Panic, Insomnia, and an Erection
Yohimbe
by B
Citation:   B. "Panic, Insomnia, and an Erection: An Experience with Yohimbe (exp62521)". Erowid.org. Jul 25, 2019. erowid.org/exp/62521

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
    Kratom (daily)
  T+ 0:00 .25 oz oral Yohimbe (tea)
  T+ 0:00 1 glass oral Tea (liquid)
  T+ 1:20 1 shot oral Alcohol - Hard (liquid)
BODY WEIGHT: 200 lb
I am writing this report as a warning to others who are interested in trying yohimbe or yohimbine. First the positives: it is definitely not a placebo, and it definitely gave me a boner that lasted for hours. That being said...

I was a regular kratom user when I had this experience. My tolerance and dependence to kratom had made sex unpleasurable and difficult. My boyfriend was coming over to stay the night, and I thought I would make a lovely dinner, buy some moderately expensive wine, and then impress him with my yohimbe-induced “potency.”

The yohimbe came from a local herb store. I asked the clerk (who claims she had a knowledge of her wares) how much she recommended, and she referenced some outdated text about some native people somewhere making tea from several ounces of the bark. I was still nervous about this plant, so I thought I’d play it safe and use half an ounce. I simmered the shredded bark (reddish/brown in color) in 4 cups of water with a splash of lemon juice for about 10 minutes. I strained it, and drank only about one half of the liquid. It was so bitter that I was afraid that it might be more potent than I anticipated. I was right.

I immediately left the house to pick up my boyfriend (let’s call him Federico) from the transit station. The walk took about 20 minutes, and I had a cup of green tea while waiting for his train.

T+30: No noticeable effects as of yet. The walk home was going just fine. Chatting, enjoying the warm summer evening, excited for dinner etc.

T+50 minutes: We had just turned onto Telegraph Ave in Berkeley (a fitting place to have a drug freak-out I suppose) when the yohimbe kicked in with a vengeance. It was like a wave of panic and disorientation swept over me, and it was unlike anything I have ever felt. My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest, and on checking my pulse, discovered it was extremely elevated. I have never had a panic attack before, but knew that I was having one now. I was completely unaware of what Federico was saying to me (he did not notice my condition as I was also scared of admitting I had taken drugs) and I was almost compelled by my fear to ask him too call an ambulance. Thoughts raced through my head – “It’s only started to kick in…is it only going to get stronger? Is it reacting with the kratom in some unforeseen way? Oh God, I don’t want to pass out right here on the street and have a heart attack” etc. Through my panic I managed to cross the street, and finally make it home.

T+ 60 minutes: The intense panic had worn off, but I was in bad shape. I was detached, hot, extremely sweaty, and really fucking pissed off having done this to myself. I knew my fun-filled evening was ruined, and I decided to try my best to just survive the night. I finished dinner, though I had absolutely no appetite.

T+80 minutes: I took a shot of vodka to try and calm myself down. Alcohol was the only depressant I had on hand. I think it just made me sweatier and more uncomfortable.

The rest of the night was spent quite miserably for me. I imagine that it just seemed like I was anxious or in a bad mood, (which I was) but I was also hypertensive, agitated, scared, and angry. We went to bed maybe 4 hours after my ingestion of the yohimbe, but there was nothing sexual about it. I felt too rotten. Federico fell asleep, and I stayed awake. All night. I actually got a rock-hard erection, but it didn’t feel good in the least. It felt like my blood pressure was so damn high that I had no choice. That didn’t go away for at least three hours. Also, I didn’t get even a moment of sleep. Mind racing, heart pumping insomnia.

To sum up, I will NEVER use yohimbe or an extract thereof ever again for any purpose. I realize that I must have greatly underestimated the potency, but there was no part of that experience that was pleasurable or beneficial to my mental or physical state.

Oh, and I went back to that herb store and told the shop keeper about what happened to me, that she might give better advice to the next person.

Exp Year: 2007ExpID: 62521
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jul 25, 2019Views: 2,226
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Yohimbe (96) : General (1), First Times (2), Difficult Experiences (5), Sex Discussion (14), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Small Group (2-9) (17)

COPYRIGHTS: All reports copyright Erowid.
No AI Training use allowed without written permission.
TERMS OF USE: By accessing this page, you agree not to download, analyze, distill, reuse, digest, or feed into any AI-type system the report data without first contacting Erowid Center and receiving written permission.

Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the authors who submit them. Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.


Experience Vaults Index Full List of Substances Search Submit Report User Settings About Main Psychoactive Vaults