ED - Erectile Dysfunction (Started August 2005)

[Hawk]

Causes, treatments, medications, and techniques associated with erectile dysfunction
Share your experiences.

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator      Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005      9:19 am    

Most men with high blood pressure know that 'nasal decongestants can raise blood pressure'. Most men that take Viagra know it can lower blood pressure, even dangerously so. This is one more example of how decongestants and drugs like Viagra work as antagonists to each other. I am surprised more on this is not dispensed to the public since this is information that all doctors accept as fact. An antidote for prolonged erection (priapism) is 4 Sudafed. If this fails to reduce a prolonged erection the next level of intervention is a neosynephrine injection into the cavernosa. Neosynephrine is a vaso suppressor. It actually works by activating the adrenalin receptors. Adrenalin receptors constrict the blood vessels. I am told that it works instantly. I know that sudafed works because I have had priapism and used sudafed intervention more than once.

This brings up another ED point. Adrenaline is a strong direct antagonist to an erection. You may have no anxiety about your understanding spouse of 40 years, and scoff at "performance anxiety", but if you are anxious or stressed about whether your penis will be able to get erect, will it be more curved than before, will it be painful, or any such thing, your body can produce adrenalin as a result. The adrenalin activates these same receptors that cause an involuntary constriction of the blood vessels and your penis WILL shut down. Decongestants and adrenaline are two of the many things that you should try to avoid if you have ED problems. Unless you ask however, your doctor, even the good ones, are not likely to mention this. The final "Catch 22" is that the more you worry about producing adrenaline, the more you are likely to produce it.

[Old Forum]

Joshua, Global Moderator        Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005       8:46 pm    

I strongly suggest:Large doses of L-arginine(alpha-ketoglutarate) I suggest 5 grams 2.5 mid afternoon and 2.5 one hour before sex

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator     Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005               12:09 am    

I wonder if there is anyone without high blood pressure that gets decent erections that would like to waste one for an experiment? Since 4 red Sudafed kill an erection from bimix injections, it would be interesting to confirm that they interfere with an erection from any source. I am sure they do.

The experiment: Take 4 Sudafed on a fairly empty stomach. Wait 30 minutes and do whatever to obtain an erection. Note whether your erection quality is diminished. If your partner gets mad, tell her it was for science.

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator       Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005        12:22 am  

I am not sure how well this is known in these circles but the general population of men associate erection and orgasm because the one always precedes the other in a healthy male. The fact is that there is no connection between the two. Any individual several weeks after prostate surgery will tell you that erection ability is likely to be zero. Orgasm however can be even more intense than it was pre-surgery.

I was stunned the first time I leaned that there is no connection. I was more stunned the first time I ever experienced it, not only is this a interesting fact, It illustrates that a sex life in some form, is almost always possible.

[Old Forum]

dcaptain          Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005        9:18 pm    

A question to get everyone's opinion:

In the acute phase of Peyronies Disease, do you think it hurts or helps to have increased sexual activity? I can't tell if I'm doing more damage or helping the cause. I know this has come up before but I'd love to hear everyone's personal opinion.

[Old Forum]

joshuaPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:12 am  

dcaptain wrote:

In the acute phase of Peyronies Disease, do you think it hurts or helps to have increased sexual activity? I can't tell if I'm doing more damage or helping the cause. I know this has come up before but I'd love to hear everyone's personal opinion.

Dcaptain:
This is a very good and a very smart question. I wish I would have thought about that question when I was in that phase. I have an opinion to share and my own Drs Opinion.

I think it is vital NOT to engage in intercourse/masturbation during the inflammation/acute phase of Peyronies Disease. I think it causes more damage. If I had it to do over and know what I now know about Peyronies Disease, I would avoid erections, use ice packs, and swallow ibuprofen all in the effort to keep the inflammation/damage to a bare minimum during this dangerous phase in Peyronies Disease.

My Dr made a great statement, "that if it hurts do NOT do it." Pain is the body's way to make you avoid something.

This is also where I disagree with Old Man about his VED use. I think the ved should not be used during this phase. He feels it is somewhat safe if done"safely".

If you are going to have sex during this phase , please be very very careful. It seems like at this stage of Peyronies Disease any little sexual mishap will end in a brand new piece of plaque.

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator    Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005      8:37 am    

I will post more on this later. For now I just say that Dr. Mulhall who is possibly the most identified name associated with Peyronies Disease treatment would disagree. In fact he specifically iinsisted that I continue to inject bimix into my penis 2 - 3 times per week for erections.

After careful consideration and research I made it clear I would not do that. My refusal was based more on the potential damage from the needle and the mixture itself than because I wanted to avoid erections.

