SMOKING

[dioporcolorisolvo]

Hi, can cigarettes worsen peyronie's disease?
Must i stop to smoke?

[love]

Yes, smoking can definitely make it worse. You might want to consider a smoking cessation aid like Bupropion.  

[chefcasey]

I would say smoking can and will eventually make erection quality worse, but not your Peyronies Disease. Remember, Peyronies Disease is scar tissue in the penis, quitting smoking won't get rid of that anymore than quitting smoking would help with a scar on your skin, and if it eases the insane stress this disease can put on you, I say dont worry about it.  

[skunkworks]

Smoking impairs wound healing, definitely not something you want to be doing if you have Peyronie's.

Do worry about it.

[Worried Guy]

Chef I would say that is not correct and that smoking impedes the bodies ability to heal.  There have been studies which suggest that smokers are at higher risk of developing peyronies.  

[chefcasey]

Look guys, all I'm saying is that its just plain wrong to think that quitting smoking is going to "heal" your Peyronies Disease any better. That's the problem with Peyronies Disease, you've already healed, its just that when you healed, your body replaced normal tissue with scar tissue. That scar tissue is not going away, unless perhaps with xiaflex. You can stretch it out, make it softer, remold it, but its there for good, just like any other scar in your body. Yes smoking is terrible for you, yes it will eventually kill your erections, but quitting will not make you heal from Peyronies Disease. I quit right after I was diagnosed, and I saw absolutely no change, reduction in pain, or halting of progression.  

[George999]

I would certainly disagree with the "That scar tissue is not going away, unless perhaps with xiaflex." part.  Scar tissue *CAN* go away.  I have experienced it myself in other parts of my body.  I have old superficial scars that were pretty prominent and now they feel like ordinary skin.  I am convinced that it is the natural course of healing for scar tissue to go away.  There is a metabolic problem that prevents that from helping and smoking is *not* going to help that metabolic problem to be resolved.  For sure the problem is many fold and simply quitting smoking is not going to fix it.  BUT, quitting smoking is a step in the right direction and combined with multiple other steps can indeed help Peyronie's to heal.  I certainly admit that I have no proof of that assertion, but I am extremely convinced that it is true and I apply that logic in my own case which is probably why I am doing so well and have no problem with Peyronie's anymore even though technically it is not completely healed, but it is so much better than it was, its unbelievable.  - George

[skunkworks]

its there for good, just like any other scar in your body.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10098440 - Striking regression of subcutaneous fibrosis induced by high doses of gamma rays using a combination of pentoxifylline and alpha-tocopherol: an experimental study.

[newguy]

I would say that smoking is going to generally make your health worse over time and isn't a good idea. Even if it does make peyronie's disease worse I'd be more worried about the lungs.  

[newguy]

its there for good, just like any other scar in your body.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10098440 - Striking regression of subcutaneous fibrosis induced by high doses of gamma rays using a combination of pentoxifylline and alpha-tocopherol: an experimental study.

Hmm, interesting. What do others makes of this one? Pentox alone didn't seem to help. That seems to go against what we tend to think. Should we be adding alpha-tocopherol back into the mix, or do we think theres some kind of issue or problem with this study? I know that this combo has been successful before, but I had effectively convinced myself, rightly or wrongly, that I should drop vitamin E.

[Skjaldborg]

Smoking causes vascular constriction and thus reduces blood flow to your body. While it may not directly affect stabilized Peyronie's, it will worsen ED problems and possibly leave you susceptible to further injury.

Quit smoking. There's not much that we can control about this disease but this is one of them.

-Skjald  

[Worried Guy]

For me, peyronies has highlighted that I'm not indestructible and without my health I actually have nothing.  I'm going to be looking at all aspects of my lifestyle from now on.  That includes drinking, exercise and so on.  I've not touched a cigarette for 10 years and peyronies has helped clarify that I need to change a few things.

[tmwstw]

If you are going to have surgery, Yes, you should stop smoking for better healing. If not, a few cigs are not going to make it better nor worse. The scars or plaques are already there, smoking is not going to change anything. It might worsen your ED in a long run, but again it's not like you're gonna go limp after smoking 1 cigarette. My point is stop if you can, but if you have to smoke 1 or 2, dont beat yourself up in the head thinking "OHH i just messed my dick up" .. My opinion.

[Ben]

I have stopped tobacco for several weeks to see the impact on ED. Almost the same. I was talking about tobacco with my uro and he said that smoking can cause ED after 20 years of use.

Also there is smoking and smoking a lot and smoking too much....
There are several drugs which can aggravate ED like :

alcool / cannabis / benzodiazepines / cocaine and speed / anti-depressant / BZD and non BZD hypnotics / antipsychotics / Hypertension medecines / Opiates (strong painkillers)

The worst are those which triggers vasoconstriction for hours. Stimulants can really worsen peyronie in one night.

[skunkworks]

I have stopped tobacco for several weeks to see the impact on ED. Almost the same. I was talking about tobacco with my uro and he said that smoking can cause ED after 20 years of use.

Also there is smoking and smoking a lot and smoking too much....

