The effects of drugs like Viagra and Cialis vary depending upon your circumstances. If you have PIED developing (and are still using internet porn) they may mask your impotence problem temporarily. However, they don’t “cure” anything. They do not work directly to heal the plastic changes in your brain that have numbed your pleasure response and wired your sexual response to porn.
- For more on understanding erectile physiology and sexual enhancement drugs, see Gary’s Erectile Dysfunction and Porn slide show
- Dopamine agonists instead of ED meds – a thread on YBR
The problem doesn’t lie in your genitals, as Norman Doidge, MD explains. Your brain needs time and an absence of artificial sexual stimulation. That’s what will enable your brain to return to normal sensitivity and sexual responsiveness as quickly as possible. You may also need to rewire your sexual response to a real partner.
If the drugs do still produce erections for you, you may notice you don’t feel the intensity of arousal. Arousal is dependent upon the reward system of your brain and these drugs work on the penis, not the penis. Said one guy,
Here’s an executive summary of how Cialis works, or at least, my understanding of it. When your penis gets aroused, it fills with blood. And then there is a chemical reaction that takes place which empties the blood out of the penis when you’re no longer aroused. Cialis doesn’t force the blood into the penis. What it does is prevent the blood from emptying once it gets there.
The problem with this for us PMO addicts is that our neurochemical system, which sends the blood down there to begin with isn’t functioning normally. In other words, Cialis does its job in preventing blood loss, but our brains still have to get the blood there to start. I’ve used Cialis in the past. And if you can get yourself aroused, it “works.” But when my arousal cycle was totally desensitized, it didn’t do much for me.
Psychological dependence and side effects
‘Furthermore, there is a risk of becoming psychologically dependent on them. See study: Those who used the drugs recreationally were less confident about their abilities.
I seem to have developed a tolerance for Levitra. Which is crazy because as I’ve read on the net most people get in this position after 2 or 3 years of using viagra-related drugs. After the relapse, I failed with my gf 3 times while using the standard prescription, 10 mg. The first 2 times I got an erection which lasted for just a minute, totally unheard of for me while using levitra, for once it gets up, it always lasts for 5-10 minutes the less.
Third time, yesterday, I actually took like 14 mg (I cut 20 mg pills in a half-or-so) I became all dizzy and blushed (which are all side effects, meaning that the pill was supposed to have taken affect) and it even didn’t move at all.. AT ALL. Of course, I was very anxious, but I believe I was so countless times in the past too when it worked.
Cialis and Viagra (PDE5 inhibitors) work by temporarily altering your body’s vascular response, and they have risky side effects, as well as annoying ones. Common side effects include flushing, upset stomach, headache, nasal congestion, back pain, and dizziness. A guy’s experience:
I had sex with quite a lot of girls over the years, but was only been able to cum PIV a couple of times. Not being able to cum via intercourse always made me feel useless and weird. I had a girlfriend for 3 years and was never able to do it – not once. She loved me very much and we made it work, but sex was never as good as it should have been. I was also rarely able to get it (or keep it) up without any help from Viagra, etc… which gets fucking expensive and annoying (side effects such headaches, swollen face, and excessive farting before/during/after sex can suck!!).
Using sexual enhancement drugs during a reboot
What about using sexual enhancement drugs during a reboot? It may depend on where you are in the healing process. If they don’t work, then it is probably too soon to be trying to force your sexual performance.
Eventually, though, they can sometimes help guys transition into sex after a period of rebooting:
No PMO for 2 months was the goal. During this process, I went to a doctor to check for ED. The doctor said everything physiologically was functional with me. After 2 months of no PMO, I attempted to have sex with the GF. I was not able to “get it up.” I was disappointed, but after reading about how long it takes for someone with no prior sexual experience to recover and reboot, I should have known. It was also during this time that I was still searching for something to salvage the relationship (I was worried that after this failure, surely the relationship would not last longer).
I went to a doctor and explained my psychological issue. And I begged for a drug like Viagra to fix this. I expected nothing since this a prior doctor had denied the prescription, but after explaining everything to him, the doctor agreed that Viagra could help me during the process. Two weeks later after going to a wedding with her, we were able to have sex, twice! That was my first “O” in over 10 weeks.