Infact I take Viagra in an attempt to get as much of an erection as possible.

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator    Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005     10:30 pm    

I have covered my dilemma with needing to induce erection in the 24 months after prostate surgery to induce nerve growth and maintain healthy penile tissue. For the first 12 months 100 mg Viagra did NOTHING for me. Now (15 months post op) Viagra gets me sooooooo close to a usable erection. In fact, it is slightly better than a stuffable erection. I started getting night-time erections (NTE) at about 12 months but very sporadic unless I was sleeping through them, and I was so aware I would check in my sleep.

Strangely my Night Time Erections (NTE) with no Viagra are as good as my 100 mg Viagra erections. Also strangely, if I awake with one it dies with in 2 minutes of waking up. My only explanation is anxiety based adrenalin kicking in, but that is difficult to accept..

I take 33 mg (1/3 tab) of Viagra nightly, not for erections but because Dr. Mulhall and others say it stimulates nerve growth. Well the dilemma is that I quit the magic bimix injections that I think caused my Peyronies Disease. So, I have to figure out how to get 3 intercourse-quality erections per week for nerve growth. Due to cost and other concerns 33 mg of Viagra 6 nights a week and 100 mg 1 night a week is all I care to take. Since NTE count as well, I just got my GP to prescribe Trazadone - (Desyrel) 25 mg per nite. It is an antidepressant / sleep aid. The smallest pill is 50mg so this is a low dose. I do have some mild depression but I am taking it for the side effect of prolonged, inappropriate or painful erection (priapism).

At this stage, I have no clue what an inappropriate erection would be. If I had one at church I would probably jump up and make an announcement. I have first hand information from a very knowledgeable source that this drug causes a lot of NTE activity thus obviating the need for the injections. The good part is the cost. This is a whopping $1.08 for a months supply.

I will keep you posted. I just took my first pill.

[Old Forum]

bob        Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005      8:30 am    

Hawk,

I had a major depressive episode in 1989 after my girlfriend broke up with me... right after sex. But that's another story for another day!

I became a zombie from not sleeping properly for three months. I read up like crazy on tranquilizers and antidepressants. I was like a zombie after not sleeping properly for months. I remember trazodone was the first of a new class of drugs at the time - this was before Prozac and all the others. There were some wierd side effects listed for it, one of which was something called "retrogade ejaculation."

It sounded like something to steer clear of.

My MD went through a bunch of different meds and the one that finally gave me rest was Elavil.

What is a "stuffable" erection and how is it usuitable?

Bob

[Old Forum]

Old Man        Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005       11:35 am    


Bob:
Hawkman:

Read your posts with great interest. I too went through the depressed stages during my 20s when Peyronies Disease first hit. My family doctor who was a first cousin told me that using drugs like that would cause me more problems especially later in life. So, I refused to take them when more than one doctor highly recommended them.
Of course, they have their place in true deep depressive patients, but if one can stay away from them, the better off they will be, etc.

Also, most of these drugs have very bad sexual side effects. The main one being that they lower the blood pressure and that in turn prevents a good natural erection. After my prostate cancer left me totally impotent, I used Viagra 100 mg tablets which gave me prolonged erections and I had to use antihistimine type drugs to relieve them so as to not caust priapism. These drugs are sometimes used for depression. I soon learned to leave them off as it precluded erections for quite a number of days.

The above is furnished only as what happened in my case. What happens for others is based on their physical situation.

Old Man

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator   Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005      12:47 pm    

bob:
What is a "stuffable" erection and how is it unsuitable?

Bob

A stuffable erection is one rigid enough to stuff in but it really is not suitable for hands free intercourse. This is probably not a strict medical term
ED doctors usual measure erections on a scale of 1 to 10 with 6 being suitable for normal intercourse and 10 being the best erection you ever had at any age. Stuffable would be at a 5.

In response to Bob and Old Man, I am convinced from research, personal experience, and doctor recommendations that getting blood flow to the tissues regularly during the first 18 to 24 months post prostatectomy is critical in regrowing damaged nerves and maintaining healthy erectile tissue. Nature tries to keep us functional with NTE several times during every sleep cycle. These erections pull oxygen rich blood to the penis and the entire prostate capsule area where the unseen part of the penis is hidden from view. This is the area where the nerves controlling blood flow get damaged during a prostatectomy.

My personal view is that Viagra is extremely safe for anyone without heart or high blood pressure problems.

As far as trazodone (Desylrel) is concerned , I am taking it at less than half of a minimum dose a prescribed for depression.. I do have some low grade depression on some days but it is very manageable. I am not taking trazodone for depression but for the side effect of nocturnal erections to keep the blood flowing in order to obviate the need for ED injections.

