Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Any other sexual dysfunctions not properly addressed by medical science.
Moloch
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Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by Moloch »

Justin on Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:12 am

I figured I'd write about this one. One of the symptoms of my PSSD seems to be soft glans syndrome which you can read about here: http://www.sexualmed.org/index.cfm/sexu ... /overview/

I think mine was caused by SSRIs, but it can have other causes as well such as a venous leak or other unknown causes. There aren't any effective permanent cures that I know of except for a single individual who has the following forum who went to a foreign doctor: http://www.ed-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=24

This is another condition that is poorly understood that I think is worth posting about. Does anyone else have these symptoms as a result of post ssri sexual dysfunction?
Moloch
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by Moloch »

Sonny on Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:37 am

Actually sometimes when I am having erection problems, I will have something like this happen. It's occasional though.
Moloch
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by Moloch »

Justin on Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:55 am

Sonny wrote:
Actually sometimes when I am having erection problems, I will have something like this happen. It's occasional though.


Interesting. I have heard some people with PSSD mention it. God I wish I could recover.
OCDemon
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by OCDemon »

It's hard to say how severe mine is. Is your glans completely soft when erect or partially? I remember my glans being much harder when erect, and looking different. It seems partially engorged these days, nowhere near as hard as it used to be. I also remember previously, when I would ejaculate, the glans would become so engorged it would look shiny. I am completely circumcised by the way. I've noticed since PSSD it has never looked like that since. Combined with less satisfying orgasms and going flaccid in the middle of ejaculating, the glans no longer seems to fully engorge like it used to.

Sometimes it functions better than others, but for the most part, it feels much, much softer than it used to when erect. And definitely does not look as big as it used to, which would also imply less blood flow.
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by Thomas »

The urologist I saw said it is a consequence of bad erection quality and prescribed Ciallis
Escitalopram, 10mg/day, Jan-May 2019. Fluoxetine, May-Sept 2019. Mirtazapine 7,5mg/day, November 2019-January 2020. Escitalopram, 5mg/day, Feb-May 2020.
Symptoms: sexual & emotional numbness
B>b4
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by B>b4 »

I have it too. For me, it definitely started with pssd. It’s pretty weird because if I get erect, my glans will not fill at all. Taking V does seem to help, but I always try to take the minimum necessary (about 12mg), and at that dosage sometimes the glans still does not fill. If I take a full V then the glans is full but I find the side effects (headache, running nose, flush skin) are too severe.

I have noticed lately that when I wake with mw, occasionally my glands will be a little bit fuller. I’m not really sure why but it is encouraging that perhaps it is getting better. Or at least had the potential to.
6-Eggs!
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by 6-Eggs! »

I did a bit of research on this. It's hard to find detailed info on how an erection works but I found there is a few things that need to happen for making an erection, one for the corpus cavernosum is the contriction of blood vesicles via nerves directly the other is contractions of 2 groups of muscles for the corpus spongiosum which are controlled by other nerves.

The corpus cavernosum is inflated to about 100 mbar while the corpus spongiosum is inflated to about 20-30 mbar.

So it seems it's something to do with muscular contraction that doesn't happen or happen properly despite having normal shaft erection which are separate nerves.

I have this issue after coming off Rexulti which is an AP, I also had very severe glans numbness from November and only recently and suddenly recovered about 85-95% of the sensation there.

From this article I found:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351051/

To quote "
The innervation of the penis is both autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) and somatic (sensory and motor). From the neurons in the spinal cord and peripheral ganglia, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves merge to form the cavernous nerves, which enter the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum to affect the neurovascular events during erection and detumescence. The somatic nerves are primarily responsible for sensation and the contraction of the bulbocavernosus and ischiocavernosus muscles."

So the fact I lost sensation in the glans and at the worse some of the shaft as well suggests that the nerve pathways for the somatic nerves there are effected.

I have had decent recovery (although up and down , no pun) in the glans erections I have also had a dramatic improvement in sensation. Shaft has been 100% for several weeks and the glans had a huge sensation improvement in the last 2-3 weeks following a bad crash, following steady state at 50% for about 2 months.


For a while now I have had some conscious control over the glans erections. Often when the erection starts the glans erects pretty much normal and also if I think sexually in a certain way, like imagining my penis fully hard the glans responds by getting a decent erect state (maybe 60-70%?)

But as soon as my shaft fully erects and no longer needs mental input to stay erect the glans drops out mostly but still inflated, otherwise soft until I do my mental gymnastics.

