A proper medical assessment of ED is very important. Erectile dysfunction can sometimes be caused by another medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or arterial disease or by the side effects of medication.
Your doctor is in a position to correct the problem if, for example, a change of medicine is all that is required, then of course your doctor is the best person to arrange that for you.
Preparing for your First Appointment
Your anxiety about mentioning ED will probably soon disappear – no matter what sex your doctor is. Doctors know that ED is a far more common problem than people like to admit and will be ready to help.
Plan Your Appointment
A good idea is to plan ahead. Work out what you’re going to say to the doctor. In particular, think about what words you’re going to use because a lot of men feel quite petrified about how to express the problem in words. All you need say is: ‘Doctor - I think I’ve got a problem with my erections.’ With the ice broken, the conversation should move smoothly on thereafter.
Your Doctor’s Assessment
The doctor will ask you a set of questions about your erections and sex. You can be better prepared to answer them if you think in advance about what they might be.
The First questions will probably be about the erection itself, such as:
• Can you get an erection at all?
• Do you have an erection on waking in the morning sometimes or never?
• If you do get an erection, how often is it hard enough for penetration?
• If you can successfully penetrate your partner, do you then lose the erection?
• Can you get the erection back again?
• Can you get an erection if you masturbate?
Lifestyle Questions
Then there will almost certainly be questions about your lifestyle:
• Are you in a stable relationship or single?
• How long have you been in the relationship?
• Other than a problem with erections, is everything else alright with your partner?
• If you have more than one partner, does the erection problem occur with only one of them or with all?
• How much do you smoke?
• How much do you drink?
• Do you use drugs?
It is important to answer these questions honestly. Remember: what you tell the doctor is confidential. He or she will also ask you questions about your general health and check what medication (if any) that you are on.
Oral Treatments
There are only three oral drugs approved by the FDA to treat erectile dysfunction: Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra. All work by increasing the flow of blood into the penis so that when a man is sexually stimulated, he can get an erection.
What Are the Differences Between Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra?
Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra work by a similar mechanism to cause erections. There are subtle differences in how long the drug works and how quickly it works.
Levitra works a little longer than Viagra. They both take effect in about 30 minutes. With Levitra, the effects last for about 5 hours. With Viagra, the effects last approximately 4 hours.
Cialis works a bit faster (within about 15 minutes), and the effects last much longer — up to 36 hours in some cases.