Best Erectile Dysfunction Treatment
For Men With Peyronie's
There are number of erectile dysfunction treatments available to men with Peyronie's disease. Meaning they have a good chance of overcoming their erection problems with the right treatment.
What is the best treatment for you depends on your condition and the underlying reason for your erectile problems.
The most common treatments for erectile dysfunction are:
Treating Underlying Health Conditions
There are physical causes behind 80-90% of all Erectile Dysfunction cases. The first thing your doctor should therefore do is to look for any underlying health problem that may be causing your erection problems.
Treating the underlying health problem may be enough to resolve the erectile problems. For example by controlling high blood pressure or optimizing blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes.
It is though not always as simple as that. Treating the underlying health problem may require medication that can interfere with your erection health. Then some treatment for erectile dysfunction may be necessary.
Men with Peyronie's disease (and actually all men) should check any medication they take for side effects. If erectile dysfunction is listed as possible side effect, then ask your doctor about possible replacements.
Hormone Therapy to Treat erectile Dysfunction
Hormones regulate the functions in our body. Testosterone is a hormone made in the testes. Low level of testosterone can reduce the libido and affect the ability to develop and sustain an erection. One study showed 74.4% of all Peyronie's patients to have low testosterone level.
Dr. Khera believes low testosterone level could be contributing cause to Peyronie's disease. He recommends his Peyronie's patients to have their testosterone levels checked before starting any Peyronie's treatment.
Low testosterone treatment includes injections every 2 to 3 weeks, or testosterone patches. Men should not take testosterone without liaising with their doctor, as there are some notable potential side effects.
Lifestyle Changes
Smoking and excessive use of alcohol or drugs may cause erection problems. If any of this applies to you, then you may want to stop smoking / using drugs and curtail your alcohol consumption in order to improve your erectile health.
Healthy balanced diet and regular exercise is also recommended for good erectile function (as overall health).
Psychological Treatment For Erectile Dysfunction
Physical causes are believed to be behind 80-90% of erectile dysfunction cases. That however leaves sizeable 10-20% with psychological causes. Psychological treatment may be required for those individuals.
Actually erectile problems are often the combination of both. What may start as a physical erection problem (e.g. diabetes) can make men nervous about not getting, or be able to maintain, an erection… which would make it a psychological erectile dysfunction.
Psychological treatment can also benefit men with physical erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease are stressful experiences and can result in depression and relationship issues.
Psychological therapy can also benefit the couples. It can help them to improve their intimacy and adjust to the changes in their sex life.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises
Various studies have shown that pelvic floor exercises for men (also known as Kegel exercises) can be effective for men suffering from erectile dysfunction.
“After 6 months, blind assessment showed that 40% of men had regained normal erectile function, 35.5% improved but 24.5% failed to improve.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that pelvic floor exercises should be considered as a first-line approach for men seeking long-term resolution of their erectile dysfunction” (BJU Int. 2005)
Kegel exercises for men may also help with premature ejaculation, dribbling after urinating and improve the quality of orgasm.
It therefore seems obvious that all men should learn how to perform Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises. They are free, easy to do, have no known side effects, have various penile health benefits and can easily be combined with most other erectile dysfunction treatments.
Oral Erectile Dysfunction Treatments
In recent years, oral medication has become popular treatment for erectile dysfunction. Who has not heard about Viagra?
Viagra only became available in 1998 but it is one of three PDE5 inhibitors that are currently approved as erectile dysfunction treatment:
- Sildenafil (brand names Viagra, Revatio)
- Vardenafil (brand names Levitra, Staxyn)
- Tadalafil (brand name Cialis)
PDE5 inhibitors (phosphodiesterase-5) work by blocking the PDE-5 enzyme and help the smooth muscles of the penis to relax and increase the blood flow to the penis when men become sexually aroused. PDE5 inhibitors only work when men are sexually aroused, i.e. they do not help with low libido.
It is important to bear in mind that PDE5 inhibitors do not cure erectile dysfunction. The erection problems still exists, you have to take a dose every time you want to have sexual intercourse.
PDE5 inhibitors are not suitable for everyone. Certain medical condition and medication can prevent men from taking them so always check with your doctor if interested in oral erectile dysfunction treatment. Also, make sure you only buy them from a reputable supplier.
PDE5 inhibitors can be convenient choice for men in good health that do not have conditions that prevent them taking them. Various studies have shown them to work for 70-80% of men with erectile dysfunction (Pfizer 
). Men that do not respond to PDE5 inhibitors may have low testosterone.
However, for those that don't like taking medication on prolonged basis, then penis vacuum pump may be something for them.
Penis Vacuum Pump (VED)
Vacuum erection device (VED) or erectile dysfunction pumps are another popular treatment for erectile dysfunction. Vacuum pumps are easy to use, they are cost effective (one-off investment) and they have been shown to be very effective to help men to achieve firm erection (in 80-90% of cases).