My preliminary repot based on 1/2 of a tablet on one night, is that I had more NTE's last night then any time since my prostatectomy surgery. My evaluation may be skewed because I have been working on the web site very late and I am too tired to make an assessment when I am in a fog in the middle of the night.

IF trazodone does continue giving me night time erections for one dollar and eight cents a month, I see no significant risk issues. Normal dosage ranges from 75 to 400 mg per day. I take 25 mg per day right before bedtime.

Last night's dose was the best 3 cents I ever spent  

Now to give credit where credit is due. Kid from the APDA shared the trazodone information with me a couple months ago. I have never heard or read it any place else. I think anyone that knows Kid will vouch, that when it comes to Peyronies Disease experts outside of the medical field, he probably has few superiors. Based on his information, i approached my Family Doctor who is a GREAT doctor.
He prescribed a less than minimal dose for 1 month.

[Old Forum]

bob          Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005       8:46 am    

Thanks for the clarification, and there have been a number of occasions when my wife has needed to "stuff" me - all since the onset of my Peyronies Disease. It was actually Pat in Dr. Mulhall's office who delicately informed me that my drug-induced erection was less than optimal. This was after that god-awful injection they give you to make you hard for a sonogram. (And this was even after the two shots I needed. Pat was going to give me a third, but Dr. M said my erection was workable for the purposes of the sonogram.)

I read with interest Old Man's post regarding the fact that antidepressants lower blood pressure. By reverse logic, does that mean depression can cause your blood pressure to go up? Just wondering.

[Old Forum]

Old Man        Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005    10:16 am  


Bob:

This is what all the uros in urology group tell me. Anything that helps a person with depression has a tendancy to lower blood pressure especially if one already is taking some heart meds. Have no clinical proof of this, but just what the docs tell us in our cancer support group meetings. Since most of the radical prostatectomy guys present also are of an advanced age, they suffer from most of the "old people's" disorders, etc. As one gets older and on into their 70s and 80s, lose their mate, have all the known problems of the aged, and live alone do get very depressed.

Depression takes on many and varied facets and every person suffers from different symptoms. One of my sister's who lived in an assisted home had maniac depression for years before her death took many antidepressant drugs and her blood pressure stayed well below normal all the time. So, go figure, who knows?

Old Man

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator    Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005      5:59 pm  

I have to report that this does not require any further evaluation for the side effect of erection with this patient.

A 3 cent dose caused me to wake with possibly a 10 on the erection scale (different than the rector scale). This probably exceeds any erection in 15 1/2 months since surgery including those from injections. Unlike my typical 5's or 6's a few times a week, this remained for several minutes after waking. I am now interested in what it does if taken earlier in the day. Why would this not result in a Viagra type effect? Are some people more susceptible to this side effect than others? Again, I take 25 mg. What are people that take 400 mg experiencing? Why don't more people know about this?

Short of the fact that I have moderate Peyronies Disease, I have never had a better erection. Significant when considering I never had a single ED moment in my life prior to surgery.

[Old Forum]

[bJoshua, Global moderator     ]Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005      7:36 pm  [/b]

My wife has an unused bottle of trazodone. She got it for post partum depression but never used it. I have been looking at that bottle ever since reading your interesting post.
I will likely try one 100mg for the hell of it and report back...

[Old Forum]

Hawk, Administrator    Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005    7:47 pm    

Joshua:
My wife has an unused bottle of trazodone. She got it for post partum depression but never used it. I have been looking at that bottle ever since reading your interesting post.
I will likely try one 100mg for the hell of it and report back...

Joshua, I take 25 mg. thats all it takes. Hell you will sleep through any response you have. Also, take it with food. it absorbs better.

[Old Forum]

Joshua, global Moderator     Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005     7:59 pm  

Urol. 1991 Jan;145(1):60-4. Related Articles, Links


Pathophysiology of prolonged penile erection associated with trazodone use.

Saenz de Tejada I, Ware JC, Blanco R, Pittard JT, Nadig PW, Azadzoi KM, Krane RJ, Goldstein I.

Department of Urology, Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts.

