Sound familiar?

[Guest]

https://www.nofap.com/forum/index.php?threads/anybody-here-with-visual-snow-symptoms.20444/

"Wow I belong on this thread. I had no idea what a panic attack was or really what anxiety was until the height of my PMO addiction (edging for 5-8 hours almost everyday). Then one day in an instant I lost the vision in my right eye (my first migraine with visual aura) and simultaneously had a panic attack with extreme derealization. It was the scariest shit ever! I was at work and I got in my car to drive home. I called my wife and was trying to explain what was going on and I couldn't even talk. I couldn't figure out when to stop and when to go at the traffic lights. It felt like there was something in my brain that "snapped". From that day on, for about a year, I had absolutely the worst anxiety - unimaginable - a serious living hell. I would get awful visual snow during panic attacks. My hair started falling out. My eyes become absurdly sensitive to light and I had to wear sunglasses during the day at my office. I had derealization but not every moment of every day - it would just come and go at unpredictable times - in stores and in face-to-face conversations were the worst. I went to the ER thinking I had brain cancer or aneurysm. They did brain scan and nothing. Doctor prescribed me therapy visits. That's when I started to learn about depression and anxiety and how thoughts affect emotions. I was still PMOing but knew that was at least a big part of the problem.

Someone else in this thread mentioned feeling like explosions of air or electrical buzz was happening in their brain. Yes!! Sometimes it was like there was a perfume bottle in my brain and someone was spritzing it. There would be "shifts" between areas of the brain that were buzzing.

Ok so here's the deal: I have not masturbated or watched porn for almost 6 months - since August 17. I don't have panic attacks, I don't have depression or anxiety (there are occasional "flatlines" with depression/anxiety and that last about a week or so each time), I don't have visual snow, my hair grew back, I don't have any episodes with derealization, etc.... I'd say it took about 6 good weeks for symptoms to really clear up pretty good, then another 2 months or so before they were almost non-existent.

Keep in mind that I've applied myself 100% toward reboot. For me reboot is bigger than just quitting porn and masturbation. It's about getting into proper, healthy shape mentally and emotionally. I take reboot very seriously. You can read my journal for a report of the progression of my reboot. Unfortunately, I didn't sign up for the NoFap sight until day 69 of my reboot, so there's no journal of the first 68 days.

I have absolutely no doubt that quitting PMO is what made the difference for me. I hope you do whatever it takes to quit and find out for yourself. It's not easy but it's actually much harder to live with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, shame, derealization, etc.... I'm pulling for you!!"

[K.B.Fante]

Never had a huge problem with this myself but I do know that anything in excess is bad and that too much of this can also mess people up emotionally, especially when young. 

[Fawkinchit]

Damn his symptoms sound exactly what I went through. The anxiety was so bad I remember looking down at the shower floor and there was hair everywhere. Freaked me out.

[Guest]

On 3/2/2018 at 8:26 PM, dasitmane said:

Damn his symptoms sound exactly what I went through. The anxiety was so bad I remember looking down at the shower floor and there was hair everywhere. Freaked me out.

Right, but he didn't get that from drugs, as far as we know. He got it from jerking off.

"It" was a severe case of panic and anxiety that didn't stop until he stopped overstimulating his nervous system.

[Fawkinchit]

On 4/3/2018 at 1:44 PM, TheMythos said:

Right, but he didn't get that from drugs, as far as we know. He got it from jerking off.

"It" was a severe case of panic and anxiety that didn't stop until he stopped overstimulating his nervous system.

Presumably. But I hardly doubt it.

[Guest]

Everybody's worst symptoms here are anxiety/dpdr related. Mine, yours, K.B.'s, Jay' s. The only one who doesn't seem to have severe anxiety is @MadDoc but he used to. The guy dosed for 6 years and he's doing alright.