Category: Erectile Dysfunction

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.

First, Adderall and Ritalin are similar, but not the same. Both are prescribed for long-term use to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, and both are available in multiple dosages, in both ordinary tablets and extended-release capsules. They are central nervous system stimulants and increase the availability of two neurotransmitters, dopamine, and norepinephrine, essentially “speeding up” brain activity. Ritalin works faster and has a shorter half-life in the body than Adderall.

The choice of Ritalin or Adderall depends upon how important long-acting performance is (in which case Adderall is usually preferred) and the desire to keep side effects to a minimum (in which case Ritalin is usually preferred). The two drugs cost about the same, and generics are available for both.

Adderall doesn’t directly affect blood flow to the penis. But it can produce an emotional climate that doesn’t mesh well with sexual feelings. A man considering taking Adderall or a similar drug doesn’t need to worry that it will affect the hydraulics of his erections. But he should be aware that emotional effects of the drug can indirectly affect his sex drive, and this can cause a self-reinforcing cycle of problems. It can also lead to relationship problems if not understood properly.

In the United States, nearly 10% of children from age three to 17 are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. The disorder causes people to have difficulty controlling impulsive behavior and concentrating and can cause kids to have trouble in school.

ADHD is more than the typical childhood fidgetiness, and many children (around 60%) who are diagnosed with ADHD as children continue to experience symptoms as adults.

ADHD can affect adults as well as children.

Stimulant medications are, perhaps counterintuitively, prescribed to treat ADHD. In many people, stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin have the effect of helping with focus, reducing fidgeting, and curbing impulsive behavior. For this reason, drugs prescribed for ADHD have made it to the black market and are regularly abused, particularly on college campuses.

Like any drugs, Adderall and Ritalin have side effects, some of which can be serious. An overdose can result in cardiac arrest, but the more common side effects of anxiety and transient depression (when “coming down” from the drug) can be plenty bothersome. ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall are addictive and are controlled substances.

This is supposed to mean that use of them is closely monitored by physicians, but in reality, people play fast and loose with ADHD drugs all the time. One side effect people don’t talk about much is erectile dysfunction.

Here are some examples of lifestyle choices that do have the ability to affect your erectile health:

• Smoking. There are endless reasons to give up cigarettes, and if the possibility of lung cancer or heart disease isn’t enough motivation, how about the motivation of knowing you put yourself at higher risk of erectile dysfunction? Nicotine has the effect of narrowing blood vessels throughout the body, including the ones leading to your reproductive organs. And if you don’t have decent blood flow, you can’t have decent erections.

• Diet. The stereotypical “American” diet that’s high in saturated fats, cholesterol, sugar, and processed foods isn’t ideal for erection health. Foods that lead to clogged coronary arteries also lead to clogged arteries elsewhere. In fact, younger men with erectile dysfunction may find that their doctor wants to run other tests to assess cardiac health. Erectile dysfunction is somewhat of a “canary in a coal mine” indicator of the possibility of early heart disease. The good news is that lifestyle changes can improve both heart health and erection health.

Exercise helps you feel better, look better, and enjoy sex more.

• Exercise. When you get regular exercise, you not only can shed excess weight and build up your stamina, you improve overall circulation. Between the improved circulation and the extra confidence that often goes along with getting in shape, exercise is definitely good for your erection health.

• Alcohol consumption. A glass of wine with dinner isn’t going to ruin your sex life. Drinking to excess, however (whether periodically or regularly) eventually takes its toll on your erection health. In addition to the short-term inability to have an erection after a bout of heavy drinking, long-term alcohol abuse can result in long-term damage to erectile health.

No. The myth that trading boxer shorts for briefs can affect your ability to have an erection is really just a myth. Wear whatever type of undergarments you want without worrying about whether they’re affecting erection quality or your erectile health.

Relax! Your choice of underwear won’t affect your ability to have an erection.

How did the “tight underwear” myth get started?

Tight underwear has been associated with lower sperm count, but that’s an entirely different problem, despite the fact that it takes place in the same anatomical vicinity. Low sperm count is a leading cause of infertility, but that’s separate and apart from whether a man can have strong erections.

