Yes Regardless of the cause that causes, most cases can be treated. Currently available treatment options should be tailored to each patient.
Is there a cure for erectile dysfunction?
Healing depends on the cause or causes that provoked. In the event that is due to psychological causes such as stress or depression, treatment can help to solve it. When is due to neurological causes or pathologies such as hypertension or diabetes, the drugs can effectively treat.
What treatments are available today?
Depending on the cause of erectile dysfunction treatment is recommended psychological, medical or surgical treatment. In all cases, apply hygiene measures may reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction: abandon bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking, setting diets to correct metabolic disorders, or change a medication you are taking. In some conditions these medications are necessary, but generally can be replaced by others with fewer side effects on erections.
When do you need psychological treatment?
Psychological factors should be addressed in all patients with erectile dysfunction, which can be both the cause of it, as those responsible for its maintenance, but the basic problem is organic. Can be addressed by a psychologist, psychiatrist or other physician specialists with knowledge of patterns of psychological treatment.
What is the psychological treatment?
Basically it is based on changing attitudes that help maintain erectile dysfunction. Through the rehabilitation of the patient’s sexual behavior and your partner try to reduce the level of anxiety. The goal is for the erection and penetration are an element of sexual intercourse, and not the key to success or failure in sexual intercourse. On many occasions in the sexual anxiety is caused by an organic problem, which effectively treated the anxiety will disappear.
What is hormone treatment?
In those cases where the cause of erectile dysfunction is the decrease in testosterone levels, the administration of this hormone by injection or patches are restored makes adequate blood levels for proper sexual functioning.
My testosterone blood levels are normal, what I can take testosterone?
No. When testosterone levels are decreased, treatment with hormone supplements is not only beneficial but that could become harmful.
What other drugs currently available for treating erectile dysfunction?
Greater knowledge of the mechanism of erection has allowed the research and development of effective drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. There are now drugs that can be administered orally, intraurethral or intracavernous.
How do intracavernous administration of drugs?
Drug administration intracavernosally involves injecting a small gauge needle at the base of the penis, a given dose of the drug. The drug activates the normal processes that initiate and sustain an erection spontaneously. Once the doctor has been determined in consultation the appropriate dose for each patient, the patient can be trained in the technique of injection to enable it to administer the drug at home. The patient is injected ten or fifteen minutes before sexual intercourse and the dose is adjusted so that the erection lasts about an hour. The duration of erection should never exceed four hours, and if this happens, the patient should seek immediate medical attention. Some patients experience pain in the penis during erection and there is a small risk that long-term injury scar reaches inside the penis. Papaverine was the first drug that was used for intracavernous treatment has also been used and combined with phentolamine and alprostadil. Alprostadil (Caverject ®) is the only drug marketed in our country for intracavernosal administration, the most used around the world for its effectiveness and safety.
What is transurethral therapy?
The system MUSE ® (Medicated Urethral System for Erection) is designed for topical application of alprostadil into the penis through the urethra. This treatment involves inserting a small plastic cylinder into the urethra (urine canal), through which the medication is administered. It is important to urinate in advance before the introduction of the cylinder, since the urine acts as a lubricant and facilitates the absorption of the drug to produce an erection. Erection takes between ten and fifteen minutes in place and the drug is effective in 43% of patients. Its application is often accompanied by itching of the urethra. There have also been small hemorrhages in the urinary tract in 5% of men. The use of condoms when the woman is pregnant or are likely to occur in pregnancy. This drug is not marketed in our country.
Is there an oral treatment?
In recent years several drugs have been developed for oral administration. The first was the Sildenafil (Viagra ®), which belongs to a group of drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5. Subsequently, also belonging to this group of drugs have appeared tadalafil (Cialis ®) and vardenafil (Levitra ®). These drugs act at the peripheral level by promoting the accumulation of a substance that produces relaxation of muscle fibers and the arteries that carry blood to the penis. The result is an influx of blood, which improves and maintains the erection. The onset of effect varies, depending on the drug, between 20 and 60 minutes. As the duration of effect may be, also depending on the drug, between 4 and 24 hours. These drugs are contraindicated especially in cardiac patients taking treatment with nitrites or nitrates. Another drug is apomorphine (Uprima ®). Apomorphine is administered sublingually 20 minutes before intercourse. The substance acts on the central nervous system. One possible advantage is that it can be taken safely by patients with stable angina are treated with nitrates.
All these drugs can have side effects and contraindications, so they must be prescribed by your doctor. If you are a subsidiary to be treated with oral drugs, your specialist will tell you the most appropriate in your case.
What other treatments are available?
The suction or vacuum devices are another treatment option. It consists of a plastic cylinder in which the penis is inserted and fixed to the body with a lubricating substance to create an airtight space. After activating a mechanism (manual or electric) is causing a vacuum which produces a suction effect of the penis that causes it to swell with blood. Having gained the rigidity of the penis is placed an elastic constrictor ring at the base of the penis, thus preventing blood from escaping and remove the cylinder. It is a safe method provided the ring is not left in place longer than 30 minutes and ensures erection until it is removed. In cases where other treatments do not work and surgery is contemplated as a solution, these devices can be a good alternative.
What surgical treatments are applied in the ED?
Surgery may be an effective solution in some cases, but should be the last treatment option, once they have failed non-invasive treatments. Basically we can speak of arterial surgery, venous surgery and implantation of penile prostheses.
When surgery is indicated pressure?
It is recommended for young patients who have suffered an accident that has affected the normal blood supply. The goal of surgery is to increase the flow and pressure of blood within the penis. The technique involves attaching a normal artery (usually the abdomen) to an artery of the penis and thus create a ‘by-pass’ or an alternative path for the entry of blood into the penis, bypassing the arterial blockage.
When venous surgery is indicated?
This type of surgery that was very popular in the past, is considered ineffective today, except in highly selected patients. Involves tying off or removing penile veins similar to the technique used in the treatment of varicose veins.
What is penile prosthesis?
The most common surgical treatment is the implantation of prostheses. In this procedure that is done is to introduce into the corpora cavernosa of the penis two plastic cylinders that provide rigidity to the penis. There are several types of dentures, but they provide an erection are similar to the so-called physiological hydraulics, which have a mechanism to inflate and deflate, and provide a state of flaccidity and erection quite natural. Although implants carry the risk of infection (especially in diabetic patients or in patients with low defenses) are minimal mechanical failure and complications less frequent.