Treatment with the antidepressant trazodone has been associated with the occurrence of prolonged penile erection and priapism. To evaluate the effect of trazodone on erection we monitored the periodic physiological sleep-related erections in 6 healthy volunteers in a double-blind crossover study comparing the effect of trazodone, trimipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) and placebo. In addition, to determine the effects of trazodone on the neurovascular control of penile smooth muscle we performed in vitro studies on corpus Cavernosum tissue obtained from patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation. Trazodone significantly increased the total interval of nocturnal erectile activity, while trimipramine had no effect. During the high dose treatment (nights 4 and 5) the average duration of erectile activity per night with placebo was 158 +/- 41 minutes (mean +/- standard deviation) for night 4 and 177 +/- 21 minutes for night 5. During trazodone treatment the erectile activity per night was significantly prolonged to 285 +/- 115 minutes during night 4 and 232 +/- 86 during night 5 (p less than 0.01). Analysis of the erectile activity in relation to the rapid eye movement sleep period during which erectile activity usually occurs revealed that the detumescence phase of erection, under sympathetic control, was significantly prolonged an average of 2.4 times by trazodone compared to placebo (p less than 0.05). In vitro, trazodone at concentrations comparable to those reached in plasma significantly impaired corporeal smooth muscle contractions elicited by electrical stimulation of adrenergic nerves and antagonized contractions induced by exogenous norepinephrine. We conclude that trazodone can enhance penile erection in man and propose a mechanism related to the alpha-adrenoceptor blocking properties of trazodone by interference with the sympathetic control of penile detumescence.

[Old Forum]

[bJoshua, global Moderator      ]Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2005     8:04 pm  [/b]


Hawkman:
She has 100mg. I will quarter it. I am going to try one tonight. I don't have ed problems but I would welcome a 10 on the erection meter anytime!
I think strong erections help break/stretch plaque. I still have one piece that refuse to go away.

[Old Forum]

bob        Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005       10:05 am    

Maybe I've been in kind of a daze, or maybe this has crept up on me for a long time. I have always thought of ED as something along the lines of "can't get it up when it's required." Lately, however, I've noticed that it's more along the lines of "just don't get it up that much, period."

Does that make sense? I'm 49 and I can remember a time - not at all long ago - when erections were powerful, frequent... and needed relief. Rueful to admit, that just doesn't happen  

I rarely find that I wake with one, whether it's in the middle of the night, in the morning, thinking about or watching something sexy, etc.

In my early days of Peyronies Disease I found that I withdrew somewhat sexually from my wife, in part because I found any manipulation of my penis to be painful. I also didn't like to remind myself of what I once had. Problem is, now that the pain is gone I find my desire level to be lower.

Your thoughts? Is this a common thing?
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[Old Forum]

Old Man     Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005       12:56 pm  


Bob:
Yes, in a way it is a common thing for men to lose some of their libido as they age. Others go on into very late life and still have the required amount to perform. In my experience with working with a lot of men in the men's health field, that has been the case. Talk to one guy and he has no problem with ability to perform. Talk to another one and he will state that problem existed since about 45 or older. Some guys begin to lose their ability in their 50s, others 60s and so on down the age line.

So, when this develops, one must look for alternative ways to "get it up" and be able to perform. In my case, I was about 55 when my noticed that I was slipping in the ability world. I started using a so called "cock ring" to be able to hold one long enough for satisfactory performance.

After prostate cancer surgery left me totally impotent and the penile injections gave me more Peyronies Disease symptoms, Viagra and the other ED drugs did nothing for me, I started using the VED. This one thing proved to be what gave me back my ability to perform as I once did.

Not saying that this method will work for all, but it did for me. You might want to try it to see if it will work for you.

Old Man

[Old Forum]

bob      Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005      2:14 pm  

Thanks, Old Man. I do intend to ask for a VED prescription. First O need tp get the lowdown on how successful... or not... my verapamil injection treatment was. I have to go back on Oct. 11 for a reassessment.

What got me thinking was Hawkman's use of the term "stuffable erection" earlier in the discussion thread. I kind of think most of mine are what you would call a "stuffable erection," as opposed to the self-guided missile variety. (Sorry for the analogy, but it kind of works, doesn't it?) I was also interested in finding out what other guys do. I mean,it seems as if many take Viagra and other medications on a regular basis... for therapeutic purposes... regardless of what one plans to do for the night. Is that experimental, or do some physicians advise doing that?

[Old Forum]

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:05 pm  

bob:
,it seems as if many take Viagra and other medications on a regular basis... for therapeutic purposes... regardless of what one plans to do for the night. Is that experimental, or do some physicians advise doing that?

Dr. Mulhall and many other doctors recommend it. I have taken 1/3 of a 100mg Viagra every night I did not use an ED injection of bimix. I will tell you though Bob, the tiny dose of trazodone works better for me at this stage than anything to keep nocturnal erections going. I will have more to report on this soon.

I wonder if Joshua has a trazodone report?