There are several drugs which can aggravate ED like :

alcool

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed - Alcohol consumption and erectile dysfunction: meta-analysis of population-based

Alcohol is long regarded as a risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED), but epidemiological evidence has been equivocal. We aimed to investigate the ED risk associated with various levels of alcohol consumption by meta-analysis. We searched for population-based studies on ED through Medline, PubMed, PsychInfo, and scanned through reference lists. Eleven cross-sectional studies were included and analyzed with random effects model. We reviewed the results from one cross-sectional study and two cohort studies. Regular alcohol consumption was negatively associated with ED (odds ratio (OR)=0.79; 99% confidence interval (CI), 0.67-0.92; P<0.001). Consumption of 8 or more drinks/week significantly reduced the risk of ED (OR=0.85; 99% CI, 0.73-0.99; P=0.007), but consumption of less alcohol (1-7 drinks/week) was not significant (OR=0.73; 99% CI, 0.44, 1.20; P=0.101). Begg's test and Egger's test detected no significant publication bias. Our estimates (in sensitivity analyses) were rendered nonsignificant when International Index of Erectile Function definition was used and when statistical adjustment was made only for age. Meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies yielded a protective association of alcohol on ED, but the two cohort studies did not demonstrate any significant findings for alcohol consumption. More research is needed to confirm whether alcohol is protective or is unrelated to ED development.

[Skjaldborg]

Ben,

Booze is a vasodialator by the way. Moderate alcohol consumption should not be included with tobacco as a cause for ED. Obviously binge drinking can cause acute failure to achieve erection while severely intoxicated but the mechanism is different than chronic ED.

Moderation, moderation, moderation.

-Skjald

[ComeBacKid]

Avoid cigs like the plague.  On a recent vacation, with a relative smoking in the vehicle we were traveling to on vacation I ended up in the ER with extremely tight chest muscles I thought I was having a heart attack.  The final diagnosis from the ER doctor?  No heart attack, tightening chest muscles mistakened for a heart attack due to the smoke in the car causing my muscles to inflame.  The window was down to so most of the smoke got sucked out like a vaccum.  Cig smoke can be real bad for the heart, and veins and arteries, avoid it like the plague.  I don't smoke and am glad they banned indoor smoking in my state, I no longer have to tolerate people's second hand smoke in my favorite restaurants.  I could definitely see cig smoke making peyronies worse over the long run, a little second hand smoke won't kill you, but if your a smoker, I would definitely try to quit and avoid hanging out with smokers commonly.

Comebackid

[MattF]

In my case, no question that smoking cigarettes is what started the Peyronie's nightmare.

Never smoked my whole life but on 11/4/10, I started smoking. Within 6 months, I had a bent penis, compliments of constant tobacco use.

I took Chantix and broke the bad habit.

[swolf]

I smoked as a teenager, up until my first onset of Peyronie's at about age 20-21. I'm still planning on posting my history to the relevant section, but basically I had a sudden and not very drastic change in my penis that came on quickly and was almost immediately stable. I almost don't even really remember it appearing, one day it just... was there. (This was a narrowing of the distal end of my penis, which still filled out about 95% during erections, so I just thought it was a product of a lot of masturbation... which it basically was.) I don't often think of this, but yes, it very roughly coincided with when I smoked.

An illness at age 21 that lasted at least two years made me quit smoking, drinking, etc, and clean up my life drastically. I didn't eat sugar for two years, my diet was very 'clean,' etc. Besides very sporadically, I still did not smoke or drink till about 25-26, when I drank for a very short while, then quit again. The end of 2010/much of 2011 ended up being a horrible time for me and I resumed drinking and smoking out of desperation, though I knew it was horrible for me. My problems were mainly anxiety that I could not shake. It was during this time that I believe Peyronie's began to appear again, though it wasn't really until the latter half of 2011, after I had toned down my drinking to almost nothing and completely quit smoking, that it began to be apparent.

The combination of debilitating anxiety, excessive alcohol for a matter of months, and smoking (again, for some number of months, I'm not sure how many) were absolutely what brought on the condition for me, along with whatever underlying factors there were. I think diet played a part in it too - I have stopped eating dairy and gluten since the beginning of 2012 and feel much better for it.

I don't think smoking specifically was the main cause of the two onsets for me, but it is certainly a terrible thing for your health. The toxins from cigarettes reach every part of your body through the bloodstream, and who knows what chemicals are in them these days.

EDIT: Forgot to add for context that I am 28 y/o now.

[George999]

Smoking certainly has nasty effects on the vascular system and that would certainly contribute mightily to the potential to develop Peyronie's.  - George

[james1947]

I agree 100% with George:

Smoking certainly has nasty effects on the vascular system and that would certainly contribute mightily to the potential to develop Peyronie's.

. I was maybe changing the "would" to "could".

I am not an advocate of smoking but saying the that smoking make Peyronie's? From my experience, I don't think so.
I was a heavy smoker for many years and quit in April 2001. My Peyronie's started January 2009. Based on that, I should conclude that quitting smoking caused my Peyronie's, no?

Smoking may be a contributory factor. Also smoking 6 months is really very short time.

James  

[swolf]

I don't think smoking was the primary cause for me, though I can't speak for MattF or anyone else, but I don't think the effect should be underestimated. I think it's one of those things where the dangers are so numerous that it's hard to pinpoint any one precise effect smoking has on you -- it is just a total attack on your health from multiple angles. Smoking always felt like a yoke around my neck and I believe it to be one of the worst things I've done to my body. A few quick quotes from the 'Health effects of tobacco' page on Wikipedia:

"Smoke contains several carcinogenic pyrolytic products that bind to DNA and cause many genetic mutations."
also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cigarette_smoke_carcinogens

"Incidence of impotence is approximately 85 percent higher in male smokers compared to non-smokers,  and is a key factor causing erectile dysfunction (ED)."
references:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15146084
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15924009

"Smoking causes impotence because it promotes arterial narrowing."
reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15753970

Not to mention its effects on your heart, lungs, etc, which would in turn affect your whole body like dominoes being knocked over. It also tends to cause more stress than it relieves.

[George999]

I agree with james and sw.  Its definitely not the primary factor, but it certainly tips the scales in a way that it can be a make or break factor when combined with the primary factor (which I believe is USUALLY blood sugar/insulin metabolic dysfunction) AND all the other potential factors.  - George