Poor sleeping quality due to frequent erections at night

I'm not saying it can be caused by one thing. I'm saying that damage from Finasteride could be a cause.

Mike O.

Has anyone tried Cinitipride? Cinitapride was cited in a paper helping to control this condition. I may be able to get some. It's not sold here in the states but I think I can get some and will let eveyone know if it helps. I am sick of taking Baclofen.

Thanks,
Mike O.

I took, I ordered from india , has no affect what soever. the paper is fake.

try Aleve , it is really good much better than Baclofen.

If you ordered from India do you have any idea if the medication was legit? It's helpful when people on here at least sign their posts with a handle.

Thanks,
Mike O.

Aleve is no good for me. I can't take NSAIDs anymore due to gut issues. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Mike O.

I've had the same issue for about 2.5 years. Mine started after trauma to the lower underside of the penis (an internal pinch/tear type injury occurring when the penis was flaccid), near where it meets the scrotum. Initially, the erection pain was intense and I was physically sore the next day. This gradually lessened until after a month or so, then more gradual improvement for the remainder of a year. By then, it settled into what seems to be the standard routine cited by those in prior posts. After about the first 3 months I went to a urologist who thought I may have damaged one of the glands that lubricates the urethra and to give it time. I saw two other urologists after this, about 3 months apart each. One had never heard of any symptoms like I described, and the other in an exam hit the spot that had previous trauma and it hurt like hell for a couple of days, then issued a diagnosis of priapism. (I disagreed with that and now having found all these posts am glad that others have written.) After the first year, I returned to the initial urologist who again said to relax and give it more time. I haven't been to see another doctor since, but have occasionally researched on the web.

All of the ways to relieve symptoms/discomfort mentioned seem to apply to me as well -- getting up to urinate (even when I don't need to pee much, it feels like I do) always works, passing gas sometimes does, mental focus to relax the muscles in the area can give momentary relief and occasionally/partially works (most often the first or second time in the night this occurs, but not the 3rd or beyond), sometimes positioning in bed (I'm going to try some of the positions recommended in recent posts). I am also cutting out all caffeine and carbonated beverages to see if I notice improvement.

Generally speaking, it seems to occur for me--and for some of the earlier posters as well-- around the 2-3am hour, after about 4-6 hours of sleep. After that it typically occurs 2-3 times. NyQuil works for me to sleep through it, but I only occasionally use it. (I'm going to try the nighttime Alive as suggested in a previous post.) I have no desire to use any other medicines mentioned, especially since I can tie this to an injury and not a spine/back issue or previous medication side effect.

Because mine was initiated by trauma and I now have this blog and some related journal articles, I'm likely going to seek out an andrologist at a top research hospital (e.g. Mayo, Cleveland, JH, etc.) for a next consultation. I will take information from some of the articles and this posting board.

Thanks to all that have shared.

PLEASE READ THIS! I found this thread yesterday. I am 36yo 5'10" 190lbs, from NJ, married with a very healthy sex life. I had asthma as a kid but have mostly grown out of it. I workout 5 days a week (running and resistance training). I smoke about a pack a day, I take a couple hits of pot every night to relax before bed and drink only on weekends (I know. I'm a walking contradiction). Never any serious trauma to my man parts but I am experiencing SRPE. Erections while awake were never painful but during an extended intimate session with my wife two days ago, it got excruciating.

As I write my first post, it's 5:39am and I've just had the worst bout of sleep related painful erections (SRPE) last night. I must have been up 7-8 times, every half hour at some points. Its hell and I feel the pain of each and every one of you. Quick tip: Place an ice pack where your scrotum meets your perneum (where your sack and your taint meet). It helps the pain go away fairly quickly.

It's been happening since August. Today is November 7 so I'm not years into this but this is a serious quality of life issue. I can't function during the day because of this. Not to mention my job is safety sensitive. I tried to get my urologist to sign off of medical leave paperwork but "this doesn't qualify". God forbid a doctor should write more than he needs to!

My primary doctor has no experience with this so he sent me to a urologist. The urologist said he's treated sickle cell patients experiencing priapism with Cialis.

First he did just that. He put me on once-a-day Cialis, which seemed counterproductive but he said it'll help control the erections. Hard when I want to be, soft when I don't. Took it for 2 weeks. Did nothing.

Next he tried Valium before bed. There seem to be some nights that it reduces my episodes, but for the most part it's unsuccessful (took 10mg last night and here I am back in hell).

Now, last week he sent me for a pelvic MRI with and without contrast. It was an hour and a half, in a tube, hooked up to an IV with "on-hold music" blasting in my ears. Not fun. No results yet but my next appointment is Friday.

I have noticed that this is directly related to REM sleep. Doesn't happen during naps and usually not until after 2-3 hours of sleep. I've noticed that if I go to bed drunk, it doesn't happen. This is not because alcohol relaxes you. It's because alcohol prohibits you from entering R.E.M. sleep. I've read an article that states that this can be a neurological issue. I will post the link after this post.

I really hope that by relaying an and all information we have that we can collectively work to solve this problem. People laugh at first when I tell them about this but this is a serious quality of life problem. Can also cause future ED.

After some research, I finally see that I'm not alone in this and neither are you. Please... if you have any information, do not hesitate to share. Many men are going through the same thing and no one knows how to fix it.

I hope to get some replies soon. Best wishes to all.

MJ from NJ

dont know, i ordered through a friend

I"m 52 and SRPE started about 2 years ago. I take Baclofen 20 mg @ 3 times a day. I've been on it for about 9 months with great results. I have the occasional event time to time but it is after about 7+ hours of sleep. The Baclofen also helps mitigate my anxiety. I shared some articles from the web about Baclofen and SRPE with my urologist and he wrote the script. You will need to titrate up over a few weeks to the daily 60 mg. Good luck. SRPE sucks.

DH from OH

It suuuuucks! Thanks for the advice, DH. I wanted to avoid prescriptions but this is just ridiculous now. I will bring it up to my urologist.

MJ from NJ

I have been having the frequent nighttime erections problem (though not painful) for 6-7 years now. Whenever I wake up because of it, I also have this discomfort in the bladder/pelvic area which is similar to what you feel when you hold urine and have a strong urge to urinate. My urologist did not find anything and put me on Myrbertiq (for overactive bladder) but it did not help. I was wondering if others feel the same discomfort in the bladder when they wake up. I hardly drink any water after 7 pm. Most nights I wake up once after 4 hours of sleep to urinate, but the quantity is not much. After that my sleep is very disturbed and I feel the erections and bladder discomfort several times.

AF from TX

hi , i have exactly the same discomfort in the bladder

Has anybody heard anything from Eugene, who was sending out a questionnaire about SRPE back in May / June?

I've emailed him but with no success.

for info, I've been prescribed a testosterone blocker by my urologist: cyproterone acetate.  i'm currently taking 25mg per night, plus 20 mg Baclofen.  I DON'T recommend cyproterone - i was taking higher doses in the past and got loads of nasty side effects.

I've been to a sleep therapist who diagnosed i also have 'periodic limb movement disorder'  She has studied several sufferers of srpe, and they ALL have the limb movement disorder.  She has suggested trying Pramipexole, which can successfully treat the limb movement, to check if it also helps treat srpe

 

Guys-

I've noticed that when my rectum becomes full, usually 4-6 hours after going to sleep, that's when the erections start. Surmising that the feces in the rectum press against the prostate, causing the erections. And because of gravity, there's more pressure from the feces against the prostate when lying supine (on the back) than when lying prone (on the stomach).