Once implanted, the pumps become “part of their body,” Montague explains. “No out-of-pocket cost per use. Predictable response. Works every time.” Pills, even when they work, might be less effective if you’ve had more than a couple drinks or are out of sorts for other reasons. Injections are slightly more reliable than pills but, Montague says, are still subject to variability.
Adverse effects related to PDE5i use with mild-moderate and transient (58). Furthermore, side effects usually attenuate if use is not discontinued. Autonomic dysreflexia, a life-threatening phenomenon characterized by bradycardia, hypertension, facial flushing and headaches associated with SCI lesions above T6, has not been reported with use. However, hypotension leading to dizziness in individuals treated with sildenafil has been noted with high thoracic and cervical levels of injury (72). No adverse events were noted within the study; however, the dizziness was reported by use of sildenafil 50 mg in the cervical LOI and 100 mg in the thoracic LOI patients. Headache is the most reported side effect of all PDE5i, followed by dyspepsia and flushing. Priapism, and death have not been reported after use of PDE5i by SCI patients.
Erectile dysfunction is defined as the persistent inability to achieve or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study surveyed 1,709 men aged 40–70 years between 1987 and 1989 and found there was a total prevalence of erectile dysfunction of 52 percent. It was estimated that, in 1995, over 152 million men worldwide experienced ED. For 2025, the prevalence of ED is predicted to be approximately 322 million worldwide.
The FDA recommends that men follow general precautions before taking a medication for ED. Men who are taking medications that contain nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, should NOT use these medications. Taking nitrates with one of these medications can lower blood pressure too much. In addition, men who take tadalafil or vardenfil should use alpha blockers with care and only as instructed by their physician, as they could result in hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure). Experts recommend that men have a complete medical history and physical examination to determine the cause of ED. Men should tell their doctor about all the medications they are taking, including over-the-counter medications.
Garlic is considered to help effectively in dealing with the impotence and ED problems because it has high levels of allicin which can help to improve blood flow and blood circulation. A small research of Dr. Graham Jackson, consultant cardiologist at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust discovered that consuming 4 cloves of garlic every day for 3 months can help much in improving the erection in 6 out of 7 volunteers struggling with impotence.
The somatosensory pathways for erections originate in the penile skin, glans and urethra. Glans afferent sensory free nerve endings are 10-fold more than their corpuscular receptors, and are derived from Aδ and unmyelinated C fibers. The nerve endings coalesce to form the dorsal penile nerve along with other sensory nerve fibers. Through the pudendal nerve they enter the S2-4 nerve roots to terminate on spinal neurons and interneurons. The dorsal nerve is not purely somatic, however. Nerve bundles within the dorsal nerve contain nitric oxide (NO) synthase, found typically in autonomic nerves, and stimulation of the sympathetic chain can leak to evoked potentials from the dorsal nerve and vice versa (10-12).
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is commonly called impotence. It’s a condition in which a man can’t achieve or maintain an erection during sexual performance. Symptoms may also include reduced sexual desire or libido. Your doctor is likely to diagnose you with ED if the condition lasts for more than a few weeks or months. ED affects as many as 30 million men in the United States.
ED can also occur as a side effect of some medications, for example some high blood pressure medications such as certain diuretics and beta blockers. If you think that a medication you are taking has a negative effect on your sex life, you should discuss this with your prescribing doctor. Your doctor may be able to recommend an alternative treatment.
"Sexual relations are not only an important part of people's wellbeing. From a clinical point of view, the inability of some men to perform sexually can also be linked to a range of other health problems, many of which can be debilitating or potentially fatal," says Professor Gary Wittert, Head of the Discipline of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and Director of the University's Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health.
Patients at high cardiovascular risk should not be treated for ED until their cardiac condition is stabilize. These conditions include unstable or refractory angina, myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident within the past 2 weeks, uncontrolled hypertension, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification III-IV congestive heart failure, high-risk arrhythmias, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathies, and moderate-to-severe valvular disease.25 This class of drugs is also contraindicated in patients who use nitroglycerin or nitrate-containing compounds.26, 27
Cialis is available in three strengths: 5mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg. Cialis can work in 30 minutes, but peak results usually take longer. Cialis has the advantage of a much longer period (24-36 hours) during which sexual ability is increased. The newest formulation of Cialis is the 5 mg dosage for daily use. The major advantage of daily dosing is that it allows for spontaneous sexual activity.
If you have a neurological disorder or spinal cord injury and other erectile dysfunction treatments aren’t effective, two types of surgical implants could offer solutions to your ED. “An implantable pump can be used to manually create an erection by pumping fluid into cylinders placed inside the penis,” explains Feloney. “The other option is a malleable prosthesis that works like a gooseneck lamp to direct the penis into position for intercourse." Risks for these ED treatments include infection and mechanical breakdown.
Watts and coworkers, in their review article, make several points about this ED/CAD nexus. Endothelial dysfunction is present in both CVD and ED, and is linked through the NO mechanism. The authors note that PDE5 inhibitors improve endothelial function and have a salutary effect on both CVD and ED. Both ED and cardiac disease respond to modifications in lifestyle as well as pharmacologic manipulation. These authors also report that the presence of ED gives the clinician an opportunity to assess CVD and prevention as well.20
While pills for ED are convenient, some men sustain stronger erections by injecting medication directly into the penis. Drugs approved for this purpose work by widening the blood vessels, causing the penis to become engorged with blood. Another option is inserting a medicated pellet into the urethra. The pellet can trigger an erection within 10 minutes.