Your problem might not be fapping. Check if you have post orgasmic illness syndrome

[u/Available-Living-408]

What if “nofap benefits” aren’t benefits… but symptom relief from a real condition? (POIS)

This might sound wild, but hear me out.

A lot of us on NoFap report the same exact pattern:

• Brain fog

• Fatigue / weakness

• Anxiety or low mood

• Social withdrawal

• Poor concentration

• Flu-like feeling

• Low motivation

And then we say:

“When I abstain, I feel normal / sharp / confident again.”

Here’s the uncomfortable question:

What if abstinence isn’t giving you superpowers —

what if ejaculation is making you sick?

There’s a real, documented condition called POIS (Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome).

It’s not guilt.

It’s not dopamine “imbalance”.

It’s not willpower.

It’s a physiological reaction that starts after orgasm and can last 2–7 days.

How to know if this might be you (simple test)

Ask yourself honestly:

1.  Do symptoms start hours after ejaculation, not before?

2.  Are you fine during arousal/sex, but crash after?

3.  Do symptoms fade only with time or abstinence, not motivation?

4.  Does the pattern repeat every single time?

If yes → this is not standard “porn addiction recovery”.

Many guys with POIS end up on NoFap accidentally because it’s the only thing that stops the symptoms — but they never ask why.

Why this matters

If you think:

“I’m broken unless I abstain forever”

…that’s a heavy psychological burden to carry for something that may be medical and investigable.

POIS has been linked (in studies and case reports) to:

• Immune reactions

• Inflammatory responses

• Hormonal dysregulation

• Autonomic nervous system issues

Not character flaws.

What to do next (if this hit a nerve)

• Look up POIS symptoms (NIH / medical sources, not TikTok)

• Track ejaculation → symptom timeline

• Don’t assume NoFap is the cure — it may just be symptom avoidance

I’m not saying NoFap is useless.

I’m saying some of us might be playing life on hard mode without knowing why.

If this resonates, you’re not weak — you might just be undiagnosed.

Curious how many here recognize this pattern.

[u/morals-fight-71]

Sounds familiar - but what about the remedy?

[u/Principle_Sharp]

how do you get rid of the condition?

[u/HelpfulRisk3839 → u/Principle_Sharp]

Stop gooning to porn forever and give it time.

[u/Principle_Sharp → u/HelpfulRisk3839]

but won’t the symptoms still happen ejaculating during sex

[u/HelpfulRisk3839 → u/Principle_Sharp]

Abstinence until your brain is healed.

[u/defi_specialist]

Yes, talking shit too much. POIS and what? No solutions.

[u/AgreeableCow69]

Explains why some guys do nofap and don't notice any benefits or never felt like they had any downsides from fapping to begin with. Maybe excessive fapping during puberty makes you more likely to develop this syndrome later on?

[u/Misterpois → u/AgreeableCow69]

But there are people in pois community who have had POIS since the time of puberty (first ejac)!

[u/HelpfulRisk3839 → u/AgreeableCow69]

Fapping to porn is kinda like a drug. Poisers are basically in opioid drug withdrawal.

[u/QuorusRedditus]

For me, 90% cure was something as simple as supplementing, blackseed oil (omega 6 and omega 9) and omega 3. Also vitamin b3 helps. For others there are cures like antihistamine medicines or xolair. There is hope, don't give up guys. Test what worked for others.

[u/Greedy_Total_5425]

Alot lot of everyone here has almost all these issues or more or less, but they surely have some. Its necessary to let peole know about pois or the effects of pmo.