Even though there are literally thousands of ED treatments available, only 3 of them have gained approval from the FDA. These are Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. All three of these drugs are in a group called PDE5 inhibitors are work in almost identical ways. Since they first hit the market over a decade ago (Viagra in 1998, Cialis and Levitra in 2003), the sales of these ED treatments have skyrocketed – and left other ED treatments in the dust.
To understand why the other ED treatments don’t live up to the PDE5 inhibitors, we will have to take a look back in time before Viagra, Levitra and Cialis were available.
In today’s day and age, almost everyone is aware of the condition sexual dysfunction. Many people realize that sexual dysfunction can be caused by health problems. Just like diabetes or hypertension, sexual dysfunction is nothing to be ashamed about. It can happen to any male (and women too) regardless of age. However, before Viagra came out in 1998, no one talked to their doctor about sexual function. After all, why confess that your penis isn’t cooperating with your libido when there was no cure?
Even back in the pre-Viagra days, there were “cures” for sexual dysfunction. However, these weren’t exactly the most desirable options. The men who were brave enough to talk to their doctors about ED might be recommended testosterone replacement therapy. This method can help men get erections but comes with a lot of potential side effects.
A more effective method of treating ED is penile injections. This requires an injection of a cell dilator directly into the urethra. As you can imagine, penile injections can be painful. They can also kill the mood too. Instead of injections, men can insert the medicine into their penis using a pellet which goes down the urethra. However, there are some painful side effects to this as well, like bleeding.
Many men still use vacuum devices for treating ED. A pumping device sucks blood into the penis. Then, a penis ring is put around the base of the penis to keep the blood there. While this is effective, it often does produce results long enough to complete sex as with Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. As a last resort for serious ED, surgery is possible. This method is almost always successful because it relies on an inserted tube or rod in the penis. The man can manipulate the implant to cause an immediate erection. However, infection and mechanical problems are possible.
Compared to these “primitive” ED treatments, Viagra, Levitra and Cialis definitely come out on top. Because Viagra was such a fantastic improvement over these earlier ED treatments, it became known as “the magic blue pill.” Five years later, the treatments got even better with Levitra and Cialis. Now, it is hard to imagine a better treatment for ED than Cialis which requires just one pill to help men get erections naturally for up to 36 hours.