I think there were positives and negatives of using Viagra. It helped me psychologically, but it also caused dependency. When I took it, I could perform. When I didn’t, MOST of the time I couldn’t get it up. I began to wean myself down to half a pill, and then a fourth. Slowly, I was able to gain more confidence. This, coupled with the fact that I had not watched porn since that early July day, continued to help me, I believe (I did masturbate on occasion and still do). My last instance of “not getting it up” must have been February 2013.
During that time, I would say almost all of the time I could get erect, and very sparingly did I ever go soft. Since that February, I have not had ONE occasion where I cannot get it up. Age 24 – ED cured, 5 Viagras helped with transition
During recovery I’d 100% recommended cialis to build confidence, I had 30 pills and still have over 20 left, I doubt I’ll ever use them.
Two full reboots where guys used cialis, then tapered the dose:
- Age 26 – from sitting alone at home to satisfying and fulfilling sex life with girlfriend (ED)
- Essentially Cured!!! My Methods, Results, and Conclusions
While you’re rebooting, if Viagra and Cialis don’t do much for you, don’t worry. They aren’t working on the part of your brain that governs sexual arousal…the part that needs time to heal. Here are comments from some guys with severe cases of porn-related erectile dysfunction who had this experience:
Right there with ya man..doctor prescribed cialis about 2 years ago to “get me back on the horse”. Long story short, I became dependent on it and performance anxiety has overridden its effects…all the while, porn was the only thing that got it up. So I’m quitting too, as terrifying as it is…I believe it will be beneficial in the long run to swear off PMO to combat both ED and performance anx…but it will take time.
I never see this talked about anywhere but sex when using ED drugs SUCK. Yes, they do work in helping you keep your erection but the side effects for me was terrible. First and foremost your orgasms become lackluster and difficult. But if you’re on them long enough (and mentally addict yourself because you have anxiety over not using them) you completely forget how good it used to be. It also gave me insomnia damn near every time.
The good news is I’m completely off them now. OH MY GOD I forgot how great and mind blowing sex can be. I’m sure stopping PMO has been a factor as well but it has created this amazing trifecta of not needing ED drugs, craving to be intimate with my wife and mind blowing out of this world sex. 3 Month report from a healthy middle aged (48) twice married guy
I took Viagra and Cialis for years because of my porn induced ED. To say that after a while, they made things much worse is an understatement. Stay away from the pills if you want true healing.
Day 45, and I can say this – I am extremely happy with my progress. Some background on my story: Have been married for 5 years – trust me I have had ED issues for 3.5 years, YES in a relation with ED for 3.5 years. I don’t think we ever made love in these 3.5 years. Relocated to a new country and my family doc suggested Viagara and I was so disappointed with myself that even this did not work. I continued to get an erection while watching porn, but not an inch when it came to making love. How hard it can be for my partner, but she was super understanding.
While browsing stuff I started reading a lot about nofap and its benefits and wanted to give it a shot. Did have a 30-day streak in June 2017, amazing feel but got back into the same vicious cycle. This is my second streak which started on 1st December. Results are amazing:
– Strong erections, able to hold them for quiet long – Age 30 – Married 5 years: ED for 3.5 years (couldn’t make love even w/Viagra). PIED is now cured.
I’ve only started nofap because when I first tried to have sex with my girlfriend, my penis wouldn’t get erect. I thought it was only performance anxiety, but… So, tried to have sex 3 more times, no erection. Third time, with a 50mg dose of viagra, semi hard erection while having sex, couldn’t penetrate.
Pathetic, I thought to myself. I hadn’t thought about it before the first time i tried sex, but when I gave it a thought, I realized that my erections while watching porn were softer, sometimes i would even ejaculate/orgasm with a semi hard erection thinking no problem. AND THAT THAT SEMI HARD STATE WAS GOING ON FOR A FUCKING WHILE!!!!