Also Bob, this is pretty personal but I never had a second of ED for 54 years. In fact, I could maintain an erection long after orgasm and could have more than one orgasm from an erection I think this is rare. I went to sleep in an operating room realizing how my life may change. A compassionate nurse (whose name I did not get) saw a tear in the corner of my eye and came to hold my hand. God, how I appreciated that short act of compassion. I will forever be able to see her in my mind. I awoke from prostate surgery to ZERO erections for 4 months, for the next 8 months only when I injected bimix. Sex would feel great, your mind told you must have a huge erection, but I looked down and could not even relate, that what I saw, could be my body. It was so distracting and non-erotic that I had to focus on my wife and forget me. I felt like some women must that take a while to warm up and get into it. It took a while to get past the distraction. I had such bad ED that I could start out at a 1 (from temperature or whatever) and shrink to coldwater status in the midst of stimulation. That was with a whole Viagra.

The progress has been slow, and then the Peyronies Disease hit me. I too avoided sex because it made me face what was no more. Sex always started with overwhelming psychological pain from the sense of loss. I had to battle past that to even get to the pleasure part. I learned to forget about my body and focus on hers.

Now there is some ED improvement with night time erections and weak Viagra erections on a whole tablet. My Peyronies Disease is manageable at this stage. I actually prefer less than a rock hard erection because the curve is more manageable.

Bob, sometimes I think, what if Ihad been paralyzed for years and someone told me they could restore everything but the nerves to my penis. How thankful would I be? How elated? While we are fighting back, we have to focus on what we do have . We can't let one unfortunate condition rob us of the enjoyment of what we do have. You know, It only takes one more diagnoses to make us wish we were back to having everything that we now regret having.

I don't share this because I think you don't know it Bob, I'm just muttering out loud.

Hang in there. (No pun intended )  

[valetguy]

cialis takes care of my erection problems quite well.

[SteveW]

I too, am a faithful Cialis fan.  It's there when you need it...for a nice 24 or so hour period of time.  It's reassuring to have a dependable erection, regardless of the bend...or diminished size I am left with.  

[steven]

I've taken viagra but never cialis, with Viagra I get the blue haze, anxious feeling and stuffy nose, not really too romantic, actually I feel like a little like an alien  , with the stuffy nose, permanent wood and everything in a blue haze.  On a serious note, do you get those symptoms with cialis?  Or do you get those symtoms in the first few hours and then they subside.  The feeling are pretty intense with me with viagra and I can't imgaine have them for 36 hours.  Thanks

Steven

[Hawk]

I got a bit of blue haze with my first Viagra.  It never happened again.  I do get a bit of a stuffy nose.  Stuffy nose is caused by blood flow in the nasal membranes.  Interestingly, most things that kill a stuffy nose, also kill erections (Sudafed, Neosynephrine)

Cialis does less for me in the erection department and leaves me with a nagging lower backache about 3 days after I take it.  Delayed onset backache is a listed side effect.  I don't know if it is caused by kidney pain or what, but I got it 4 out of 4 times.  That was enough for me.

[SteveW]

My reaction to Viagra was significant.  The blue haze, headache, congestion, increased heart rate.  Cialis works well for me with only very minor nazal congestion as a side effect.  For my best results however, 24 hours is as long as the benefits last, on the max 20mg dose.  Some men report a 2-3 day effect, but not in my case.  Viagra did work in my case, but only for a limited 4 hours or so.  I have only been using either one sporadically and recently, however.

[kevin]

I get no blue haze from Viagra but do get a stuffy nose, flushed face and slight light-headedness.  It does a good job otherwise.  While we are on the subject, how many of us were using Viagra, et al, in the period immediately PRIOR to the onset of Peyronies Disease?  I began using it a little more frequently in the months before...

[Glenn]

Kevin,
That is an interesting question.  I was using Viagara before the onset of Peyronies Disease.  In fact I was using it when I received the trauma that I believe triggered the Peyronies Disease.

 

.  While we are on the subject, how many of us were using Viagra, et al, in the period immediately PRIOR to the onset of Peyronies Disease?  I began using it a little more frequently in the months before...

[ned]

I have had Peyronies Disease for 2 years now. This has resulted in a slight bend to the left and ED.  I also have a feeling of numbness in my member and a lack of sensation compared to what it used to be like. Does anyone else have this numbness feeling? If so what are they taking to try to overcome this, as I am sure that this is a factor in my ED problem?

[ned]

Has anyone been prescribed Testosterone injections for their ED? Have they noticed any improvement?  

I have been precribed Testosterone injections every 2 weeks and half a 20mg Cialis tablet every day. Erections have improved but only tend to last a few minutes, I'm hoping that with time things will improve. I have had Peyronies Disease for 2 years and hope to get married next year.

