What non-surgical treatments are there for erectile dysfunction (ED)?
What non-surgical treatments are there for erectile dysfunction (ED)?
Education and communication
Education about sex, sexual behaviors, and sexual responses may help a man overcome his anxieties about sexual dysfunction.
Talking honestly with your partner about your needs and concerns may also help to overcome many barriers to a healthy sex life.
Medication
Medications such as sildenafil (Viagra®), vardenafil (Levitra®), or tadalafil (Cialis®) may help improve sexual function in men by increasing blood flow to the penis. Men who are on medicines that contain nitrates such as nitroglycerine should not take oral ED medications. The combination of nitrates and these specific medications can cause low blood pressure (hypotension).
The most common side effects of these medications are indigestion, nasal congestion, flushing, headaches and a temporary visual disturbance.
Mechanical aids
Aids such as vacuum devices and penile constriction rings serve as erectile aids for some men.
A vacuum constriction device (above) is a cylinder that is placed over the penis. The air is pumped out of the cylinder, which draws blood into the penis and causes an erection. The erection is maintained by slipping a band off of the base of the cylinder and onto the base of the penis. The band can stay in place for up to 30 minutes. The vacuum device can be safely used to treat most causes of erectile failure. Lack of spontaneity, discomfort, and cumbersomeness of the device seem to be the biggest concerns of patients.
Penile injection therapy (intracavernosal injection therapy)
Men are taught how to inject medications directly into the erection chambers of the penis to create an erection. Injection therapy is effective in treating a wide variety of erection issues caused by blood vessel, nerve and psychological conditions.
Using a tiny needle and syringe, the man injects a small amount of medicine into the side of his penis. The medicine relaxes the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow into the penis. This treatment has been widely used and accepted since the early 1980s. The three most common medicines are prostaglandin E1 (alprostadil), papaverine (Papacon®), and phentolamine (Regitine®).
The most common side effects are pain and penile scarring (fibrosis). In extremely rare cases, patients with cerebral and vascular disease or severe cardiovascular diseases might not be able to tolerate the dizziness and high blood pressure occasionally caused by injection therapy.
A painful erection that lasts longer than two to three hours is called priapism and may occur with injection therapy. This can be lessened with proper dosing and by following the treatment guidelines.
Psychology and sex therapies
Psychological causes may contribute to erectile failure even when there is a clear organic cause.
Therapy with a trained counselor can help a person address feelings of anxiety, fear or guilt that may have an impact on sexual dysfunction.
Sex therapy can be beneficial to most men when counseling is provided by a skilled sex therapist. Sex therapy also helps a man's partner accept and cope with the problems.
A patient whose ED has a clear psychological cause should receive sex therapy counseling before any invasive treatments are pursued.
Hormone
Low hormone levels may play a role in ED. Hormone replacement in the form of topical gels, creams, patches, injections and pellets are only used after physician evaluation.