Googled a bit to find nofap, said why not. My first streak waz 17 days, no results whatsoever for PIED (stands for Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction). Was still having problems, was losing hope, but was desperate enough to keep on trying. I’m on my second streak now, the results are in:
- Morning wood: ROCK HARD ERECTION MOST MORNINGS
- Random public erections: ROCK HARD!
- Cuddling with gf: ROCK HARD ERECTIONS
- Sex with gf: ROCK ROCK ROCK ROCK HARD WITHOUT THE VIAGRA! I’M SO HAPPY FINALLY!
Guys, it worked for me, nofap cured my PIED. I’m only 22. – Age 22 – Even Viagra didn’t work, but I’m finally cured of PIED
It wasn’t long before I realized I had a problem, and the solution was incredibly obvious. I had to take erection pills. In all honesty however, they worked like a goddamn charm. You see, they don’t cause an erection, but they help you in achieving one. Once it’s there, you’ll be harder than you’ve ever been before, and it will last as long as you want it to. Amazing. So there began my expensive journey on the reliance of erection pills.
Honestly, I wasn’t that bad, but every time I swallowed one, I swallowed a bit of my pride. Not to mention the fact that my heart was never truly in it while we were having sex. I was hard, but still not very aroused and it made me feel so detached. When I no longer had to think about porn in order to stay erect, I began to think about nothing at all… Sex wasn’t fun, it was A month ago I relied on erection pills and porn in order to perform. Now I feel unstoppablework and I began to dislike it.
So, last night I went out to the club and end up with a hot girl going to my place. I didn’t want to take anyone home but I was drunk, so there was no thinking involved into this. Then, after all I had viagra with me, so what’s the worst that could happen? So I thought. I end up in a bed with a really hot girl AND I had taken one pill of viagra, about one hour before (still in the club).
It was tough to get it up but I got it semi-erect eventually. It went back to no-erection state immediately afterward. I was very upset so I took 2 more viagra pills. Within the next hour I could again get a semi-erection but again it went down to no-erection state very soon. OMG, it was embarrasing. I was drunk so it’s hard to remember the details. But, for sure the pills didn’t work.
I too found Viagra didn’t really work. Though it helped a little, it is no use unless you can get the blood down there in the first place, which is impossible unless the mind is willing to talk correctly to the penis.
You really do feel like sh!t when even Viagra doesn’t get you hard..tried Levitra, Cialis too… I know this rebooting is the answer.
I am 26 years old and used to masturbate daily watching porn. 15 days back I was not ale to get an erection. I went to the doctor for help. He gave me a cialis 20 mg. With cialis I had a hard-on. Happy, I started watching porn again but didn’t masturbate. Yesterday, the same thing happened (no erection) and I had no sensation in my penis.I took Cialis once again, but to my distress it didn’t work at all: just a little bit of movement and I was limp. This time, I’m giving up porn and masturbation.
Forget the viagra…I tried that and cialis for months and it didn’t help at all. I would notice a lot more blood flowing down there but it didn’t help my mind whatsoever. In fact, I think it did more damage to me mentally because I would think, “fk if viagra won’t even work then there really is no hope for me!” It just made me more depressed. We’re not dealing with a physical problem here; it’s your brain that needs repair from the all desensitizing the porn has caused over the years.
One of the biggest signs that my brain was screwed up was when the ED pills stopped working. I was in bed with a hot little 23-year old. It’s bad enough I needed a pill to begin with but when it didnt work, I was like WTF is going on. For those that don’t know, Cialis works only when you become aroused. So I asked myself, why in god’s name is a 23 year old, 4ft 11, blonde haired, dance instructor not turning me on?
So between that happening in January and the episode around Easter, I was done. Went had my testosterone checked and I was fine. So I googled my symptoms and BAM!!, here I am. I even recently made an appointment with my psychiatrist to tell her I figured it all out and that she was fired. Lol. The sad part is that she was not aware of this addiction and I actually taught her something.
In my experience, viagra and cialis never worked for me. Because of my porn addiction I wasn’t turned on with a real woman.
