Category: Erectile Dysfunction

Creatine is produced naturally by the liver and is known as a nitrogenous organic acid. It is used throughout the body, but particularly by muscle cells to generate energy. Creatine is made up of three amino acids:

• L-arginine
• Glycine
• L-methionine

The parts of the body that have high energy demands, like the brain and skeletal muscle, are the main users of creatine, and the vast majority of creatine is stored in skeletal muscle.

Most creatine is stored in skeletal muscle tissue.

Creatine can also be taken as a supplement. Athletes sometimes use it in high-intensity training periods. Indeed, there’s evidence that creatine supplements improve athletic performance, with one study suggesting that it increases the maximum performance of high-intensity anaerobic work (life weight-lifting) by up to 15%. It is associated with higher body mass and a total body water volume.

A study out of Australia, along with one done in the UK, found that creatine supplementation can improve memory and brain power, preventing a decline in attention that can occur during oxygen deprivation. Researchers are interested in whether it might be used to improve brain function in elderly people.

This all sounds terrific, right? So why aren’t we all taking creatine? Well, too much creatine can cause problems, and even normal supplementation can cause side effects like nausea and stomach pain. People who have kidney disease need to avoid creatine supplements, as do people with diabetes. There’s also some concern that excess creatine can affect erectile function, and not in a good way.

You have probably seen creatine supplements at your local drugstore or supplement store. It’s available in drink mixes, powder, energy bars, and tablets. Athletes and bodybuilders have used creatine supplementation since the 1990s. An estimated 40% to 50% of college and professional athletes use creatine supplements.

The Scientific consensus on the effectiveness versus risk profile of creatine is mixed. Some studies find that it can improve athletic performance on a short-term basis, and there’s essentially no evidence that it helps with endurance sports, like marathon running. In fact, some people’s muscles don’t appear to react to creatine supplementation at all.

Your physician is your best advisor on how to take creatine safely.

Creatine is natural – the human body produces it – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe to supplement what your body makes naturally. That said, most healthy people can take creatine supplements in moderation without damaging their health. But when people take too much, side effects, in addition to erectile dysfunction, can include

• Anxiety
• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rash
• Indigestion

What’s more common medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol), diabetic medications, and diuretics can interact dangerously with creatine. Taking creatine along with stimulants like caffeine can also increase the risk of unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Doctors advise that people who take creatine drink plenty of water and avoid dehydration. And whether or not you experience erectile dysfunction, you should always tell your doctor about creatine or any other supplements or over-the-counter medications you take regularly.

You actually can make your own blend of herbal teas to see if they have an effect on erections. To make a pot of this tea, you’ll need four or five teabags of ordinary black tea, and two to four tablespoons of ground ginger like you get at the grocery. Brew the teabags and ginger in hot water for a few minutes just as you would ordinary hot tea. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and sweeten with honey. The reasoning behind this DIY tea cocktail is:

• Ginger has vasodilation properties
• Black tea is a cortisol blocker and can help keep blood pressure under control
• Lemon, with its vitamin C and bioflavins, is good for artery health
• The boron in honey is good for testosterone production

And even if you don’t notice much of an effect on erections, it makes a nice tasting hot drink, so you can enjoy it anyway.

Are proprietary erection tea blends safe?

There’s no shortage of online stores selling their own blends of “erection tea.” Whatever these products claim to do, you need to know exactly what’s in these blends. In most cases, you’re better off brewing your own herbal teas with herbs you know about. Not only will you have a better idea of what you’re putting into your body, you’ll save money.

Many of these proprietary teas designed for better erections are outrageously expensive, particularly if they ship from overseas. Know the herbs, know the supplier of them, and brew your own herbal tea. If it helps with erections, that’s great, and if not, herbal teas (with some exceptions, like Yohimbe, which can be risky) are generally healthy to drink anyway.

It won’t hurt. Green tea is a source of the highly potent antioxidant catechin, which neutralizes free radicals circulating in your body due to the natural oxidation process. In 2006, researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine studied rabbits with erection problems, and gave them a number of different juices and teas to see if they had any effect.

They concluded that long term consumption of foods naturally rich in antioxidants (including green tea) reduced erectile dysfunction by increasing blood flow and smooth muscle relaxation. So if you have some green tea in your cupboard, it’s easy enough to try. But don’t expect changes overnight.

Any changes noted by researchers were noticed after long term consumption of green tea.

Prescription medications like Viagra and Cialis address erectile dysfunction from a hydraulics standpoint. These drugs are designed to allow blood vessels of the reproductive organs to relax and allow better blood flow which, in the presence of sexual stimulation, leads to harder erections.

Herbal teas aren’t as straightforward as prescription medications like Viagra, but they may be worth a try.

But not everyone is enamored with the idea of taking prescription drugs to help their sex life. Knowing that lifestyle changes like a healthy diet, regular exercise, and avoidance of smoking and drinking to excess can improve erection health, many men want to take it a step further, and explore the use of herbs to produce healthier erections. Here is what you should know about herbal teas and your erectile health.

The drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction are known as PDE-5 inhibitors. A substance called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) degrades a circulating compound called cyclic GMP, which is present in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels that supply the penis. By inhibiting the action of PDE-5, more cyclic GMP is available, so conditions are more favorable for an erection in the presence of sexual stimulation.

PDE-5 inhibitors work by mimicking, to an extent, the positive circulatory effects of regular exercise.

Viagra, Levitra, Staxyn (a quick-dissolve formulation of Levitra), and Cialis are good at inhibiting PDE-5, but they’re not 100% selective for that substance, particularly at higher dosages. For example, Viagra, in addition to inhibiting PDE-5, also inhibits PDE-6 and PDE-9.

