Explore the Best Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Options

The patient can work with a healthcare professional to treat an underlying cause of his erectile dysfunction (ED), as there are several erectile dysfunction treatment options. Choosing an ED treatment is a personal decision. However, one can benefit from talking with one’s partner about which treatment is the best for the affected couple.

Lifestyle changes

One’s healthcare professional can suggest that he make lifestyle changes to help reduce or improve ED. The patient can

  • Quit smoking.
  • Limit or stop drinking alcohol.
  • Increase physical activity and also maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Stoppage of illegal drug use.
  • A person can seek help from a healthcare professional if he has trouble making these changes on his own.

Go to counseling

Talk with one’s doctor about going to a counselor if psychological or emotional issues are affecting your ED. A counselor can teach you how to lower one’s anxiety or stress related to sex. The counselor may perhaps suggest that the person bring his partner to counseling sessions to learn how to provide the required support. As the person does work on relieving one’s anxiety or stress, a doctor can focus on treating the physical causes of ED.

The counselor can suggest that the person bring his partner to counseling sessions to learn how to support.

How do doctors treat erectile dysfunction?

Change medicines

If a medicine needed for another health condition is causing ED, then one’s doctor may suggest a different dose or even a different medicine. Never stop taking a medicine without speaking with the doctor first. 

Explore the Best Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Options
Prescribe medicines you take by mouth

A healthcare professional may prescribe oral medicine or medicine to help get and maintain an erection:

  • Sildenafil (Viagra).
  • Vardenafil.
  • Avanafil.

All of these medicines work by relaxing smooth muscles and increasing blood flow in the penis during sexual stimulation. You should not take any of these medicines to treat ED if taking nitrates to treat a heart condition.

Also, talk to the healthcare professional about taking alpha-blockers to treat prostate enlargement. The combination of alpha-blockers and ED medicines can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure.

A healthcare professional may prescribe testosterone if having low levels of this hormone in the blood. Although taking testosterone may help ED, it is often unhelpful if ED is caused by circulatory or perhaps nerve problems. Taking testosterone also can lead to side effects, including a high red blood cell count and problems urinating.

Testosterone treatment also has not been proven to help ED associated with age-related or late-onset hypogonadism. Do not take testosterone therapy that has not been prescribed by one’s doctor. Testosterone therapy can affect how other medicines work and can cause serious side effects.

A healthcare professional may also prescribe oral medicine to help the affected person get and maintain an erection.

Prescribe injectable medicines and suppositories

Several men do get stronger erections by injecting a medicine known as alprostadil into the penis, causing it to become filled with blood. Oral medicines can, of course, improve one’s response to sexual stimulation, but they do not trigger an automatic erection as injectable medicines do.

Instead of injecting a medicine, a few men insert a suppository of alprostadil into the urethra. A suppository is a solid piece of medicine that is inserted into one’s body where it dissolves. A healthcare professional will prescribe a prefilled applicator for the person to insert the pellet about an inch into the urethra. An erection will begin within 8 to 10 minutes and can last 30 to 60 minutes.

Discuss alternative medicines

Few men admit that certain alternative medicines taken by mouth can help them get and also maintain an erection. Yet, not all “natural” medicines or supplements are safe. Combinations of certain prescribed and alternative medicines could cause major health problems. To help ensure coordinated and safe care, discuss the use of alternative medicines, including the use of vitamins and also mineral supplements, with a healthcare professional. Also, never order a medicine online without talking with one’s doctor.

To help ensure coordinated and also safe care, discuss one’s use of alternative medicines, including the use of vitamin and mineral supplements, with a healthcare professional.

Prescribe a vacuum device

A vacuum device does cause an erection by pulling blood into the penis. The device has three parts:

  • A plastic tube, which is placed around one’s penis.
  • A pump draws air out of the tube, creating a vacuum.
  • An elastic ring, which can move from the end of the tube to the base of one’s penis as the person removes the tube.
  • The elastic ring maintains the erection during intercourse by, in fact, preventing blood from flowing back into the body. The elastic ring can remain in place, say, for up to 30 minutes. Removing the ring after that time does bring back normal circulation and prevents skin irritation.

A person can find that using a vacuum device does require a little practice or adjustment. Using the device can make one’s penis feel cold or numb and have a purple color. The person can also suffer from bruising on the penis. Yet, the bruises are most often painless and do disappear in a few days. Vacuum devices can weaken ejaculation, but, in most cases, the devices do not affect the pleasure of climax or orgasm.

A vacuum device causes an erection by pulling blood into the penis.

Recommend Surgery

For several men, surgery can be a last resort. Talking with one’s doctor about whether surgery is right or not helps. A urologist performs surgery at a surgical center or hospital to

  • Implant a device to make the penis erect.
  • Rebuild arteries to increase blood flow to the penis.

Implanted devices: Implanted devices, referred to as prostheses, can help several men with ED to have an erection. Implants are placed by a urologist. The two types of devices are.

  • Inflatable implants, which make the penis longer and wider using a pump in the scrotum.
  • Malleable implants, which are rods that do allow a person to manually adjust the position of his penis.

The person can usually leave the hospital the day of or the day after the surgery. He should be able to use the implant 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery.

Possible problems with implants include breaking and infection.

Artery reconstruction: Surgery to repair arteries can reverse ED caused by blockages that stop blood flow to the penis. Usually, men younger than 30 are the best candidates for this sort of surgery.

Conclusion

The choice of treatment is indeed based on the underlying cause and includes medications, therapies like self-injections and exercises, and surgical implants as part of erectile dysfunction treatment options.