Prescription medication is usually the first type of treatment option for ED. Here are some of the most common drugs that can increase erectile function:

• Viagra (sildenafil citrate)
• Cialis (tadalafil)
• Levitra (vardenafil HCl)

However, the efficacy of these medications depends on the root cause of ED. “Sildenafil and tadalafil work, in the same way, to dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow to the penis,” says Leann Poston, MD, a contributor for Ikon Health. “If the cause of ED is not due to a lack of blood flow to the penis, neither drug will be helpful.”

Additionally, a physical cause of ED (i.e., hypertension) can damage blood vessels enough to the point that ED medications won’t work. “If small blood vessels are damaged due to high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, or diabetes, the vessels will not respond well to these medications and men will report no benefit,” Dr. Poston says.

Dr. Poston adds that “over time, these medications may lose their effectiveness due to progressive damage to small blood vessels.” She pointed to two studies to support this:

In a four-year study of sildenafil versus a placebo:

• Nearly 4% of men discontinued treatment due to an adverse event (side effect).
• Approximately 6% discontinued treatment over the four-year study because the medication was ineffective.

(Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 2007)

In another study:

• About three-quarters (74%) of men reported Viagra worked for them.
• Three years later, more than half of the men who were reinterviewed were still taking the drug.
• Almost 40% of the men still taking the drug had to increase their dose by 50 mg to achieve an erection.
• It took between one and 18 months for treatments to lose their effects.

(BMJ, 2001)

Doctors and researchers are always looking for new ways to treat ED. Here are some of the latest treatments options for ED that may work for some men:

• Shockwave therapy may help treat ED caused by vascular disease. Low-intensity shock waves pass through erectile tissue to help encourage blood flow and blood vessel growth.
• Stem cell therapy is the injection of stem cells into the penis. Some minor studies have been done on this, but more research is needed before the treatment becomes mainstream.
• Platelet-rich plasma can help grow new blood vessels and heal wounds, and platelet-rich plasma treatment may help treat ED because of the healing ability of platelets.

Source:

Team, SingleCare. “Erectile Dysfunction Statistics 2020: How Common Is Ed?” The Checkup, 4 Feb. 2023, https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/erectile-dysfunction-statistics/.