In fact, it is the inhibition of PDE-6, which is present in the retina of the eye, that is believed to be responsible for vision changes that some men report as a side effect of Viagra. Cialis, in addition to inhibiting PDE-5, also inhibits PDE-11.

All this is a roundabout way of saying that PDE-5 inhibitors are similar, but not identical in action, and the user’s physiology, and how the drugs are taken can have a subtle effect on how well they work and how long they take to be effective. Food can affect the action of some, but not all erectile dysfunction drugs. Here are some frequently asked questions about taking erectile dysfunction medication with food.

You might be surprised at how much influence your lifestyle has on erection health. With around 20 years of history with drugs like Viagra, doctors now know far more about what causes erectile dysfunction, and in most cases, it’s a matter of simple hydraulics: blood flow to the penis becomes insufficient for erections hard enough for sexual activity.

All kinds of lifestyle habits influence how well your circulatory system operates. Smoking is a big one. Smoking narrows blood vessels throughout the body, including the blood vessels that supply your reproductive organs. Quitting helps those blood vessels heal to some extent, and if nothing else, helps keep the problem from getting worse.

Likewise, a fatty diet that clogs up the arteries of your heart clogs up arteries everywhere, and adopting a heart-healthy diet with whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein can help bring your blood lipid profile in line with what it should be. Exercise too improves circulation, and you don’t have to run marathons. Consistency is essential, however.

If you have diabetes, tighter regulation of your blood glucose can stave off damages to small blood vessels that contribute to erectile dysfunction and helps you feel better overall. In short, all those things your doctor recommends that you do to remain healthy: not smoking, eating healthy, exercising, and closely monitoring chronic health conditions are better for erectile health as well.

A healthy diet and regular physical activity benefit erection health.

It certainly does. Not only is that enormous cheeseburger likely to delay effectiveness of Viagra, a diet that’s too high in fats, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods puts you at higher risk of coronary artery disease, a condition that is strongly correlated with erection problems.

No one is saying you have to eat rabbit food all the time, but limiting the heavy foods to special occasions and making sure your everyday diet is high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean sources of protein can help you keep your arteries healthy. That includes the arteries that serve your heart and the ones that serve your reproductive organs.

A great diet along with regular exercise can improve erection health, with or without the help of prescription erectile dysfunction medications.

Excess consumption of alcohol can also contribute to erectile dysfunction. Most men have experienced the occasional erection problem due to overindulging. But frequent, heavy drinking itself can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction. It can also play havoc with your blood glucose levels (whether or not you have diabetes), potentially affecting your long-term erectile health.

Never stop taking Adderall suddenly. Withdrawal should be done gradually, under a doctor’s supervision.

You should not stop taking Adderall unless your doctor advises you to. Furthermore, you shouldn’t take Adderall or similar drugs recreationally. If you have been taking Adderall regularly and suddenly stop, you can experience an emotional “crash” as well as physical withdrawal symptoms. Abusing Adderall is more likely to result in an emotional crash than taking it as directed by a doctor. Suddenly stopping Adderall can cause depression, panic attacks, irritability, and even suicidal thoughts. You definitely want to come off Adderall under the supervision of a physician.

In some men, simply understanding why the use of Adderall can lead to erectile dysfunction can help them let go of enough anxiety to be able to function sexually. If you’re a man taking Adderall or another stimulant, and you believe it is causing you to have erection problems, you need to broach the subject with your doctor. You might be able to lower the dose, enjoy the benefits of it, and reduce anxiety-producing effects enough to help with erection problems. Some men may successfully change from taking an extended release version of their ADHD medication to traditional, fast-acting medication, which gets out of the body faster and can allow a degree of “recovery” to where sex is possible.

Your doctor can help you determine if your erection problems are being caused by your ADHD medication, and if so, what to do about it. He or she may want to explore other possible causes of erectile dysfunction, like hormonal imbalances, heart disease, diabetes, or other medications (including antidepressants). And as with men in general alcohol and nicotine consumption can contribute to erection problems, whether they’re caused by circulatory problems or loss of libido.

Adderall is one of many drugs that can interfere with a man’s ability to have a strong erection and satisfying sex. But it doesn’t affect circulation to the penis – its effects are more roundabout, though no less real. Abusing Adderall can not only negatively affect your sex life, but many other aspects of life, so there’s good reason for it being a controlled substance. Whatever you think may be causing your erection difficulties, the place to begin addressing them is in conversation with a physician.

Is Adderall use associated with erectile dysfunction?

Adderall and Adderall XR are associated with erectile dysfunction, and though it does so in an indirect manner, it can nonetheless be stressful for men who take the medications. Adderall in some people has the effect of dampening libido, and this is what leads to erection problems. Most erectile dysfunction is caused by a physical condition that limits the amount of blood flowing into the penis during sexual stimulation. Adderall and drugs like it don’t affect blood circulation in the penis, but they can produce anxiety and quash sex drive, and when this happens, sexual functioning can suffer.

This is not to say that every man who takes Adderall will have erection problems. It’s only when the drug is abused, or taken regularly for a very long the time that the possibility of erectile dysfunction increases.

Regular Adderall starts to work more quickly and the effects (and hence, side effects) don’t last as long as those of Adderall XR. The “XR” stands for “extended release.” Some doctors and parents prefer Adderall XR for school age children, because in many cases it can be taken once in the morning and last all day. Ordinary Adderall lasts four to six hours on average, while Adderall XR tends to last far longer – up to 12 hours.

The choice of short-acting versus long-acting ADHD medication depends on many factors.