I’ve been looking at Internet pornography since I began college 13 years ago. Around age 24, I noticed difficulty getting aroused with real women. Generic Viagra off the Internet allowed me to have real relationships with few problems until the age of 29. Then, it became increasingly difficult to have real sex, even with the pills. Realizing my problem, I tried several times to give up porn. The longest I lasted without it was 3 weeks. During this time, I could not get aroused thinking about normal sex, so the frustration built. My only escape was to fall back into the only thing that would arouse me: fantasizing about fetishes I developed when watching porn. Then it was back to porn. I need to be cured of this.
Viagra makes you hard. But, really, I don’t enjoy it at all because it numbs everything and it’s hard to cum. Besides if you can’t do it naturally it’s BS. As was written in the Great Gatsby, “I am five years too old to lie and call it honour.”
My ED is definetly porn related b/c even the erection pills such as Cialis, and generic Cialis do little but sometimes help enough to penetrate or get an erection. But, NEVER is the feeling good.. b/c I still don’t feel anything. I’ve lost most, if not all my sensitivity. I’m hoping this rebooting does not take more than a few months of no PMO, but I’ll do whatever it takes!
When I first had sex in my early 20’s it was not good at all – I had severe ED – and that stayed with me until I discovered Viagra, which allowed me to have successful sex until earlier this year. Then even that stopped working. I noticed that my porn use had escalated quite a bit. Never had morning wood or spontaneous erections but with porn and maunual stimulation I could still get rock hard.
Viagra worked for me until it didn’t – I got probably 6 or 7 years of fully functional and stress free sex out of it. I had 100% copulatory ED without it, but never a problem with erections to porn (I couldn’t get aroused without porn – so ED with just masturbation as well). Then a few months ago even it stopped working. I think this was just the natural progression of my porn induced ED, as my porn use had been escalating throughout that entire 6 or 7 year period.
(Age 19) So due to [a bad] experience, I started using viagra thinking that would help alleviate my impotence and it did. I was having strong erections and was having sex with one older lady for about 6 or 7 times, each session she orgasmed probably at least 4 times no lie!! I felt like I had redeemed myself and that I was the MAN although for whatever reason I would still lose my rock hard erections after I put the condom on and I know for a fact that this time I was not nervous so what gives?
Anyhow after several months of being on top of the world that came crashing down when I went to __ and took the same viagra pills because I was supposed to have sex with a long time female friend in a hotel. But to my amazement, this time I couldn’t get it up even with the viagra … like I literally felt comfortable lying on the bed with her and got a half erection but that’s as far as it would go.
I watch so much porn, it’s sickening and has taken over my life for a LONG time. I found out that I can’t have sex easily, or if at all. Now I must use Cialis or a generic form of the drug, and even that isn’t working that well, if at all. I eventually lost all sensitivity, and even when I was able to have intercourse, I felt nothing. So, I’m able to last a LONG time if I’m able to get it up, which is rare.
I thought I could fix my problem chemically. Caffeine and alcohol became sex tools for me, and when that didn’t work, I moved onto erectile disfunction drugs. I did not inform my girlfriend about this. The erectile disfunction drugs had an awful effect on me. They gave me headaches and lots of strange physical problems. But I was dedicated to making this work. The ED drugs did not work.
I never had a problem getting hard for PMO but when it came to the real thing, it was always good to get a bit of a boost. So I started taking Cialis. Over time, the dosage for C started to increase for the same effect, and even then there were times when it would only partly work. WTH? Towards the end, without C, the chance of success was near zero, yet I could still get hard to PMO.
I didn’t know I was an addict until I found this site. My thoughts were like any other guy’s: Too much is never enough! But when I couldn’t have sex three times in a row (after having the same problem with a previous partner), I went to the doctor and got prescibed viagra and some other pills. Finally, I thought, now I’m going to get it done! I took one pill, and started “going” for it. It worked, yes!! Finally!! But, I didn’t “enjoy” it and didn’t cum. I had to start thinking about porn to climax.
I am right there with you guys. Now, I always thought to myself how unbelievable ridiculous it was for me to have to take these pills, yet alone ask my doctor for them at my age!
