Erectile Dysfunction

They work the same way but differ in duration. Sildenafil acts over a shorter window and is taken as needed before activity; a heavy or high-fat meal can slow its onset. Tadalafil stays active far longer up to about 36 hours per its FDA labeling which allows for either as-needed dosing or a lower daily dose that removes the need to plan around timing. Your provider matches the choice to your preferences and health history.

Revibe Health has had success since 2011 by offering personalized, custom ED medications for men. Your Revibe provider will review what you tried and how you took it to help determine the best approach, and type of customized treatment plan to develop for you.

Low testosterone reduces sexual desire and can contribute to erectile difficulty, but it is not usually the sole cause. Testosterone therapy is not a substitute for ED medication it does not increase penile blood flow the way a PDE5 inhibitor does. When low testosterone is a contributing factor, the two are sometimes used together. This is why Revibe checks testosterone as part of the ED evaluation rather than treating the symptom in isolation.

Your Revibe Health provider reviews your symptom history, medical and medication history, and risk factors, and orders lab work where it is indicated — which commonly includes testosterone, blood sugar, and lipids. The goal is to identify what the core problem is so that treatment addresses the cause of your ED issues rather than only the symptom.

Oral PDE5 inhibitors the drug class that includes sildenafil and tadalafil are recommended as first-line therapy in the American Urological Association ED guideline for most men without a contraindication. Other ED treatments like testosterone replacement therapy, Intracavernosal injections, Oxytocin, and non-medication based treatments are available. Your Revibe provider builds the plan around your evaluation.

They block an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5, which allows the smooth muscle in the penis to relax and blood flow to increase. An important point patients often miss: these medications do not create an erection on their own. Sexual stimulation is still required for them to work.

Erectile dysfunction is the persistent difficulty getting or keeping an erection firm enough for satisfying sexual activity. Occasional difficulty is common and is not usually a medical concern. ED is diagnosed when the problem is ongoing and is causing distress. A Revibe Health provider evaluates how long it has been happening, the circumstances, and your overall health before recommending treatment.

Yes. “Impotence” is an older term for the same condition. Clinicians and current urology guidelines use “erectile dysfunction,” which describes the problem more precisely and without the judgment the older word carried.

An erection depends on healthy blood flow, intact nerve signaling, adequate hormone levels, and psychological arousal, so ED can arise from any of these. Common contributors include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, excess alcohol, low testosterone, certain prescription medications, sleep apnea, and stress, anxiety, or depression. Most cases involve more than one factor, which is why an evaluation matters more than a guess.

It can. The blood vessels supplying the penis are smaller than the coronary arteries, so reduced blood flow often shows up there first. Urology guidelines describe ED as a potential early marker of cardiovascular disease and recommend that men presenting with ED be assessed for cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, and low testosterone. Treating the erection without looking at the cause misses the more important finding.

The most common side effects of PDE5 inhibitors are headache, facial flushing, nasal congestion, indigestion, back or muscle aches, and changes in color vision. Most are mild and temporary. Rare but serious events described in FDA labeling include sudden vision loss, sudden hearing loss, and priapism an erection lasting more than four hours, which requires immediate emergency care to prevent permanent damage.

PDE5 inhibitors must never be taken with nitrate medications such as nitroglycerin, isosorbide, or recreational “poppers,” because the combination can cause a sudden, dangerous drop in blood pressure. Caution is also needed with alpha-blockers, with certain heart conditions including recent heart attack, stroke, unstable angina, or uncontrolled arrhythmia, and with severe low blood pressure or advanced liver or kidney disease. Give your provider a complete medication list, including anything you take occasionally.