Viagra Question
For the last year or so, I’ve been having increasing problems getting and keeping an erection. I went to the doctor to see about getting a prescription for Viagra, but he insisted that I first take something he called a nocturnal penile tumescence test or stamp test. It was actually a series of tests, which showed that I was still getting erections while sleeping and upon waking in the morning. The doctor said this proved that my erection problems were not physiological in origin. Is that true and wouldn’t Viagra help anyway?
Answer
While Viagra might give you a temporary psychological boost that would allow you to get and keep an erection, it would stem largely from a phenomenon known as the placebo effect. You think it will help, and so it does, but only for a while.
Your doctor has determined that there is no physiological issue, so that indicates that your erection problems are almost certainly of psychological origin. Such difficulties can arise from anxiety, including performance anxiety; stress; depression; and relationship problems.
Medication can sometimes clear up such issues, but those drugs can also interfere with normal erectile function. The key to overcoming ED of a psychological nature is to identify the underlying causes and then address them. This can usually be achieved through psychological counselling.