Injections for ED

Well, the appointment about injections was a no go. Hubby just couldn't deal with the idea of sticking a needle "there". We will try Levitra & see what kind of results we get with that. Sildenafil has worked just so so.
Also, his 4 month post op PSA was 0.00!

BWeaver said...
Well, the appointment about injections was a no go. Hubby just couldn't deal with the idea of sticking a needle "there". We will try Levitra & see what kind of results we get with that. Sildenafil has worked just so so.
Also, his 4 month post op PSA was 0.00!

I know they make an auto injector for needles, so you just hold on the spot and push a button. I did not use one when I was trying Trimix just a needle, I was just told they exist. I am sure if you search for it you will find one.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2499191

The usual progression is Viagra -> Cialis -> whatever you want to try next as they are expensive or move to injections. The drugs are all in the same family but have differences. The surveys I have seen are inconclusive of any med working better than another, just depends on the person I assume.

While they did not solve the problem for me, I found Cialis to have less side effects than Viagra and it lasted longer so timing was not such an issue. I think I last got 20 - 20mg for $18 based on the pharmacy best cash price, $1 less than the GoodRX coupon that I had. Of course, you need a prescription for all these meds yet they are not covered by medical insurance.

Like your husband, I was not thrilled about the injections and did not see that as a permanent solution. I get older every year and worry about it less. My wife really does not care much either way so no need for heroic measures on my part as long as I could deal with it.

Fuelguy 51 - our appointment was to do an in office injection but he backed out when he saw the needle (he really hates them).
So we'll try a different med and keep injections in out back pocket for now. Thanks for the info.
Thanks to you too, Mumbo!

All the phosphodiesterace 5 inhibitor drugs tend to work or fail similarly. They all do the same thing, more or less, but have slightly different side effects. Cialis works about as well as the others but lasts longer. Sildenafil (Viagra) is widely-available as a generic so it can be cheaper but it can cause temporary vision changes (light sensitivity and everything turning blue.) It is possible that one might work better than the other but usually if one of the pills gives disappointing results they all will.
If he does decide to finally give injections a try he should make sure he tells his doctor he is interested in "trimix". It is a 'compounded' drug that is mixed up by a compounding pharmacy. You'd think that because it has to be individually made to order it would be more expensive but if you shop around it is much less expensive than the brand name injectables and, being a synergistic mix of three drugs, it tends to cause less problem with the alprostadil ache.
I don't think the compounding pharmacy does much compounding with it, usually. I think they get it as a kit -- premeasured powder in a vial and they just add sterile water.
I used trimix several times a week for three years . The jab takes a bit of will power at first but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as you'd think and it gets easier. (The part of the penis where it is injected isn't particularly sensitive, believe it or not.) It's easier than he thinks -- but, of course it would have to be otherwise nobody would ever manage it.

What dosage of Viagra is he taking? 100 mg is usually the top dosage but they start as low as 25mg. My doctor’s therapist prescribed 20mg or 25mg pills and told me to take as many as necessary up to 100mg.

Cialis has the longer life so he can take in morning and be ok in afternoon or evening. Max dose is 20mg and starts at 5mg as I recall.

Recovery of erectile function after prostate surgery often takes a while. There are a few guys who are lucky and never have a problem but more typically recovery will come slowly for up to two years. It is not unusual for the problem to get worse for a few months before it starts to get better. After five months he's probably bottomed out on the gets-worse-before-it-gets-better thing but improvement may come slowly so he shouldn't get too discouraged. It is important for him to keep trying a few times a week even if the results are so-so. A normal man gets several erections a night while he sleeps. These nocturnal erections keep the erectile tissues oxygenated and stretchy. When the erectile nerves are impaired the loss of nocturnal erections can cause the tissues to atrophy. While he is waiting for his nerves to recover a man needs to find some way get a few erections a week.
There is a bit of a watched-pot-that-never-boils problem that can make things difficult sometimes. When a man is anxious about his erection the anxiety can cause the release of adrenaline and adrenaline is pretty much guaranteed to deflate an erection. When a man goes to the emergency room with one of those "erections lasting more than four hours" that they warn him about, they will inject a bit of a drug similar to adrenaline to help him deflate. Two things help with the anxiety: First, he should remember that recovery can take a long time and he needs to be patient, and second, it helps to find mutually satisfactory sexual activities that can succeed with a less-than-total erection. Some couples find that sex toys can help with the stress. A worried man can often give a better performance if he knows he has an 'understudy' available in the drawer of his bedside table.