What is erectile dysfunction treatment?

Erectile dysfunction treatment is used to help you get or keep an erection that’s hard enough to have sex with. Erectile dysfunction treatments only work if you’re sexually aroused, they can’t help if you have low sex drive, or if you’re ejaculating faster than you want to (premature ejaculation).

Most erectile dysfunction treatments work in a similar way, making it easier for blood to flow into the penis when you’re aroused, making it easier to get and keep an erection.

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What erectile dysfunction tablets are there?

There are many kinds of pills for erectile dysfunction, but they are all part of the same group of drugs called PDE5 inhibitors. PDE-5 inhibitors work by relaxing your blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the penis and helps you to get an erection. 

Each pill has a different active ingredient so, while they’re all PDE5 inhibitors, each pill may work a little differently from another. This means that you may need to try a few different pills to get the best result for you.

There are 4 main types of erectile dysfunction tablets:

• Sildenafil (used in Viagra, Viagra Connect, and generic Sildenafil) – these are the NHS’s first choice and they’re the most popular. They start working about 30 mins after you take them and last for 4-6 hours.

• Tadalafil (used in Cialis, Cialis Daily, and generic Tadalafil) – often known as the ‘weekend pill’, tadalafil medications get to work in about 30 mins and can last for up to 36 hours.

• Vardenafil (used in Levitra and generic Vardenafil) – similar to Viagra, vardenafil medications start after about 30 mins and last 4-6 hours, but they can be slightly better to take for men with eye problems.

• Avanafil (used in Spedra) – this medication is the fastest-acting one, getting to work in as little as 15 mins.

	Viagra	Cialis	Levitra	Spedra
How effective is it?	74%	60-70%	58-74%	52-71%
User rating	8.5	8.7	8.0	5.7
Is there a generic?	Sildenafil	Tadalafil	Vardenafil	No
Over the counter version?	Viagra Connect	No	No	No
Available in a daily dosage?	No	Cialis Daily	No	No
Available dosages	25mg, 50mg, 100mg	2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, 20mg	5mg, 10mg, 20mg	100mg, 200mg
Standard starter dose	50mg	10mg	10mg	100mg
How fast does it work?	30-60 mins	30 mins	30-60 mins	15-30 mins
How long does it last?	4-6 hours	Up to 36 hours	4-6 hours	6 hours
Chance of side effects?	Less than 2%	Less than 2% on 10mg	Less than 2%	2% or over

Our erectile dysfunction medication prices:

* - Standard starting dose for this erectile dysfunction medication

All of these treatments are:

• Effective for most men who try them
• Safe as long as a doctor has approved treatment (or pharmacist as well for Viagra Connect)
• Can be prescribed and bought online without a previous diagnosis or prescription

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Are there creams for erectile dysfunction?

Vitaros cream is the only erectile dysfunction cream available.

• Usually only recommended if you can’t use erectile dysfunction tablets, or they aren’t safe for you to use
• Gets to work in 5-15 mins
• Works for up to 75% of men who try it
• Can be more difficult to use than tablets
• Is more likely to cause penis pain as a side effect

The active ingredient in Vitaros is alprostadil. You can also get alprostadil for erectile dysfunction as:

• An injection you use on the base of the penis
• A pellet that you put down the urethra (the hole at the tip of the penis)

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What other treatment options are there?

As well as erectile dysfunction tablets and creams, other treatment options include:

• Lifestyle changes
• Erectile dysfunction exercises
• Counselling
• Penis pumps
• Penile implants

Counselling can help if you are getting erectile dysfunction because you’re anxious about sex. It can also help you manage how your erectile dysfunction symptoms make you feel.

You can combine lifestyle changes and erectile dysfunction exercises with medications for even better results.

Penile implants are usually only used as a last resort when all other treatment options don’t work or aren’t safe. This is because it involves having invasive surgery.

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Can you get erectile dysfunction treatment on the NHS?

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Are there natural remedies you can try at home?

Yes there are. While medical treatments are usually the best options, it’s understandable if you want to try a more natural approach first. There are a few ED treatments that don’t involve medication:

• Erectile dysfunction exercises – there are exercises, like kegels, you can do to make the muscles around your penis stronger, which can improve blood flow and erections.
• Lifestyle changes – by making some changes to the way you live your life, you could naturally improve your erections, for example:
• Quitting smoking
• Cutting down on alcohol
• Eating a balanced diet
• Exercising regularly
• Losing weight if you’re overweight
• Reducing your stress levels

Herbal products, food, or over-the-counter supplements are not good options.

A lot of sites will suggest or try to sell you these treatments options, but the truth is they aren’t proven to work. We don’t recommend trying them because you will likely end up wasting your time and money, without improving your erectile dysfunction symptoms, instead of getting treatment that works. If you do decide to try one of these options, we recommend you choose ones that are properly checked for safety.

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Can you cure erectile dysfunction?

You can’t cure erectile dysfunction so it never comes back, but you can get effective, long-term treatment.

There’s a few different ways to improve your erectile dysfunction long-term:

• Lifestyle changes – these can help improve your ability to get and keep erections
• Treating underlying health problems – if your erectile dysfunction is a side effect of another health problem, treating it could improve your symptoms long-term
• Switching medications – if your erectile dysfunction is a side effect of another medication you’re taking, you may be able to switch treatments and your symptoms may go away
• Counselling – if your erectile dysfunction is related to your mental health, counselling could improve your symptoms long-term

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Sources

Avanafil for Erectile Dysfunction (2013) Annals of Pharmacotherapy [accessed 5th November 2020]

British Society for Sexual Medicine Guidelines on the Management of Erectile Dysfunction in Men (2017) The Journal of Sexual Medicine [accessed 5th November 2020]

Erectile dysfunction (impotence) (2017) NHS [accessed 5th November 2020]

Indirect comparison of interventions using published randomised trials: systematic review of PDE-5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction (2005) BMC Urology [accessed 5th November 2020]

Ocular side effects of Levitra® (vardenafil) – results of a double-blind crossover study in healthy male subjects (2019) Drug Des Devel Ther [accessed 5th November 2020]

Pelvic floor involvement in male and female sexual dysfunction and the role of pelvic floor rehabilitation in treatment: a literature review (2007) The Journal of Sexual Medicine [accessed 5th November 2020]

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