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The more you know about erectile dysfunction the better prepared you will be to treat it. Here are 10 things about ED and Viagra that every man should know.
Introduction
Almost everyone knows what erectile dysfunction is — a persistent inability to get and keep an erection suitable for intercourse. But for many, that’s about the extent of their knowledge about this widespread disorder.
And that’s unfortunate. Because the more you know about ED, the easier it will be for you to prevent its onset or to treat it if it eventually becomes a reality in your life.
The good news about ED is the availability today of multiple forms of treatment that make it easier than ever to overcome its symptoms and enjoy as fulsome a love life as possible. Here are some key things to keep in mind about ED.
1. ED Is a Common Disorder
According to Harvard Medical School, ED is very common in the United States, affecting as many as 30 million men to some degree. While it’s more common among older men, affecting nearly half of all men who are 75 or older, it is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Many older men continue to enjoy active sex lives well into their golden years.
And being young in and of itself is no guarantee that ED won’t strike. In fact, the incidence of ED among younger men has spiked in recent years. Some have attributed this increase at least in part to the growing addiction among some young men to hard-core pornography. Some professional observers suggest that routine exposure to extreme sexual acts performed by super-attractive women and men can make it difficult for some porn addicts to respond to normal everyday sex.
2. It’s ‘a Question of Blood Flow’
As was suggested in a number of Cialis TV commercials a few years back, erectile dysfunction often is “a question of blood flow.” In fact, insufficient blood flow to the penis accounts for up to 80 percent of all ED diagnoses in the United States.
However, the factors that cause compromised blood flow to the penis can vary significantly from one man to another. Certain underlying medical conditions, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes, can impede blood flow. And for this reason, symptoms of ED can serve as an early warning sign of more serious underlying health problems. Taking steps to improve your overall blood flow can often help to head off a heart attack or stroke down the road.
3. Here’s How the Erection Process Works
The initial impulse that triggers the erection process usually originates in the brain. It can be sparked by thoughts of a sexual nature or response to physical stimulation of the genitals or other erogenous spots. As part of its reaction, the brain sends a flood of nitric oxide coursing toward the pelvic region.
On its way, nitric oxide triggers a secondary chemical reaction that produces increased levels of a chemical compound known as cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP. To facilitate erection of the penis, cGMP signals the smooth muscle tissue that lines the inner walls of arteries supplying the penis to relax, thus increasing blood flow significantly. This sudden increased blood flow into the penis creates an erection; veins that ordinarily carry blood away from the penis constrict, temporarily trapping blood in the erectile tissue of the penis.
4. Other Causes of ED
While impaired blood flow to the penis is the single biggest cause of ED, it is not the only cause. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of ED stems from psychological problems, including most notably depression and anxiety. The preferred treatment for ED of psychological origin is counseling by a mental health professional.
Depression and related mental health problems are often successfully treated with antidepressants. However, for men who are depressed and also impotent, some of these medications can make it even more difficult to get and keep an erection. Perhaps the most problematic category of antidepressants in this respect are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Well-known brand-name drugs among the SSRIs include Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline).
ED can also be caused by congenital or traumatic injury to the male genitals or the blood vessels and nerves that play a central role in erectile function.
5. How Viagra Revolutionized ED Treatment
Pfizer, the pharmaceuticals giant that developed Viagra, originally researched sildenafil citrate (Viagra’s active ingredient) as a possible treatment for angina and intractable high blood pressure.
Research scientists in a Pfizer laboratory in Britain were disappointed in sildenafil’s usefulness as an angina treatment but couldn’t help but notice one very unexpected side effect of the drug. Male study participants, some of whom had previously been diagnosed with ED, suddenly found it easy to get an erection.
This unanticipated side effect took sildenafil research in a brand new direction, which ultimately led to Viagra, a revolutionary new way to treat ED. Prior to Viagra’s debut in 1998, the primary treatments for ED were penile injection therapy, vacuum erection devices, and penile implants.
6. How Viagra Facilitates Erection
Viagra represented a truly giant step forward in the treatment of ED because, as previously noted, roughly 80 percent of all male impotence is caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis.
In men whose vascular function is already compromised, the body’s production of cGMP cannot keep pace with its breakdown by an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase-5, or PDE5. With less cGMP available to relax blood vessel walls, blood flow to the penis can once again be impeded. Viagra temporarily sidelines the PDE5 enzyme so that cGMP levels are adequate to initiate and sustain erection.
7. Viagra’s Side Effects
Generally speaking, the side effects of Viagra and the other oral ED medications known as PDE5 inhibitors are mild and short-lived. Because the drugs in this family are similar in chemical makeup, most of the side effects are also similar. However, because each drug has its own unique composition, side effects do vary somewhat from one drug to another and from one person to another.
Headache is by far the most common side effect experienced by Viagra users. An estimated 21 percent of the men taking 50-milligram Viagra reported headache, while that figure jumped to 28 percent in men taking 100-milligram Viagra.
Other common side effects are flushing, dizziness, upset stomach, back and muscle pain, and nasal congestion. Rare but far more serious side effects include priapism, an erection that lasts for four hours or more, and a sudden reduction or loss in hearing and/or vision. In the unlikely event you should experience these more serious side effects, seek medical attention immediately.
8. Protecting Erectile Function
Although medical science today offers more effective forms of treatment for ED, it’s obviously preferable to preserve normal erectile function for as long as possible. Making healthy lifestyle decisions can go a long way toward achieving that goal.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising on a regular basis, shedding excess pounds, managing underlying medical conditions that lead to ED, and kicking bad habits, such as smoking, to the curb all support healthy normal erectile function. The more closely you follow healthy lifestyle recommendations, the less likely you are to experience the symptoms of ED.
9. Expect Occasional Erection Problems
As already mentioned, ED is a persistent inability to achieve and maintain an erection that is suitable for intercourse. Almost all men experience difficulty in getting and/or keeping an erection on occasion. Too much to drink, too much stress on the homefront or in the workplace, and relationship difficulties can all cause occasional erection problems. It is only when your inability to achieve erection becomes the rule rather than the exception that it’s time to seek the help of a medical professional.
10. Ordering Your Viagra Online
Many men have found that they’ve been able to save both time and money by ordering their Viagra or other ED drugs from eDrugstore.com, a longtime online facilitator. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, eDrugstore sells only FDA-approved medications that are dispensed exclusively by licensed U.S. pharmacies.
If you have a prescription from your doctor, you can fax it or scan and email it along with your order. If you don’t yet have a prescription, eDrugstore can set up a complimentary online consultation with a licensed U.S. physician who can authorize a prescription if appropriate. To learn more, visit eDrugstore’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
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