[Larry H]

Kevin,

I also started using Viagra just prior to the onset of my Peyronies Disease. I have a theory about a possible connection which I posted a year or so ago on the BTC forum. At that time I was looking for others who developed Peyronies Disease after using an ED drug. I even discussed it with Dr. Gelbard on his site and received an interesting reply.

I'll go into it here under the proper topic heading if you or anyone else would like for me to do so.

Larry H

[kevin]

Please DO go into it, Larry.  I assume this thread/topic is as good as any other.

So far, I have assumed that any correlation would be due simply to the understandable risk of increased and prolonged activity that is enabled by ED drugs, (assumig the trauma theory is true ,of course).  The incredible number of men supposedly using such drugs would mean an incredible number of Peyronies Disease cases if it were actually a cause in itself, (i.e., without co-factors or predispositions).   Nevertheless, if a strong majority of Peyronies Disease patients like ourselves report having started ED drugs not long before onset (or had recently increased such use, as I did), it might suggest causality, although it may only apply to people who are susceptible in ways still unknown.

By the way, maybe we could add to this discussion one other thing about Viagra, etc:  the need for larger condoms (for those who wear them).  Just before Peyronies Disease, I found it almost painful wearing the ones I had on hand once the erections became extra "hefty" with Viagra.  Could such constriction be a factor?

[Larry H]

Kevin,

I will go into the theory later today, but will do so under the "Causes of Peyronie's" topic.

Larry

[Joshua]

Ned:
Why don't you add "none" to your poll?
Josh

Josh.
If ithe answer is "none" then you don't have a persistant erection problem.
NED

Ned,
Thanks for pointing the obvious. However, a poll should include all variables to be accurate. Having Peyronies Disease without erection problems is a possibility just as sometimes or occasionally are possibilities. This is likely why your participation in poll has been weak. I was trying to make a helpful suggestion to improve your poll and poll participation.  For example I could not vote because I do not have persistant erection problems.

[Rzz]

From those of you who know me from my past post you may recall that although my Peyronies Disease did cause some curvature it was minor. The problem my Peyronies Disease caused and still does is erection quality. After about 6 months from the onset of my Peyronies Disease, my erection quality began to diminish. It remains my major problem today. Over the last 4 months I've been seeing a urologist in a nearby state that specializes in sexual dysfunction problems. After about a million tests, he told me 3-4 things that was good news and 2-4 things that was bad news. The GOOD news from the test results are the doctor believes that although my Peyronies Disease is probably causing some of my erection problems he feels certain it is not the main culprit. The BAD news is these same test results show I have signs of being in the early stages of (peripheral artery disease.) Basically I have hardening in one of the main of arteries that feeds blood to my lower extremities. Because of the lack of blood, that means there is also a lack of oxygen to my muscles in my lower legs which in turn causes pain in my calve muscles when I walk more than a 1/4 mile or so. More BAD news: this same artery that shows hardening is also one of the main arteries that feeds blood to some of the smaller arteries that feeds blood to my penis. More BAD news: there is nothing that can be done to reverse the hardening. A stint or bypass can help, but the doctor does not feel I'm at that point yet. GOOD news: there are things that can be done to stop the hardening from getting worse. More GOOD news: there are a few other main arteries that feeds blood to my lower legs and they also feed blood to the smaller arteries that feeds blood to my penis. More GOOD news: these other arteries can accommodate for the lack of blood flow caused by the hardening in the one artery. BAD news: these other arteries do not know they have to make up for the artery that has hardened and thus decreased blood flow. BAD news: basically this is done by lots and lots and lots of walking. When my calves start to hurt bad, I would stop and let the pain subside and then start walking again and the just keep repeating the process. I'll need to do this on a daily basis. GOOD news: eventually the other arteries will accommodate for the lack of blood flow caused by the hardened artery and my calves will stop hurting and more blood flow will return to my penis thus making for better erections. BAD news: just like the one that has already started to harden, these other arteries can also harden as well. GOOD news: this hardening of the other arteries can be prevented. REALLY, REALLY BAD news: there are about 4-5 things that can be done to prevent hardening from starting in the other arteries, but the main one, the big one, the one at the top of the list is I absolutely MUST stop smoking. The doctor said that without a doubt this is the key thing. He said if I did all the other things except stop smoking it may slightly slow the process, but only slightly. The stop smoking thing is a MUST. The doctor said if I don't stop smoking, the chances of me getting normalcy in my erections is about slim to none. He said that not only does my smoking greatly increase the chances of my existing clogged arteries getting worse increased and creating new hardening in other arteries, but smoking just in and of itself can play a major, major role in lack of erection quality. Much more than most men realize. BAD news: I've tried to quit 3-4 times in the past with very little success. I think one time I went about a month.