Yes, they are expensive, and yes they don’t do much in terms of help with maintaining ROCK solid erections, or help me achieve orgasm any easier. Usually for me to orgasm I have to slam a girl so hard while thinking about depraved things. The death grip from masturbation has REALLY burned me there.
I AM SO DONE WITH ALL OF THIS. I cannot wait to cleanse my mind and body of all of this toxicity. No more pills, no more porn, no more lies.
The ED has gotten worse. I can no longer perform without pills like Levitra, Viagra, or Cialis (not that I’ve ever been able to ‘perform’ before). During sex, I can only O with my eyes closed, fantasizing about P videos. My first thought upon insertion is, “I don’t really feel anything.” Then I lose my erection.
I spiraled into PMO multiple times a day. In the next few years, I had a few relationships, but I found myself avoiding girls I was attracted to because I knew I would have performance issues. I ended up dating girls I was not very attracted to, tended to avoid intimacy, and really did not treat these girls with the respect and care they deserved. At about 26, after a fairly significant health issue, I did an about face and decided to drop that weight, get into the gym, start running, eat better and be healthier.
As a result my PMO dropped off slightly because I had less time on my hands, but I was still right there at the computer desk at least once every other day or few days. I even briefly saw some ED improvements, but even when I was getting back to where I wanted to be body-wise I was still having issues and I began to think I was having more of an organic issue with my equipment downstairs. So I talked to my doctor after some serious talking myself up and swallowing my pride.
I tried Viagra and it only helped a little bit. But after I quit porn/masturbation, almost immediately I started feeling better. Call it placebo, call it what you will, but I almost immediately felt better. I went the week and something started happening, my old confidence came back, I started taking the bull by the horns at work, I was motivated, I started cleaning and organizing my house, exercising increased and my mood went up every day. Now I feel like I’m getting my mojo back.
I am tall, fairly good looking, athletic, and have a pretty hot girlfriend. However, my favorite passtime since I was 12 years old has been to fap. I have had ED issues for over the last 5 years and I have always thought it had to do with porn and masturbation. For the last 4 years I have been taking viagra/cialis (at times that didn’t even work) and I really thought it was strange that I was that young (age 32) taking ED pills.
I took zinc, ginkgo, and l-arginine in the past. I started as soon as I freaked out about this problem in early November last year. It’s now end of May. I took them for a couple of months and discontinued them in February, about 3 months ago. I don’t think those helped. And I have read about people taking enormous doses of l-arginine right before sex. In theory the product is supposed to be harmless. I have never taken such doses, I just did whatever the recommendation written on the bottle said.
I currently take fish oil, which I hear is healthy for the overall functioning of your body and for your wellbeing. But I have never taken viagra or cialis and never want to take these. I wouldn’t recommend these. They mask the problem temporarily and don’t solve it. I think that many, and possibly all, of the supplements advertised as sex enhancers are BS, and I’m sure that they somehow actually have negative effects on the body.Eat healthy, maintain your body in good shape, and don’t worry about supplements. The rest should follow naturally. Read his account of his full recovery
This 30-year old ex-military guy couldn’t bear to wait. So he started sex with a partner during his reboot from porn. Here’s his report:
1. Not Ping or Ming has caused me—and this is without a doubt—to not be as much as a recluse as Ive been. During my nightly routine of winding down and watching some TV, I actually yearn for other people to hang out with. This is a large divergence from my “normal” behavior, and quite frankly its a welcome one.
2. My recovery has been going slow because Ive met someone new and I’m trying to keep her happy. WITH the aid of levitra, our sex is fantastic. I understand this isn’t ideal, but it’s what I’m trying. I’m using 10mg levitra when I want to be superman, and 5mg when I’m willing to roll the dice. Taking an hour before on an empty stomach increases effectiveness drastically.
3. Recovery, is in fact, happening. Sex is already feeling twice as good as it has been as my body recovers. Its so funny how the decline is so gradual that you don’t notice that sex has lost the whole WTF JUST HAPPENED? feeling anymore and you don’t even realize it. It’s back.
