Is there a treatment for ED?

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Is there a treatment for ED?

Shockwave therapy treatment

Is there treatment for my ED?

Yes. So: you have been seen by your doctor, have given a good account of your ED in your story and in the questionnaires you filled out, have been examined and have had your blood samples sent to the lab. There are no obvious ‘reversible’ reasons for your ED but you would like it sorted. Your blood pressure is normal as are your cholesterol, your blood sugar and your testosterone, you don’t smoke or drink alcohol to excess, don’t ‘do drugs’ and you are not stressed or depressed. Your testicles and penis appear normal. There are plenty options.

If your testosterone is low, your doctor might treat this with patches, gels, tablets or a once every 14 week injection. There a currently 4 oral (tablet form) medications licenced as first line treatment for ED. These drugs help dilate the arteries which leads to relaxation of the muscles in the penis, swelling of the veins and erection. These drugs are very safe but the first dose should be prescribed by a doctor.

Always tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking and over-the-counter medications or herbal remedies as there might be possible interactions with the ED medications. They can interact with some heart medications and should definitely not be taken if you are prescribed medication for angina (chest pain caused by heart disease) or amyl nitrate (poppers) or if you have low blood pressure. The drugs are not affected my moderate alcohol use and need sexual stimulation to get an erection. Possible side-effects include flushing of the face, nasal stuffiness, headache and blurred vision. As with almost all drugs, nausea can occur and these side-effects are generally short lived.

Other medical treatments include injections into the side of the penis. Pain at the injection site is usually minimal and short-lived. There might be a tiny amount of bleeding or bruising. This would not be recommended if you are taking anticoagulant medications (blood thinners). Another way to help with an erection is to put a small medicated suppository into the opening of the penis. You might experience some burning in the penis that lasts for a few seconds.

Are there any other treatments apart from medicines available to treat my ED?

Yes: If tablets, injections and suppositories don’t work, all is not lost. You might like to use a battery-powered vacuum pump to pull the blood into the penis. Once you have an erect penis, you can put a band on the base of the penis until after sex. Implants of rods into the penis might suit you but this is a surgical procedure and would only be recommended if other treatments are not clinically indicated or failed.

If you or your doctor feels that your ED is stress, anxiety or depression related or if you feel it is due to alcohol or drug misuse, you may benefit hugely by referral to psychological services with a professional interest in dealing with ED or addiction.

Are there any newer treatments available to treat my ED?

Yes: There is a novel treatment for ED which we offer at Harold’s Cross Surgery. It is called Extra-Corporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT).

Extracorporeal means outside the body so the procedure is not invasive. No injections.

ESWT was first licenced for use in the 1980s for the treatment of kidney stones. A beam of shock waves was focussed on the stones which shattered and were passed by the patients in their urine. Later, its use became popular with physiotherapists for treating bone and joint complaints.

Low intensity shock waves have recently been shown to stimulate new blood vessel formation in the penis by causing mechanical stress and local trauma to the penis. Since poor blood flow in the penis is strongly implicated in ED, it was believed that ESWT would improve blood flow to the penis and improve or even reverse ED.

Recent studies appear to back up this belief. Low intensity ESWT has been shown to increase the rigidity of the penis and duration for the erection. Where measured, penile blood flow increase significantly following sessions of ESWT and this correlated well with patients reports and the questionnaires used to measure your erectile function or psychological well-being as mentioned earlier in the article. Success with ESWT might mean that you won’t need to take any more ED medications.

We offer this revolutionary treatment at Harold’s Cross Surgery.

Does ED last forever?

ED is very treatable and in many cases, reversible. We at Harold’s Cross Surgery, where we specialise in Sexual Health, would be happy to see you, to discuss lifestyle changes and treatments that can greatly improve sexual function.

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