

You need ALL the medical tests that relate to this. The reason is that as severe as my E.D. is, I on occasion still get an erection during sleep. Not often, but it does happen. On occasion I still wake up with one in the early morning as well. It is dependent on the position in which I awaken.

Diagnosing this is a GROUP of tests and not one.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The next problem is that we start thinking that the problem may be in our choice of sex partners. The truth is my friend that I have been through all the experiences you have had. The road and the thoughts and heresay you are experiencing are all things I experienced on this rocky road.

Usually, the E.D. causes the problems not the other way around.

See a male reproductive specialist on this one and cut to the chase. Do not beat yourself up and don't consider this to be anything other than what it is. The only problem you have is one of erectile function or quality of erections. Take it from one who tried all the crap for several years before spending the bucks on the right MD. Spend the bucks right now and avoid all the disappointment and misjudgment and headaches that playing guessing games will bring you.

If your problem is purely psychological a sample dose of either Viagra, Levitra or Cialis will make absolutely ZERO difference. You will still have problems because these drugs do not work without the mechanisms of arousal in place. If the GF is the problem you will still have problems becoming or maintaining an erection even with the drug. These things are NOT instant roaring erection. The orals still require your mind to work. The transurethral pellet called muse and the injectable drugs do not. Using the orals on a "one shot" basis will give you a big hint and your reproductive specailist will probably head that route before some of the tests to see if it makes a difference.


Good Luck

 

[sabresandiego]

Try the following techniques which I use to perform well.

-I keep my diet and exercise top notch

-I take a few sexual boosting supplements like arginine and ginko

-I do some sexual exercises like erect kegels and I just started doing light jelqing and it appears to have increased the amount of erections I get in the day and at night.

-I limit masturbation to 1-5 times per week and try to abstain for at least 1 day but preferably 3-7 days before going out to bars and clubs or meeting women.

-I keep a small dose of cialis in my wallet and use half a pill on occassions where I will be really nervous like with a new girlfriend.

-I try to limit my alcohol intake to maintain a slight buzz rather than getting wasted drunk.

I think that if you follow the majority of these guidelines than your erectile performance will improve