4. Again, Id like to express gratitude to the creators of this project, and all the other men seeking help. Keep on truckin guys.
At 26 I got into a new relationship (which didn’t last very long). When it got to the point of actually having sex with the girl I could not make myself hard. I was excited and everything. And was actually hard when we touched but somehow got soft when it came to the penetration. Though the lady told me it was okay and I should not worry I was really depressed. I was embarrassed and depressed. I thought that because I hadn’t had sex for 2 years I had developed some kind of ED.
This problem was really bugging me and I decided to make my goal of fixing it. I went to the doctor and all the analysis came out negative. My prostate gland was normal. My heart was all right. Well in short everything was all right physically. So finally figured that the problem was psychological. Now, I can clearly formulate the main points of my problem.
1) Watching porn shifts your expectations of a sexual intercourse. That is, if you watch porn too much you kind of train your brain to get excited from visual images of somebody else having sex. And when you have sex with a live person your body and brain are not used to this new kind of sexual act. There are very weak action patterns in your brain, which makes you focus and concentrate on what you are doing and lose the spontaneous impulse. Your brain made the connection between watching a porn movie and pleasure. But the connection between sex with a live person and pleasure is weak.
2) While watching porn the viewer is usually passive. You usually watch porn while seated (sometimes lying or whatever). There is little body movement during the masturbation. Again, your body and brain record this behavior. So after some time your body learns that sexual act is associated with fairly low muscle stress. Little blood flow is needed. But sex often is quite a workout and requires a lot of movement and as a result higher blood pressure. You have to put on condom, which is a killer for many people. Again, this makes you concentrate too much and you can lose your wood.
3) Porn can add to the performance anxiety. You start being afraid that you may not reach the qualities of some other guys. Now, thinking back about this makes me smile. How to solve this problem? You need to break the neural connection between porn and pleasure. You need to create a new one between sex with a live person and pleasure. The only way to do it is to stop watching porn and to have sex regularly.
Given that you are healthy in general, after some time your body will create a new neural network. In my case I went so far as dating new girls on a regular basis just to have sex with them (not calling on you to do the same, but there are many social networks online where you can meet interested parties. Tons of beautiful horny ladies there and very often it’s no strings attached).
At first I was using kamagra gel (a generic of viagra which is much cheaper and easily available online). After several months I didn’t need it. My body created new neural patterns. As soon as I saw the girl taking off any piece of her clothes I was getting excited immediately. Now, as soon as I am putting on a condom I am getting really hard because my brain associates penetration with pleasure.
I have lost any sense of anxiety what-so-ever. I see a girl I like naked and I want to screw her no matter what. Everything else can go to hell. And this is the way it should be.So to sum it up guys. There are absolutely no reasons to believe you have ED problems unless you have major health problems or you are over 50. It’s all a matter of wiring.
And don’t take any failures to heart. It’s a road to self-destruction. Your body might just not be used to sex with a girl because over the years you trained it to watch porn and jerk off. The majority of the girls are understanding (if she is not there are more reasons to say goodbye to her). Just work on changing this pattern and it will all gradually come naturally.
(Age 50) Suddenly around 7 years ago got ED big time. It was like an off switch. Wouldn’t even work for my fav P! Went to the doc with the GF at that time in tow who knew nothing about the PMO and all tests were fine. Slightly low T but that wouldn’t cause the complete lack of life down there. Got Cialis prescribed and I was back in business with the GFs and PMOing daily for another 7 years!
A little over a month ago the Cialis would sometimes no longer work with the GF. And that’s when I did an internet search on “Porn ED”. Holy crap was I surprised at what I was reading. I figured what can I lose and immediately stopped the PMO with only one M in the shower without an erection the first week and one the second week but still with no erection at all. After that it was dead down there for the rest of the 30 days. Flatline I guess. I just happen to be between GFs so it is perfect timing.
I hung in there for the rest of the 30 or so days. And then it happened, I had my first wet dream ever! Morning wood only once or twice now. This freakin works! I can’t wait until I get my next GF! So in a nutshell about a month with almost no PMO and I’m seeing major progress.
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