Author: edquestions

Q. I’ve been taking Viagra for the last few months. How long will it take before I can once again get an erection without using the pill?

A. Viagra is not a cure for erectile dysfunction, and you could take it for years without reducing your need for the drug. However, if your ED symptoms are relatively mild and you are taking steps to make your lifestyle healthier, you may indeed reach a point where you will no longer need the helping hand that the medication offers.

To achieve that goal, you should eat a healthy diet, incorporate physical activity — even brisk walking — into your daily routine, quit smoking, and drink alcohol in moderation.

If you’re suffering from one of the underlying medical conditions, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, or high blood pressure, that can lead to ED, you need to work with your doctor to manage that condition and thus reduce your risk of impotence. It could already be too late to reverse your ED symptoms altogether. But taking these commonsense steps to live a healthier life can help to ensure that you’re around longer to enjoy sex and everything else that life has to offer.

Q. Because of recurring difficulties in getting an erection, my doctor has prescribed Viagra for me. However, I’m worried that the pill would cause me to have erections at inconvenient times, causing me embarrassment. Is that a realistic concern?

A. You needn’t worry that you’ll start having spontaneous erections once you begin taking Viagra. The drug doesn’t work that way. You will still need to get your erections the old-fashioned way, either as a result of feelings of sexual desire or physical stimuli to your penis or other erogenous zones. Sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, works by temporarily improving blood flow to the penis, which facilitates the erection process. But that surge of blood toward the penis probably isn’t going to get started until your brain gets signals from elsewhere in the body that sexual activity is imminent.

Q. My doctor orders routine blood tests before my annual physical exam, mostly to check my cholesterol levels and to make sure that my kidneys and liver are functioning properly. For the most recent blood test, she authorized a test to measure the levels of testosterone in my blood. During my appointment, she told me that my T-levels were low but still within the broad range of what’s considered normal. Would testosterone replacement therapy bolster my erectile function better than Viagra?

A. Although testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, it doesn’t play a direct role in erectile function. However, it does have a great deal to do with a man’s sex drive, without which it’s unlikely he’d be having any erections at all.

If you find that your spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, it’s unlikely that testosterone replacement therapy would be of much help to you. If, however, your sex drive is not what it once was, it’s possible that hormone replacement therapy could help to fire up your libido once again.