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This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.
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Australian Prescriber Vol. 21 No. 2 1998
The management of erectile dysfunction
Some men develop difficulty in having an erection (impotence), a problem which increases with age. Often, there is no obvious cause for the problem, but it is important to check with your doctor. Some cases of impotence may be caused by diseases such as diabetes or hardening of the arteries. Less commonly, impotence can be due to a hormone imbalance.
The available treatments range from psychological counselling to injections or penile implants. Injections of a drug called prostaglandin into the penis are often recommended. An erection occurs within 5-20 minutes of an injection. As the effect of the drug varies, it is important that you know what dose to use. The doctor will discuss this with you when explaining how to use prostaglandin. This treatment can have adverse effects. They include pain and, less commonly, erections which do not go down. It is important to see your doctor at once if your erection does not go down within 4 hours.