You may be wondering why I wrote this post. (2 reasons)
1) As to how does it apply to Peyronies Disease. Smoking decreases lack of blood flow which in turn decreases oxygen being carried through out the body, including the penis. For anything to have any chance of healing it must have oxygen, period! A decrease of blood flow means a decrease of blood in the penis, thus lower quality erections. Some out there who are having erection problems and are blaming it all on your Peyronies Disease, don't be too quick to make that judgment. Although I'm sure there are some out there that has erection problems that is caused totally by their Peyronies Disease, there are also many others whose erection problems are not totally caused by Peyronies Disease. I was without a doubt one of those. I became so fixated on my Peyronies Disease; I just did not take into consideration that there could be other physical factors involved here.

2) I remember reading somewhere on this forum about some one talking about a book that was the best book written on how to stop smoking and there had been many many people who swear by it after they had tried everything. I believe it was called something like "The Easiest Way to Quit Smoking" or "A Simple Way to Stop Smoking" or something like that. If there is anybody out there that knows the book I'm talking about, I would greatly, greatly appreciate them passing on the information to me.

Rzz      

[Hawk]

Rzz,

Great to hear from you and an excellent post.  I agree about Peyronies Disease getting blamed too often for ED.  Peyronies Disease most frequently strikes men at the age when ED most frequently strikes men, so many men with both assume they are connected and look no further.  I am glad you did and that you reported back with some good information.

Also there are a few very old posts on this forum from the early days before switching to smf that briefly discuss a Peyronies Disease/smoking connection.  One way or the other, as you know, the Doc's advice will help way more than just Peyronies Disease.  Sometimes we get caught up in dwelling exclusively on our penis.  We forget there are actually more serious issue.  If the ole ticker stops, erections are almost impossible.

I think you have enough drive and goal setting to do this, especially since you now appreciate what is at stake.  I smoked at least 2 packs per day but only from my mid teens to about 20.  During that time I had a few failed attempts to quit.  Once I quit for almost 3 months and was drinking and smoked a cigarette to see what it would be like.  That's all it took to get me drag me back to smoking.  I have read and experienced that tapering off is almost a doomed way of quitting and causes many failures.  One cigarette keeps the addiction alive.  Cold-turkey has the physical addiction gone within 10 days.  The psychological/situational urge lasts much longer.  

I wish you luck in setting a date and never looking back.  Keep us posted.

Inspirational Thought for the day: A good erection is way more satisfying than a cigarette!  



A link I found from a search of our forum:
http://thescooponsmoking.org/xhtml/effects/peyroniesDisease.php    

[steven]

RZZ,

I was heavy smoker  almost 2 packs a day for 25 years.  quit 2 years ago, Its easier to quit than you think, for one thing, stop telling  yourself its very difficult, instead tell yourself its easy.  Your mind obeys your commands.

2nd thing, ask your Doctor for a prescription for a nictoine inhaler, this is just like a cigarette but it only contains nictoine and it fullfills the oral gratification that us smokers are also addicted to., but lacks the other poisons that cigs have.  You will need a prescription, DR will gladly give you one.

3rd thing -- quit the nictoine inhaler  -- as it is addictive also, but its much less addictive than smoking, by the way your erections will be much stronger the day you start the nicotine inhaler and stop smoking, and once realizing that and seeing the difference, you may lose all desire to smoke, I did...(in my mind I associated smoking with weak erections) and it motivated me to quit, I will never smoke again.

When you quit smoking the body starts heaing itself in 20 minutes from your last cigarette.

It the best thing you could possibly do for yourself...
Best,
Steven

[furtil66]

I was diagnosed when I was just 18, and barely get half an erection, I'm 29 now. However, I've started taking Ginko Biloba (herb in tablet form) 240mg a day and Ginseng, (Panax) 2000mg a day in teh hope that it will  help.
I was wondering if anyone else had tried this with success.
8 months ago I tried this for a period of about two months and did notice a differece, however, I lost my job and stopped buying the herbs.
They are available in any health store and aren't actually expensice, about £8 for each.
Anyways, it would be good to know if anyone ahs tried anything like this.
Thanks

[Hawk]

Welcome Futile, and thanks for the post.

I know that Ginko Biloba is a blood thinner as is the case with Vitamin E, ginger, garlic, and many herbs.  I do not know that this property alone makes it much good for erections.  There are some other choices on this thread that would be my first choices.  Some are prescription, some are over the counter.  