I had the same mental conscious control over my hands sweating when they started to work again (wasn't able to sweat my hands for feet for months) Now it's 95% automatic. I was also unable to walk or use my hands, swallow or breath properly for a good while over December, Xmas and Jan. Or go to the toilet for that fact (retention).
Not sure if it's the same with SSRIs but in my case, Rexulti an AP caused functional brain issues where motor and sensory pathways where disconnected/blocked upon discontinuation.
Henrik
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by Henrik »

I think its pretty normal if you have ED, have u tried alprostadil gel or pellets, i heard u can use gel and viagra together to eliminate soft glans, i used the gel tip of the penis gets hard but erection doesnt get very hard, but when combined it works very well.
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by 6-Eggs! »

I do use viagra occasionally but find it doesn't make a difference for the glans. Most times my shaft is rock hard anyway to the point I can't even flex or bend it without pain but my glans, although filled is still quite soft.

I find I have 2 types of erections depending how my mind gets aroused. If I consciously try to get aroused I generally have some varying level of control over how the hard the glans gets, in this situation the shaft is a bit less concrete hard and can go down easier if I stop focusing on being aroused but the glans can be pretty good. A few times I have managed to have a full normal erection. Last night I practiced for a while and got my best one yet, pre PAPSD and pre AP side effect quality erection. It took some mental searching to get that to happen though. hard to explain but I needed to find a particular thought and feeling to get the glans going and kept at it to maintain it.

The other type is when I become spontaneously aroused without mental input, etc... morning wood or just random/visual stimulation without intention to get aroused. This results in a very hard shaft but soft glans. Seems there is some disconnect in my brain between automatic and conscious intent. But with AP withdrawal your brain gets pretty messed up and communication breaks down/wires get crossed.

I remember during sexual function recovery after having depression induce it (not med induced), where I had mostly recovered I still had slight trouble with shaft and glans but slightly more the glans iirc. It was more the size but was still plenty firm enough. But wasn't anywhere this bad. ED back then, even the worst part of my depression the glans and shaft were in sync.

I did read on another article on erection physiology and that did mention that there is a motor neurovascular mechanism for the corpus spongiosum too. I suspect people here have that pathway interrupted in their brain from these drugs. It's also the same nerves that carry the glans sensory info and in my case the glans was basically totally numb for a few months before recently making a good but not total recovery(varying from 70-95%). I do recall early Jan I had few day windows of sensory recovery that coincided with some glans erection recovery but they kept relapsing until it hit steady state recovery but the glans erection was delayed compared to that.

I feel there is a step wise recovery/worsening that is slowly trending up and occasional big jumps in improvement. I am interested to see what happens on my next Rexulti reduction due soon. Going down to 0.125mg.
6-Eggs!
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Re: Soft Glans Syndrome - Justin OP

Unread post by 6-Eggs! »

I have updates on my main thread in the general section about PAPSD with Rexulti not long ago. I am also on Moclobemide and have been reducing by half every 6 months or so, less frequent than the reinstate and re-taper of the Rexulti and soon as I hit 75mg of Moclobemide my erection sequence and soft glans is pretty much resolved instantly. Still erection and SD are not completely resolved all the time but a massive improvement literally overnight with the Moc reduction as well as many of my other symptoms.

My glans now starts to fill before the shaft like it used to before any drugs or depression. The minimum firmness has significantly improved and was weird at first as I was so used to it being so soft that it felt like a piece of skin. Now it feels like I have a bulbous penis end. When erect the glans feels more firmer inside the deeper you squeeze it, where as before it felt firm on the surface but empty inside like a balloon. It's no longer smooth and shiny and the original bumpy texture has returned.

Colour has significantly darkened, way more deep burgundy red where it was more like a red/pink before. Wrinkleness and bath hands looking skin when flaccid has disappeared and no longer having dead skin shedding, I think due to improved baseline blood flow as it's min firmness and size has resolved.

The interesting thing is my partner swears my penis has grown, I laughed and said not possible. Well I measured it, it actually has and more than I ever recall it being. So either the drugs were somehow interfering with the baseline blood flow or final erection size or both. I don't think I ever measured prior to psych drug use as I have been on this crap for like a decade.

My girth increased from 5.0 to 5.3", especially at the glans and shaft below it. Length slightly by 5mm or so.

My size when flaccid is like double what it was (obviously it varies with temperature) but no longer acts like it's cold all the time, only when I actually feel freezing. I am now occasionally getting spontaneous erections and feeling of arousal too which is great.
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