One of the major causes of erectile dysfunction (ED) is diabetes. It’s estimated that more than 50% of men with diabetes have some degree of ED. As a result, men are often put on hormone therapy for a long time to try to treat this issue. But what if there was a way to naturally boost your erections and make the most out of your sexual health without taking medication?
You might be interested in trying a little-known herb called Viagra. It’s been around for longer than most people realize, and it’s been successfully used to help people with ED for years.
Does this mean you can use Viagra to treat your diabetes? Perhaps. Let’s take a closer look.
Why Is Diabetes Associated With ED?
As already noted, more than 50% of men with diabetes have ED. This is likely because of a number of factors. First, the condition itself makes you more susceptible to ED. Second, diabetes causes nerve damage, which can lead to a decline in sexual function. Third, diabetes affects the hormone balance in your body, which again, can lead to sexual dysfunction. Finally, depression, anxiety, and stress are common in people with diabetes, all of which can contribute to sexual problems.
How Does Viagra Work?
For years, scientists didn’t fully understand how Viagra worked. Turns out, it has a lot to do with blood flow (particularly to the penis). When you get an erection, blood flow becomes restricted, and that’s what causes the erection. So, by increasing blood flow to the penis, Viagra can help you get an erection (and stay in one!).
However, as you might imagine, just taking Viagra and expecting to get an erection isn’t the best way to go about treating ED. To be beneficial, Viagra needs to be taken with a drug called a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5I). This is the same type of medication that’s used to treat erectile dysfunction in men. For women, it can be used to treat pulmonary hypertension (PH), a condition in which the blood vessels in your lungs become more narrow. So, in other words, Viagra is most effective when used in combination with a PDE5I to help treat ED.
There are currently a few medications that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ED and diabetes. One of these is Aviara. It’s an oral medication that acts as a combination of vardenafil (used to treat ED) and a diabetes medication, metformin (also known as Glucophage, Forteo, and GlyxadiX). By acting on both your diabetes and ED issues simultaneously, Aviara can help you get the most out of your sexual health without having to take multiple pills daily.
Is There Anything Else You Should Know About Viagra?
Viagra comes with a number of warnings and precautions. First, as mentioned above, it needs to be taken in combination with a PDE5I to be effective. If you’re unsure about whether or not this is right for you, then consult with your physician or pharmacist. Next, people who use nitrates – which is what the medication is classified as – should not take it. This is because the two can play awful tricks on your heart. Nitrates are also found in some prescription medications and recreational drugs. So, if you’re taking any medications, drinking alcohol, or using illicit substances, then this likely isn’t the right choice for you. Finally, while Viagra has been shown to increase blood flow to the penis, it’s not clear how much this actually helps with sexual function. So, if you experience any side effects, they might be due to increased blood flow and not necessarily from the medication itself.
Taking Viagra to treat your diabetes might not be right for everyone. It all depends on what other medications you’re already taking and whether or not your physician thinks that Viagra will be safe to use in combination with existing treatments. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be said for trying a medication as a last resort when other treatments have failed. At the very least, it’s something new to try.