The association between tight underwear and low sperm count is related to the temperature of the testicles. To produce sperm that’s sufficiently healthy, and in sufficient quantities, the testicles must be slightly cooler than the core body temperature. That is why they’re located externally. Tight underwear, by putting the testicles closer to the body, can cause temperature to rise, so sperm quality and quantity can suffer.

There are two important things to bear in mind. One, it takes something like 10 weeks for sperm to be produced, so the tight underwear-low sperm count connection is a long-term process and not an overnight process. Two, wearing tight underwear in hopes of reducing sperm count as a half-hearted attempt at birth control won’t work and is a stupid thing to try.

But if tight underwear is bad for sperm production, why wouldn’t it be bad for erections too?

Tight underwear doesn’t affect your cardiac fitness, so it won’t cause erectile dysfunction.

The process that produces sperm is separate from the process that causes you to have an erection. Erectile health is closely related to cardiac health. Healthy production of sperm in large quantities depends in part on operating in an environment that is slightly cooler than the body’s core temperature. Hence, if the testicles aren’t cool enough, sperm count can suffer without there being any effect on erectile functioning.

If there’s a single, foundational concept for good erection health, it’s good circulation. Drugs like Viagra and Cialis allow the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels to relax so that the blood vessels open up more. When sexual stimulation is added to better circulation to the penis, the result is a quicker, stronger erection. Medications like Viagra have been nothing short of miraculous for many men, yet their mechanism of action is profoundly simple. They block an enzyme called PDE-5, allowing more of a substance called cyclic AMP to circulate. More cyclic AMP means more accommodating blood vessels, so the stage is set for stronger erections.

Something many men don’t realize is that when they combine positive lifestyle changes with the use of prescription medications for erectile dysfunction, they can help the medications work better. In fact, some men may find that lifestyle changes alone can improve erection quality. And, positive lifestyle changes help your heart, lungs, and overall health in addition to helping with erections and helping keep your weight manageable.

Not entirely. There are men who suffer from erectile dysfunction due to other identifiable causes. For example, men who take antidepressants known as serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors develop difficulty in having orgasms, and this can lead to a psychologically-based inability to get an erection in the first place.

In most cases, erectile dysfunction is a blood flow issue. This is not to say that psychological factors have no bearing on sexual performance. But it means that men who in previous generations may have been reluctant to bring up the issue of erection problems with their doctors due to fear of being labeled “neurotic” can broach the topic knowing that most doctors today see erectile dysfunction as the physical problem it is and address it accordingly.

There are several things you can do to make sure you have the best experience with your erectile dysfunction medication. The main thing is, of course, to take it as directed by your physician.

Moderate alcohol consumption shouldn’t have much of an effect on how well your medication works, but drinking heavily can keep your medication from working as effectively as it could. Longer-term, lifestyle changes offer you another opportunity to improve how well your medication works. If you have unhealthy habits like smoking cigarettes, being sedentary or eating a lot of high-fat and / or processed foods, you’re not giving your medication the best environment in which to work.

Exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, and giving up smoking can by themselves make a difference in erection health, and if you need to take medications like Viagra, healthy habits will help these medications work more effectively.

No. Addressing the underlying cause of the problem is the key, and sometimes that requires lifestyle changes rather than, or in addition to medication. If a man experiences erectile dysfunction after taking antidepressants, then a conversation with his mental health provider is in order.

Upon determining whether the antidepressants are causing the problem, mental health professionals can often alter medication regimens to minimize the risk of erection problems while still providing relief from depression. Some antidepressants have a greater effect on erection quality than others, but switching medications is something that must be done under medical supervision. You should not just stop taking your antidepressants because you believe they’re causing erectile dysfunction. Quitting antidepressants suddenly can cause highly unpleasant side effects.

Since erectile dysfunction medications have been around for almost two decades, doctors have learned more about how lifestyle factors affect erection quality. Men who eat properly, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, and avoid binge drinking not only have lower risk of developing erectile dysfunction in the first place, they tend to get better results with prescription medications for erectile dysfunction.