The injections for erectile dysfunction treatment are used when other methods for potency restoration proved ineffective. Injections or intracavernosal therapy with the drug Alprostadil is one of the most popular methods for the recovery of potency in the United States and other countries.
Intracavernous therapy consists in the introduction of Alprostadil drug directly into the penis. Alprostadil is a derivative of biologically active substances that influence the tonus of penis smooth muscle.
Alprostadil injections for erectile dysfunction relax the smooth muscles of the corpus cavernosum of the penis. The main purpose of corpus cavernosum is providing erection. Blood vessels of the corpus cavernosum dilate under the influence of Alprostadil, which results in an erection.
Alprostadil dose should be selected individually. The treatment with this drug is recommended to start with 2,5 mg per day. Then the drug dose is doubled for achieving the maximum therapeutic effect. The daily dose of Alprostadil should not exceed 60 mg. The recommended interval between Alprostadil injections is two days (three times a week).
Alprostadil is used as needed. The erection occurs in about 15-20 minutes and lasts about an hour after you inject Alprostadil. The patient may make an injection on his own, but only after the necessary instruction from the attending physician.
Alprostadil contributes to the onset of an erection, regardless of the reasons that led to erectile dysfunction. The drug injections can be used in contraindication to other agents for achieving erection. Alprostadil may be used if the patient has such co-morbidities, as diabetes or after a surgery for the prostate removal (prostatectomy).
The advantages of Alprostadil use by injections for erectile dysfunction are:
- rapid onset of action;
- timely persistent erection, sufficient for a full sexual intercourse;
- there is no need for the active substance to be absorbed in the gastro-intestinal tract;
- allows adjusting the duration of erection, depending on the dose;
- Alprostadil injection does not increase blood pressure;
- Alprostadil injections cause no acute pain, when properly administered into the right place;
- no effect on spermatogenesis and fertility;
- brings an erection without an additional sexual stimulation.
In addition to the main drug Alprostadil, you may also buy Caverject and Edex injectable solutions in the United States. Alprostadil is also sold in the form of urethral suppositories, called Muse. In most cases, Alprostadil-based drugs require a physician’s prescription.
Recommendations for the most effective use of Alprostadil injections for erectile dysfunction are:
- it is desirable that the first Alprostadil injection is done by an attending physician. The healthcare worker should show you, how to use a syringe;
- empty your bladder before the injection;
- wipe the injection place with a swab dipped in alcohol;
- injection should be done only in the corpus cavernosum of the penis. Otherwise, you will not get an erection;
- Alprostadil should be administered slowly, within 5-10 seconds;
- after the syringe removal, push the injection place with your finger for 2-3 minutes.
The vast majority of clinical trials have demonstrated a high percentage of Alprostadil efficacy for the treatment of potency disorders. The rate of successful sexual acts reaches 90-95% in men, who used Alprostadil by injection for erectile dysfunction.
Most men who used Alprostadil intracavernosal injections for erectile dysfunction did not experience any adverse reactions. Alprostadil was ineffective only in those patients, whose sexual problems were caused by the violation of the veins occlusion (patency).
Despite the simplicity of application, Alprostadil injections for the treatment of potency disorders may cause some complications, like:
- minor pain at the site of the needle introduction, especially after the first injection;
- slight bruising or swelling at the injection site;
- prolonged use of Alprostadil injection may lead to the formation of scar tissue on the penis (fibrosis);
- the urethra may very rarely be slightly damaged due to improper needle insertion;
- prolonged erections or priapism.
Alprostadil was not the first drug that has been applied for the injection treatment of erectile dysfunction. The first method of intracavernous treatment of sexual dysfunction was developed by the vascular surgeon R.Virag in 1982. Papaverine was the first agent to be administered into the penis through injection.
Subsequently, in addition to Papaverine, other drugs were used for the erectile dysfunction treatment by injection, for example, Phentolamine. However, the injection of these drugs into the penis is often accompanied by side effects, the most serious of which were fibrosis and priapism.
Frequent occurrence of prolonged erection and scar tissue formation due to the injections in the penis has been avoided after the appearance of Alprostadil. It is currently the drug of choice for intracavernous injection in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Combined drugs for intracavernous injection Bimix and Trimix are quite wide-spread in many countries, including the United States. They contain three active ingredients: Papaverine, Phentolamine and Alprostadil.
Phentolamine is no longer used as a monotherapy in the sexual disorders treatment today. Most often, it is used in combined therapy with Alprostadil and Papaverine.
Monotherapy with intracavernous Papaverine injections has a limited period of use due to the drug toxicity. Alprostadil injection may be used throughout the entire life, although the majority of patients noted improvement in potency after one year of the drug use.