UCPPS - Prostatitis, Interstitial Cystitis Forum

I know that a lot of the problem lies in one's mind. After a visit to a PT my erections started to improve slightly. Also, after doing therapy involving strengthening my abs and midsection, a lot of the "ghost pains" in my urethra have gone away which gives me a little hope. I'm only 23 years old so ED is a particularly stressing thing to me. I'd like to hear other people's stories of progress made, in getting their libido/stronger erections/sensation back. I'm about to go on Elavil so I'm thinking that may help a bit. Is there any hope for improvement in this area? What effects do internal trigger point/myofascial release have on strengthening sex drive/erections? How about SSRI's? If I could just get my sex drive back, I could put up with any other symptoms that are thrown at me. I'm sure a lot of the people on this board feel the same way.

Elavil won't necessarily help getting erections stronger, and since it can lead (in a few men) gynecomastia (breast swelling) and impotence as well as decreased libido, it would probably be more likely to have a bad effect, if any, in this regard. The same comments can be made about SSRIs, which are notorious erection-killers.

Trigger pt release is your best bet.

Did you have these symptoms and get better through TP release? Also, is there any chance of nerves being damaged from clenching up my pelvic muscles all the time?

Also have another question...

If Pelvic Pain/Clenching has little to do with the prostate, than why do people use Quercetin? Would that possibly help with sex drive issue?

Rocker1984 wrote:Did you have these symptoms and get better through TP release?

I am not referring to my personal case, but to many others I have read about.

Also, is there any chance of nerves being damaged from clenching up my pelvic muscles all the time?

Yes, you can damage nerves like this. Similarly, you can damage nerves with RSI. They will recover to a great extent, but are never "like new" again. Such is life, I'm afraid. :sad:

If Pelvic Pain/Clenching has little to do with the prostate, than why do people use Quercetin? Would that possibly help with sex drive issue?

Please study this page where your question is answered:
https://ucpps.men/chronic-prostatitis-is-a-psychoneuromuscular-condition

I'm on my 3rd PT visit. She's been massaging external and internal trigger points and doing biofeedback. It seems like some of my symptoms have switched around. I have more pain now in my perineum than I did before, but my erections seem to be getting stronger, though my sex drive is still way down....and I experiance more achiness after masturbating and in general. Hopefully this is part of the whole one step forward two steps back thing.

Hey Rocker,

Trigger point release and stretching will be very beneficial for you, since both will help blood flow to the pelvis.

I've been taking a supplement called Cernilton (or "Pollen Aid" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DUEXS ) as well as Quercetin capsules twice a day. When you're attacking the problem from so many angles, it's hard to tell what's effective and what's not, but my general discomfort in my pelvis has gotten steadily better and the quality of my erections and sex drive have improved. Cernilton supposedly has a positive effect on your sex drive in addition to working as an anti-inflammatory. Worth investigating.

Best of luck.

You guys think that Saw Palmetto and Quercetin would have any interaction?

Considering both are in Quercetin, which is endorsed on this forum, I doubt it. Saw Palmetto makes me break out personally and I know the amount in any accredited quercetin product in small, but those are my two cents.

I would advise against using Saw palmetto (or other DHT blockers) if you have erection and libido issues. Blocking DHT is good if you have BPH, but if you don't believe the prostate itself is responsible for your pain, then I don't see it's value. Google search saw palmetto+dht+libido.

Erectile dysfunction has not been commonly reported among patients taking saw palmetto. It has been reported in 1.1% of men taking saw palmetto, 0.7% of men taking placebo, and 4.9% of men taking finasteride.

http://www.medicinenet.com/saw_palmetto/page2.htm

I don't see how the potential benefits of SP outweigh the potential side effects, and I don't see how it would improve sexual function either.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/saw-pa ... awpalmetto

I'm starting to see some pattern with my pain/erection situation. I'll get these episodes where I'll get rock hard erections and increased libido for 5-7 days but the pain and pressure increases a lot...than it will suddenly go back to normal. Is there any explanation for this? The only thing I can think of is that blood is somehow rushing to places it hasn't been in awhile to do clenching.

Something weird is going on where a lot of my symptoms seem to be shifting. I have increased overall pain and pressure in my back...balls...penis...bladder etc. BUT my sex drive has improved a ton, and I've been getting hard erections now for over a week....the longest period of time this has ever happened....even had morning wood a couple days this week which was cool...but painful. My penis, while before it had almost retracted into me like a turtle, is now flaccid and normal size instead of being all shrunken up. I can feel that there's a certain level of blood in there, almost like it's swollen but not quite. Been masturbated probably way too frequently (once a day) since I'm so excited to have the erections back. My PT told me there are ways to calm the swollen penis and balls feeling afterwards, by pressing and massaging some of the "taint" muscles between the anus and the scrotum....that helps temporarily but the pain is still pronounced later in the day, and sometimes becomes almost unbearable. She said that if I massage out the muscle tension after each ejac episode, eventually they will be at a more permanent relaxed state and I won't have to do it as much.

Are these symptoms a mark of progress or a step backward?

My intuition tells me that somehow I got more relaxed and that all this new blood is rushing down there possibly regenerating cells/nerves etc. and I'm not used to the feeling. At least that's what I hope is going on

You seem to be having a typical response to therapy, which is a temporary increase in pain but a relief in other respects, in your case the sexual aspects.

Having more therapy (even more often, if you can) will take you to a new level.

Hey Rocker.

I can tell you first hand you will get much better in this department with work and effort. It is absolutely a muscle issue and for me is related to the rectal sphincters and rectal wall directly. I suffered with these issues due to trigger points and tightness in the pelvic floor. As I have massaged out the area over the last year and a half I have seen direct results from manipulating these muscles. If I flare them up for instance I'm in the can for 5 days or so and if I released them I'm back in the game as though very little was wrong. I've had all combinations of symptoms in between from working on all these muscles. Each is related to a different sensation center in the pelvic floor all coming together to create proper function. A lot of men avoid this issue on the board somewhat but I can tell you from personal experience that they are directly related in a major way. The thing I had to do to start seeing real effects from massage was to begin to do my own internal work using a tool and I also had to learn how to begin releasing rectal muscles that are much deeper in then your PT will be able to go. Once you begin working the area yourself you will see what I mean and you will begin to see improvement. My PT had worked out most of my lower muscles and It was out of frustration in seeing less results that I took matters into my own hands (pun intended) and began to explore and release muscles much deeper in. This and relaxing about the issue is the only way to help yourself. You will be in for a rocky but rewarding ride but perseverance will get you through.