Erectile dysfunction (ED) has many possible physical or mental causes, and its effects can bring about psychological distress.
With this alternative ED treatment, there are no expensive prescriptions to remember to take or refill, and no penile implants or surgery. There are none of the harmful side effects with this ED treatment as with oral drugs.
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Keep in mind that these medications are amplifiers, not magic pills; you must have sexual stimulation for them to work. These pills also typically do not work the first few times. Here are instructions for how to properly take Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis: Take your medication one hour before sexual activity. Take the pills prior to a meal or after a light snack, especially for Viagra. They do not absorb well if you have a full stomach.
You shouldn’t take these pills if you take nitrate drugs for heart disease. Doing so can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
Talley, J. D. & Crawley, I. S. (1985) Transdermal nitrate, penile erection and spousal headache. Annals of International Medicine, 103, 804.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Men with ED without hypogonadism (a low testosterone level and symptoms related to this) should not use testosterone therapy.
"Medications that create blood flow to the penis can't help when an erection is blocked by the fear or anxiety of the fight-or-flight response,” says Feloney. “This type of erectile dysfunction probably has a lot to do with evolution — men didn't need an erection when a dinosaur was chasing them." The best way to treat erectile dysfunction caused by performance anxiety, depression, a poor relationship, or stress may be with a combination of ED drug treatment and sex therapy, individual therapy, or couples therapy from sexual health professionals.
18. Caverject (Alprostadil) [Prescribing Information]. New York, NY: Pfizer Inc; December 2017.
If anxiety or stress is causing your ED, it may help to talk to a professional therapist.
Penile self-injection therapy is a shot that is inserted into the penis and produces an erection for up to an hour or more. This injection is mostly used to treat erectile dysfunction, but can help with other penile conditions as well.
“Kegel exercises for men: understand the benefits.” Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/kegel-exercises-for-men/art-20045074
To exercise your pelvic floor correctly, you must learn to activate and identify the different muscles you need to target.
ED is defined as the inability to achieve a full erection or the inability to maintain an erection adequate for sexual intimacy. Other types of sexual dysfunction such as premature ejaculation and low libido may occur; however, the most common and disruptive problem in men is ED. Although most men will experience periodic episodes of ED, these episodes tend to become more frequent with advancing age.
A significantly larger proportion of patients had successful sexual encounters within 15 minutes of taking avanafil (Stendra) compared with placebo (P≤0.05), John Mulhall, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and colleagues reported here at the World Meeting on Sexual Medicine.
One study indicated that intensive glycemic control might decrease the chances of ED in diabetic men.
But moderation is key: it's not necessary (or recommended!) to suddenly launch into a workout program that's designed for an Olympic athlete.
Sexual Medicine Society of North America: SexHealthMatters: "Treating Erectile Dysfunction" and "Vacuum Devices: Erectile Dysfunction."