Low libido/ED concerns

stroknoff

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I'm 41, in reasonable shape (slim) and started experiencing a decline in my sexuality over the past year or so; difficulty with erections, no spontaneous erections, low interest in sex, constant stimulation required to maintain an erection. I've been single for approximately two years and recently started seeing a very beautiful woman. Well, lo and behold, the ugly issue is raising it's head (no pun)and my anxiety is through the roof! I've always been highly sexual and had no problem with three or four orgasms a day. I started masturbating in my early childhood and became sexually active around age 13. I've always used porn and have engaged in long edging sessions with no apparent issues getting hard as a result. I'm usually a little soft with a new partner until I can feel a sense of security and trust, then I'm off to the races. Now I'm dead in the water. I can get hard with my new girl, but it only lasts a short time before disappearing. Sometimes, I feel no sexual feelings with her at all, though I do enjoy the intimacy. Any opinions as to whether long-term edging/masturbation can cause ED? Heavy porn use? I also quit smoking after about 20 years two weeks ago, so I'm wondering if that may be it? I did go to the urologist a few years back with concerns about waning libido, and he ran a blood panel. At that time he said everything looking normal with my testosterone and gave me vitamin V which I hate to take. Again, I went to a GP about 9 months ago for a physical and he also did a blood panel that came up normal. As far as meds, I've been on and off of Wellbutrin XL for 4 or 5 years. I recently started taking it again within the year. Several Doctors have reassured me that the XL has no sexual side effects, but I'm skeptical of that as well. Also, to clarify, its not as if I'm horny and simply not getting blood to my cock. Its more like I have to force my attention to sex to see what's up- as if my sex switch has been flipped in my head. Then the anxiety comes if nothing starts happening. I know this post is all over the place, but any input would help.
 

D_Odipherous Pitts

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I'm 41, in reasonable shape (slim) and started experiencing a decline in my sexuality over the past year or so; difficulty with erections, no spontaneous erections, low interest in sex, constant stimulation required to maintain an erection. I've been single for approximately two years and recently started seeing a very beautiful woman. Well, lo and behold, the ugly issue is raising it's head (no pun)and my anxiety is through the roof! I've always been highly sexual and had no problem with three or four orgasms a day. I started masturbating in my early childhood and became sexually active around age 13. I've always used porn and have engaged in long edging sessions with no apparent issues getting hard as a result. I'm usually a little soft with a new partner until I can feel a sense of security and trust, then I'm off to the races. Now I'm dead in the water. I can get hard with my new girl, but it only lasts a short time before disappearing. Sometimes, I feel no sexual feelings with her at all, though I do enjoy the intimacy. Any opinions as to whether long-term edging/masturbation can cause ED? Heavy porn use? I also quit smoking after about 20 years two weeks ago, so I'm wondering if that may be it? I did go to the urologist a few years back with concerns about waning libido, and he ran a blood panel. At that time he said everything looking normal with my testosterone and gave me vitamin V which I hate to take. Again, I went to a GP about 9 months ago for a physical and he also did a blood panel that came up normal. As far as meds, I've been on and off of Wellbutrin XL for 4 or 5 years. I recently started taking it again within the year. Several Doctors have reassured me that the XL has no sexual side effects, but I'm skeptical of that as well. Also, to clarify, its not as if I'm horny and simply not getting blood to my cock. Its more like I have to force my attention to sex to see what's up- as if my sex switch has been flipped in my head. Then the anxiety comes if nothing starts happening. I know this post is all over the place, but any input would help.

YES, Wellbutrin can cause a low libido. Read up on it. Your testosterone levels may also be low for YOU. When I doctor checks your test levels he is comparing them against the average male. Your normal levels may have also been higher than normal and if they are low now (for YOU) they may fall within the normal range of a male so the doctore would not suspect anything wrong there. I know that is what has happened to me. I suspect I've always had exrtremely high test levels based upon my ungodly horniness when I was younger and my ability to easily put on muscle mass. However as I've gotten older my libido has crashed and I have not felt the "same" about many things. My test levels are above average based on normal readings but I know they are low for ME.

Your symptoms sound a lot like low testosterone levels.
 

Eisenhower

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I second that - find out what your testosterone scores were. A doctor saying they were "normal" is meaningless. You need to know the actual results so you can be better informed and decide if you need to seek out a male hormone specialist.

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There are some good points on checking your testosterone. I would caution though that most doctors won't go down this road of prescribing testosterone. The school of thought most doctors follow is the reason why most won't do this although it may actually be a significant reason for lower libido. There is a wide range that supposedly healthy males should have from 300 to 1000. It depends on the different labs. As an example, your testosterone was probably 500 or greater in your 20's & 30's . It may now be 300 or 400. However because of the test range given above you are still considered normal although it is significantly lower than it was 10 years ago. Doctors don't have a baseline for testosterone that would have accounted for your decreased hormonal levels. There is no accounting for aging and hormonal levels at different stages in life. Most likely the doctor will come at you with either Viagra or some form of the erection pill or it's in your head psychology talk. Too many doctors can't think outside the box or don't care to treat it because of poor coverage from insurances. Try different doctors. Best of luck!
 

stroknoff

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Thanks for the replies. Fuck Viagra. That's a weak solution. Where would I go about finding a hormone specialist in my area? Most of these MDs that advertise hormone replacement on the web seem pretty sleazy. I suppose I would want to find a competent endocrinologist? For those of you who tried the hormone replacement route, what can I expect if it seems indicated in my case?

Thanks again!
 

DOS

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My inclination in all health related issues is to go natural. Use food/herbs as a medicine. If this isn't you, don't bother reading the below.

A lot of the Western diet is depleted of nutrient by over- processing, and the artificial crop cycles/rotations/fertilizers that need to be applied to achieve that.

Your issue is unique to you, and also possibly related to your headspace (nothing like a bit of ED to create more of the same) but, as a baseline start point, good nutrition is key.

I'm somewhat anti hormone replacement, unless other avenues have been exhausted. That said the modern medical profession is of great use in providing the data required for diagnoses of various ailments. As well as checking testosterone, you should get your thyroxine levels tested, and zinc. Depending on the region you live, and your diet, you could well be low in several trace elements required to keep hormone production where it should be. Vital among these trace elements is selenium (2-6 Brazil nuts a day will provide that), zinc (handful of pumpkin kernels a day) iodine (any sea salt or other supplement) and Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils. (Variety of natural cold pressed oils- NOT soy, which contains GMOs and Phyto-eostregens, nor Canola which contains GMOs - and cod liver oil.)
If you feel stressed take a B supplement, and ensure the amino acid intake in the diet is adequate. Eating organ meat every day or two is an excellent way to ensure this. (Liver, thinly sliced, fried, with maybe some mushrooms, tomato, and scrambled egg. You don't need much. What a great breakfast.)
A bit of exercise is a great stress-buster, too, and helps the generation of testosterone.
Hope that helps. Like anything natural, it will take a while for effects to manifest, but the long term result is likely to be better than HRT, which, once you start, you have to pretty much stick with for life. Some of the replacement hormones are not natural, either, but synthetic mimics. Gotta watch out for those. Google it.