POIS Compass

POIS trigger map

What sets symptoms off

Factors that people with POIS reported as triggering or worsening their episodes, with representative remarks.

423 remarks · 7 sub-categories

Sub-categories

What people said423

Community self-reports only — not medical advice. Do not use any medication without a prescription.
  • “I've noticed that any kind of stimulation of my nervous system such as drinking coffee, getting jumpscared, or laughing really hard triggers shakiness and panic.”
  • “My triggers are porn, excitement, social pressure, eating high histamine foods (leftovers, cheese, wine etc).”
  • “I also get the same effect from just being excited about something (like going to a friends house or something) but not as severe as porn.”
  • “Customer service is the worst for POIS imo”
  • “I get derealization from eye contact that but usually only in POIS.”
  • “Adrenaline is a trigger for me”
  • “I did an intense workout yesterday even though I had 2 wet dreams and was rewarded with one this morning.”
  • “You ejaculate. You add a final stressor such as an intense gym work out. BAM you come down with 2 degree fever and full symptoms of the infection you were exposed to.”
  • “I did some intense exercise 4 months ago..walking around with 25kg weight vest... i didn't recover from it took about 3 weeks to recover and some symptoms came back.”
  • “Exercise and anxiety /nervousness both cause me to have worsening cognitive issues now.”
  • “I do get similar, but much milder, symptoms from anxiety/weight lifting though”
  • “POIS got worse when a vaccine triggered ME initially and every sudden dramatic worsening of ME (overexertion etc).”
  • “Whenever I exercise or get nervous my sinuses block up and I have thick mucus.”
  • “I get the same symptoms when I excercise or get nervous or am stressed.”
  • “After the O, it seems to make heart arrhythmia much easier to get when exercising for me.”
  • “No heavy exercise though, and no hot showers, inflammatory foods like sugar or gluten”
  • “I had some POIS symptoms that were appearing from... exercise”
  • “Yesterday I took a hot shower and I felt like shit the whole day.”
  • “What I have noticed is an aggravation of symptoms after hot shower. Brain fog and head pressure becomes more intense.”
  • “With higher temperatures everything is much more worse.. the anxiety, inflammation, restlessness”
  • “Yeah hot showers trigger mild symptoms for me for the rest of the day.”
  • “No heavy exercise though, and no hot showers, inflammatory foods like sugar or gluten”
  • “In summer i have higher % of NE and get dopamine spiral / chaser effect due to the immune effects on nerves and neurotransmitters this is due to temperature mostly.”
  • “usually triggered in warm climates”