Hello blog!

New ED Drug Proved to Be Highly Effective

A new erectile dysfunction drug, which is currently being tested by its developer, Vivus, is said to be highly efficient, fast to take effect and, thus, being a potential rival to Viagra and Cialis.

On Monday, November 14th, Vivus announced that its erectile dysfunction drug Avanfil, which is currently being investigated, acts in as little as it minutes. The proportion of men, in whom the drug was successful, reached 83%. The data was presented at the Sexual Medicine Society of North America in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Commenting on he findings of the clinical trials, one of men’s healthcare professionals said: “Based on the results of the study, this onset of action suggests that avanafil, if approved, is potentially well-suited for on-demand treatment in men with mild to severe erectile dysfunction.”

The news caused an immediate reaction from investors, who have started buying Vivus shares. On Monday afternoon, the price of Vivus shares went up by 1.61% and reached $10.08 per share.

Vivus is to apply for the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration as it completes the trials of Avanfil.

Heart Implants Cause Poor Sexual Function in Men

Research by American scientists found out that men with heart implants have more sex-related issues, including impotence, poor satisfaction and more.

ICD

Dr. Steven Cook and his colleagues recently found out that men with implanted cardioverter defibrillators are more prone to suffering from erectile dysfunction than men who do not have similar heart-related issues.

Patients with heart implants have a high anxiety level when it comes to sex because they think the device might give them a painful shock. Such thoughts, evidently, result in poor male potency.

The research was performed among 151 men, of whom 41 had heart implants (also known as ICDs).Men with ICDs were found to have lower sexual function and satisfaction scores.

In the opinion of the authors of the research and other healthcare professionals, men need to talk to their physician about physical activities with ICDs installed.

Dr. Albert Levy of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says: “When you have sex, it’s the equivalent of climbing stairs,” Levy said. “If someone is capable of climbing stairs without their ICD kicking in, they should be able to have sex.”

The results of the study are to be discussed at the meeting of the American Heart Association, which is to be held on November, 15th.

Medications Might Lead to Erectile Dysfunction

The latest research performed by US scientists revealed that men on numerous medications are more prone to erectile dysfunction.

Medications linked to ED

The results of the research published lately in the British Journal of Urology suggest that erectile dysfunction – the most widespread sexual problem among men – might be linked not only to aging and psychological factors, as previously believed.

Scientists from Southern California are determined that medications are one of the factors behind impotence. In their opinion, drugs are even more dangerous than stress or old age as they put men at a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction.

Some of the drugs have more significant effect on men’s sexual function than others; these dangerous drugs include beta blockers, anti-depressants and similar anxiety medications.

During their study, researchers analyzed the effect of prescribed drugs as well as of the over-the-counter drugs. They discovered that men taking numerous medications suffered from a more severe form of erectile dysfunction than those who were not on any kind of medication. As such, almost 30% of men taking 10+ medications had severe potency problems, while only 6.9% of those taking 2 or fewer medications faced the same issues.

Commenting on the findings, Diana C. Londono, urologist at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, recommended men having difficulty with ED, to “consider curtailing any OTC medications that you don’t need. And then really work with your doctor to see if you can cut down on any of your prescription medications.”

Shock Therapy Can Treat Erectile Dysfunction

Israeli scientists found out that shock therapy might help treat erectile dysfunction in men, who do not respond well to drug treatments.

ED

Results of the latest study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggest that shock therapy might help men suffering from erectile dysfunction overcome their problem.

Researchers from the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa, Israel, found out that extracorporeal shock wave therapy significantly improved the potency of those men, who were not responding well to drug treatment.

Men involved in the study went through 12 shock therapy sessions and were required to fill in a questionnaire assessing their sexual function.

According to the responses of men, they started to see improvements in their sexual life and as many as 30% of patients even reported normal levels of erectile function, indicating they no longer need medications.

Commenting on the findings of Israeli scientists, Dr. Andrew Kramer, a urologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said that the results are “somewhat counterintuitive” and that the “the therapy may never be mainstream even if the benefits of extracorporeal shock wave therapy are confirmed by future research.”

Top Ten Reasons for Impotence

ED

Recently, an overview of the conditions, habits and lifestyles that might lead to erectile dysfunction was published by 121doc, online healthcare provider.

Reason #1 is Stress

It is heavily linked to impotence as 40% of men blame it for erectile dysfunction.

Reason #2 is Diabetes

This disease causes impotence within 10 years.

Reason #3 is Unhealthy lifestyle

Namely, this is smoking, drinking and drug abuse, all of which impair the functioning of blood vessels.

Reason #4 is Inactivity

Men who do not do any sports and have a low nutrition diet are more prone to ED.

Reason #5 is Age

Old men suffer from a range of sexual diseases, including erectile dysfunction.

Reason #6 is Anxiety

Impotence is known to be caused not only by physiological, but also by psychological factors.

Reason #7 is Depression

It works just like anxiety, hampering men’s sexual performance from within.

Reason #8 is Fatigue

Just like stress, it accounts for almost half of ED cases.

Reason #9 is Surgery

This is especially true when it comes to surgical treatment of prostate, bladder, colon or rectum cancer.

Finally, reason #10 is Medications

When taken without prescription or in heavy dosages, medications might cause ED.

Sleep Disorder Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction

A common sleep disorder, known as sleep apnea, might be linked to sexual problems like erectile dysfunction and loss of libido.

Sleep apnea

One of the latest studies, the results of which were published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests that sleep apnea is linked to erectile dysfunction.

Sleep apnea – a condition that results in intermittent breathing during the sleep – is the problem that over 12 million Americans face because of fatigues, excess weight and high blood pressure.

The study performed among 320 women and 401 men aged 28-64, some of whom suffered from sleep apnea, revealed that this medical condition significantly increases the risk of libido loss and erectile dysfunction in women and men respectively.

The main reason behind this link is, according to scientists, the effect of the disorder on sleep-dependent chemical reactions that produce testosterone, a hormone partially responsible for libido and ED. The frequent disruptions of sleep might inhibit the body’s ability to produce and process this hormone, which, in its turn, negatively affects the quality of men’s and women’s potency.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. David Gozal of the University of Louisville, one of the authors of the research, said that “even relatively short periods of CIH are associated with significant effects on sexual activity and erectile function.”

US FDA Approves Cialis for New Uses

Cialis can now be used to treat not only erectile dysfunction, but also prostate enlargement and other medical conditions in men.

Cialis

On Friday, October 7th, Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Cialis, the #1 erectile dysfunction drug, said that the “weekend pill” has been approved for uses other that treatment of impotence.

The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) issued an approval for the use of Cialis in men suffering from erectile dysfunction, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate enlargement, and both, ED and BPH.

The decision of the US FDA is based upon numerous clinical trials, which proved that Cialis in 5 mg dose is suitable for treatment of BPH and ED + BPH. The studies involved almost 2,000 men.

Commenting on the latest news from Eli Lilly and the US FDA, Mr. Roehrborn of the University of Texas SouthWestern Medical Center, said that “a single medication approved to treat both may be a significant therapeutic option for men and physicians since many men who have ED also experience the signs and symptoms of BPH.”

Dave Ricks of Eli Lilly USA, in his turn, said that the new uses of its popular drug Cialis will help “reinforce our [Eli Lilly's] commitment to providing medical innovation in the area of men’s health.”