Erectile dysfunction or ED (also known as impotency), is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough or lack of duration, for sex. As one gets older, the incidence only increases. ED is relatively common among men over 50 years of age. This malfunction, or not being able to naturally get a full and sustainable erection, is very disturbing and unsettling for most patients. Even though this ED problem can be devastating there are many treatments that help.
If you were diagnosed with ED, which can be caused by numerous reasons, such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, post Prostate surgery, aging, medications, etc., there are very effective preventive, non-medical, medical, and surgical treatments available today.
Regarding Preventive Treatments for ED, it is imperative that you visit your Doctor for an evaluation of your medical condition or health status.
For example, if you have Diabetes and you regain control of your sugar levels with certain medications, this might very well resolve your ED problem.
Also, there are certain blood pressure and anti-depressant medications that can cause ED as well. This is why you must first consider seeking a Medical Doctor’s assistance to determine if there are some underlying medical element causing the problem.
Non-Medical Treatments include Penile Pumps and possibly some herbal/vitamin remedies. Penile Pumps are good for two reasons, one – it causes swelling of the penis and results in temporary enlargement, and two – it helps draw blood into the penis, which will help with ED.
Now, if you use a pump just for ED, all you need is to place the pump on for 1-2 minutes, then place a silicone ring on the base of the penile shaft. This ring will help ‘keep the blood in the penis’ during intercourse. If you desire to enlarge the penis as well, this takes more effort and time. You will need to leave the pump on the penis for over 30-60 minutes. Not very convenient but this is how it is done. Keep in mind that this is a medical device and a Physician’s guidance is highly recommended.
A typical penis pump. Please note that this is not medically designed. Dr Loria has a medically designed medical type pump that will be available soon.
Penile shaft ring or penile shaft/scrotal ring combination can be used for ED. These rings are necessary to keep the blood pressure high in the penis for the purpose of maintaining an erection..
In regard to herbal/vitamin supplements and certain foods, these may assist in obtaining an erection and it would be wise to continue taking these supplements or food items, even if they fail, as added support to the next line of treatment – medication therapy. Combining non-medical therapy with medication treatments will be supportive and have an additive affect…which will help prolong surgical intervention for potentially a very long time. .
Regarding the Medical Treatments, the first in line are the Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra type of medications, which are in a tablet form and taken by mouth. These are prescription medications used for ED. Keep in mind that for the medications to work you need the correct dose and type of medication. Your physician will discuss this with you.
If the pills do not work well or seem to be diminishing in their effects over time, you may need to add a treatment to the protocol. The next medical treatment to add to the Viagra type medications is a suppository called Muse. This medication, or a medication compounded by a Pharmacist with similar ingredients, is a suppository form and is placed directly into meatus (hole) of the penile glans (or ‘hole’ in the penile head).
Why add a medication? Remember that after the Viagra type pills, Muse, and other medications stop working, due to the body getting used to it, the last option is surgery. Surgery entails placing a Penile Implant in…which is a very invasive procedure. So the idea is to ‘buy’ enough time to either prevent or postpone, as long as possible, this major surgical procedure.
Let’s move on and assume you are taking Viagra, for example, and have added Muse…..all is working well, but overtime you see that the ED is returning. Then, the next step is changing from Muse to a direct penile injection (direct into the penile base area….very small needle and which not hurt very much if at all). The injection medication you start with is called Bimix. So now you will be on Viagra, and low-dose Bimix. After some time even this medication regimen will fail, so you will now need to increase the dose of Bimix. This will work for a while….then when that fails you go on Trimix low dose. Then….after Trimix high dose with the Viagra treatment fails…then it is time for the Penile Implant.
Let’s move on and assume you are taking Viagra, for example, and have added Muse…..all is working well, but overtime you see that the ED is returning. Then, the next step is changing from Muse to a direct penile injection (direct into the penile base area….very small needle and does not hurt much at all). The injection medication you start with is called Bimix.
So now you will be on Viagra, and low-dose Bimix. After some time even this medication regimen will fail, so you will now need to increase the dose of Bimix. This will work for a while….then when that fails you go on Trimix low dose. Then….after Trimix high dose with the Viagra treatment fails…then it is time for the Penile Implant..
The above image demonstrates a typical Pump Type Penile Implant device”.
The above image demonstrates how the Penile Implant Pump version is positioned in the Penis and Scrotal areas.
Surgical treatment involves Penile Implant surgery. If, as mentioned above, all medications fail, then this is the last resort. There are two main types of Penile Implants, one that has a pump system to enlarge and make the penis erect, the other is a non-pump system that uses a rigid rod that you bend upward for an erection, and then bend downwards for the flaccid position.
The Penile Implant (pump version) procedure involves placing two balloons into the Penile Shaft, one in each cavernosa or tube. Another element, the pump, is typically placed into the scrotal area. This procedure is invasive, carries surgical risks, and is performed under general anesthesia. Many patients do enjoy the Penile Implant, so it does work well, just try to avoid this with more benign and safer type treatments.