I have taken ginko at times over the years and never noticed an impact on erections. I have noticed a direct impact from some of the others.

Good to have you on the forum

[steven]

Futile,

Try acetyl l carnitinine  (1000 mg) before sleep, it can help with nocturnal erections.  If you can have nocturnal erections, my Doc says you can have normal erections, and if that is the case, then your ED might be mental.  also try (l arginine 500 mg or more)  you're young so it may be just mental.  Have you told your Doc, you should...

Steven

[furtil66]

Thanks for the advice. I've been taking the Panax ginseng, 3000mg a day, for a week, along with the Ginko 240mg and although it's early days I woke yesterday with a pretty good erection. Could be just a one off. Could be psychological.
Ginseng is meant to take eight weeks, I read some pretty good trials in using Ginseng, but I'll keep you all  posted as to whether it's any good or not.

[nick]

I take the ginko and ginseng as well. It worked o.k for me. I added yohimbine and that seems to work much better. I can't really see a diff when erect. I can however see a huge difference when flacid.

[furtil66]

Just thought I'd keep everyone up to date. Still taking the high doses of ginko and ginseng together and on more than a few occasions I've woken with a a great morning erection. The best for years. So far, the rest of the day, has seen a slight improvement. Still six weeks of the recommenede eight to go though. Also, the ginseng seems to give me more energy during the day, and I feel mentally, at least slight,y  more alert, and my desire for sex seems to be a bit higher to.
I was just wondering if when you took it what dose you took.
And if the ginseng was pure root.

[SteveW]

Here's a twist on the ED discussion.  I can obtain and maintain a usable erection, (Cialis is a nice boost when feeling insecure) but over the last 2 months or so, it has become virtually impossible to achieve an orgasm.  The loss of overall sensation is severe and a "build up" to release just never happens.  This is true whether I am having active sex or while masturbating.  After a time, it just becomes to exhausting to continue and the erection is lost.

Since my plaque mass covers such a large portion of my penis, I am wondering if that may be the cause?  Is it psychological?  Or has Peyronies Disease damaged the nerve endings in my penis?  

Frustrating to say the least.

[Hawk]

Steve,

Are you taking any other meds for depression etc?

[roadblock]

How many of you have seen improvement in your ED from the initial onset of the ED to your current state?

[SteveW]

Steve,

Are you taking any other meds for depression etc?

No other meds on board, Hawk.  To be frank, I can maintain (with Cialis sometimes) my erection and perform sexually, as much as I can with my curvature, but no longer feel the erotic pleasure and build up to orgasm I have always enjoyed.  Eventually, exhaustion takes over, the erection is finally lost and no orgasm or ejaculation ever occurs. I am left feeling completely drained, but in no way satisfied.  

The overall sensitivity of my penis seems to be gone.  I can only attribute this to my Peyronies Disease.

[learn4life]

How many of you have seen improvement in your ED from the initial onset of the ED to your current state?

Hey there, me again

Yes I have seen much improvement since damaging my penis since age 11 by overmasturbating which eventually depleted my neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and dopamine nervous function.

Along with extremely dangerous penile techniques/exercises, Alcohol damage which burned my insides which caused internal bleeding and also caused kidney and liver pain which totally depleted my whole sexual function from the inside to the outside.

Eventually all the penile mechanical  damage lead to Peyronies Disease at age only 16.
Then during the late teen years ED hit me too big time.

Advice to any Ed sufferer.

Boost your neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and dopamine nervous function. to rejuvenate your sexual function to help with ED like I have done.

How ?

Use l-tyrosine for dopamine, l-ariginine for NO, 5-htp for serotonin and choline for acetylcholine. Use pharmaceutical grade if possible as the quality is the best.

Advice for Peyronies Disease sufferer:

For mechanical damage I had to do a daily massage using a special cream and borage/Evening Primrose Oil to help with the damaged local tissues.

I had done this throughout several years but stopped now and again due to some depression.

Also due to my overdrinking only straight brandy since age 14 it had damaged my colon/liver/kidney/brains pretty bad. So I have done and still do a full body detoxification program from the stomach to the brain.

It has really helped me get my energy back to my life and also after doing colon cleansing I now dont experience stomach cramp/bloatiness/pain and I take in the full nutrients from the supplements/herbs I take.

I hope  this helps someone out there who is struggling with ED+Peyronies Disease as it has really helped me through this tough journey since my early teens.

Cheers !

P.S Update on Peyronies Disease massage. I now add Apple Cider Vinigar(ACV organic)
into my daily penile massage and it seems to furthur soften the scars and helps to rejuvenate the penile nerves which has produced a much greater feeling when the penis is touched