There are several types of penis vacuum pumps available but all work on the same principle.
The erectile dysfunction pump is placed over the penis to create blood flow. The pump sucks out the air from the container to create a vacuum, causing the blood to be drawn into specific tissues of the penis, which causes erection to occur.
Rubber band is then placed at the base of the erected penis to maintain the erection and allow sexual intercourse to take place (the rubber band must be removed within 30 minutes).
Various clinical studies have shown vacuum erection devices to be very effective as erectile dysfunction treatment.
“clinical success rate is approximately 90%... A recently reported survey of 5,847 vacuum users showed that 83.5% of patients continue to use the device for intercourse as desired” (World J Urol. 1997)
“A number of reports have cited satisfaction rates above 80%. This treatment has been shown to result in definite improvement in erection hardness, increase in frequency of sex and increase in overall sexual satisfaction. Increased satisfaction for the partner has also been demonstrated” (Cornell Urology)
Penile pumps are generally considered safe device but unfortunately they are not suitable for every Peyronie's patient.
Vacuum therapy is not recommended for men with severe penis curvature as the straight tube may exert too much stress on the curved penis, resulting in trauma to the already bent penis shaft.
So make sure you read my article about using Penis Vacuum Pump To Treat Peyronie's Disease before opting for erectile dysfunction pump.
For those that qualify for this type of erectile dysfunction treatment, I recommend the Androvacuum penis pump.
Androvacuum is manufactured as a medical device. It has limited and controlled amount of pressure within the recommended limit, but the pressure should not exceed 200-250 mmHg. Androvacuum has been shown to be very effective for treating erectile dysfunction / improving erectile health.
See my Androvacuum Review for more information.
Erectile Dysfunction Injections
There are number of drugs that can be used to achieve erection, e.g. Papaverine Hydrochloride, Prostaglandin E1 (Alprostadil) and Phentolamine. Combination of drugs is normally used for maximum efficacy and minimal complications.
If interested in this option then you MUST see a doctor and he will teach you how to inject the medicine correctly into the penis.
The injected drug increases the blood flow and causes erection, usually within 15 minutes. An erection will occur whether you are sexually aroused or not (unlike when taking oral medication like Viagra). This is why doctors use this when they need their patient to have an erection for physical examination purposes.
Possible side effect of erectile dysfunction injections is priapism, a persistent and often painful erection that can last for several hours. The injections can also be painful and cause scarring of the penis.
Erectile dysfunction injections have good success rate (around 80%) but PDE5 inhibitors are now much more popular option. Oral medication is not only more convenient. It also has less potential side effects.
Penis Surgery To Treat Erectile Dysfunction
Penis surgery as erectile dysfunction treatment is about reconstructing the arteries in order to increase the blood flow to the penis or to block veins that drain blood from the penis.
Penis Implant Surgery however includes implanting device that enables the penis to become erect. The implant is an inflatable device (prostheses) that allows you to control when and for how long you have an erection, i.e. gives men firm erection on demand.
It is important to bear in mind that penis implant surgery is a non-reversible operation. You will not be able to achieve natural erection after having penis implant surgery.
Penis implant surgery should be considered as the last options, i.e. only used if other erectile dysfunction treatments have not worked. This is because of the high risk involved with any penis surgery and the permanent nature of this surgical procedure.
Potential side effects include infection, implant malfunction, device migration, device erosion, and auto inflation. Penis prosthesis can also damage the penis tissues and decrease the sensation in the penis, i.e. cause penis numbness.
Natural Remedies As Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction
Some men prefer to use natural remedies for erectile dysfunction. There is little or no scientific evidence that natural remedies for erectile dysfunction work. It does not automatically mean they don't work, it just means there is little evidence for their efficacy and safety (or not).
Natural remedies for erectile dysfunction include:
- L-Arginine
- Herbal Viagra
- Korean Red Ginseng (Panax Ginseng)
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Bear in mind that some natural ingredients may interfere with other medications. So always liaise with your doctor before using any natural remedies for erectile dysfunction (especially if you have any chronic health problems).
Complementary Therapies
Some men prefer so called complementary / unconventional / alternative therapies. Others like to use them in conjunction with more conventional treatments, while others consider them all as total waste of time and money.
Examples of complementary erectile dysfunction treatment include heat therapy, acupuncture, reiki, aromatherapy, reflexology, spiritual healing, chiropractic, naturopathy, relaxation techniques and so on.
The bottom line is that there is very little or no evidence that complementary therapies works (or not). In some cases, they can include ingredients that could interact with other medications and cause serious side effects so always check with your doctor prior to adding complementary therapies to your erectile dysfunction treatment plan.
