No man need suffer forever from erectile dysfunction. Lifestyle modifications can often help men regain full erectile function on their own, and Viagra and the other ED drugs can overcome most symptoms of impotence that may linger. Research continues to search for still other ways to treat ED.
The past two decades have brought new hope to men suffering from erectile dysfunction.
The 1998 introduction of Viagra showed that the most common form of ED — that caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis — is now more readily treatable, allowing millions of impotent men to regain normal erectile function, if only temporarily.
While there is not yet a cure for vascular-related ED, lifestyle modifications can in some cases help men with emerging erection problems to recapture their mojo even without resort to prescription medication.
And for men whose impotence is caused by psychological factors, professional counseling often can overcome these obstacles and pave the road to complete recovery.
How the PDE5 Inhibitors Work
Viagra, the first of the so-called PDE5 inhibitors, works by temporarily improving blood flow to the penis, offering users a window of four to six hours to enjoy sexual activity. So successful was the little blue pill that it was soon followed to market by a handful of similar drugs, including Levitra, Cialis, Staxyn, and Stendra.
Although all five of these medications work in much the same way, each has its own unique chemical makeup. If the first drug you try produces less than ideal results, you can try another to see if that’s a better fit.
In their first two decades on the market, the PDE5 inhibitors were relatively high priced, making their use a difficult proposition for lower-income men.
That is beginning to change. In late 2017, generic alternatives to Viagra finally hit the American market; they were followed in the fall of 2018 by a generic alternative to Cialis, which is marketed as tadalafil. Additional generic formulations of these and other drugs will follow in the next couple of years. As more generics become available, competition will heat up, pushing the prices of brand-name and generic products still lower.
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