Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Online in the UK: What Helps

It used to just work. Now it takes longer to get there, or it goes the moment you start worrying that it will. Maybe you've started staying up later so there's no pressure to try, or you've been searching for answers at 1am with the screen brightness turned right down.

If that sounds familiar, you're far from the only one, and it can be helped. I'm now a prescriber, and you can request erectile dysfunction treatment online, without an appointment, from anywhere in the UK. Many men tell me they waited months, sometimes years, before asking. You can ask today, from your own sofa.

Is erectile dysfunction common?

Yes, very. Around half of men between 40 and 70 have some trouble getting or keeping an erection, and it happens to younger men too.

Erectile dysfunction means finding it hard to get an erection, or to keep one long enough for sex, often enough that it bothers you. Everyone has an off night after too much to drink or a long week, and that's normal. When it keeps happening over a few weeks, it's something that can be helped, and the sooner you ask, the less time it spends sitting on your mind.

It affects more than sex. Many men tell me it changed how they felt about themselves, or that they started avoiding closeness altogether because a cuddle on the sofa might lead somewhere they didn't trust. A partner often wonders if it's about them. It usually isn't, and telling them so can take a weight off you both.

What causes erectile dysfunction?

Usually it's blood flow, nerves, hormones or what's going on in your head, and often it's more than one of these at once.

An erection needs healthy blood vessels, working nerves, enough testosterone and a mind that isn't busy bracing for things to go wrong. When any part of that is under strain, this is often where it shows first.

Blood flow matters more as you get older. The small blood vessels in the penis are affected by the same things that affect the blood vessels around your heart: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, smoking and carrying extra weight round your middle. So erection problems can be an early sign that your blood vessels need some attention, and it makes sense to have your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked.

Some medicines can play a part too, including some taken for blood pressure, low mood or hair loss. Don't stop a medicine on your own because of this. Tell us what you take and we'll look at it together. Alcohol and poor sleep add to it as well.

Can stress and anxiety cause erectile dysfunction?

Yes. Stress, anxiety and low mood are some of the most common causes, especially in younger men, and they can keep the problem going even when it started for a physical reason.

It often starts with a bad night. The next time, part of your mind is watching to see if it happens again, and that watching is enough to stop it. Adrenaline, the hormone your body releases under stress, narrows blood vessels, which is the opposite of what an erection needs.

There's a useful clue. If you still wake up with erections some mornings, or have no trouble on your own, your blood vessels and nerves are probably working, and stress or anxiety is more likely to be part of what's going on. It's one of the questions you'll be asked, because it helps work out the most likely cause.

Treatment can help here too. A few good experiences take the pressure off, and the worry often fades with them.

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Blood tests you can order and do from home

Can low testosterone cause erectile dysfunction?

It can play a part, especially if your sex drive has dropped as well. Low testosterone tends to lower desire more than it stops erections on its own, so it's usually one piece of what's going on.

Have you lost strength, gained fat around your tummy, or lost interest in sex? Do you feel tired and short-tempered more than you used to? Together, those point towards checking your testosterone. It's a blood test taken in the morning, when levels are highest, and a low result is usually repeated before anyone calls it low.

If your testosterone does come back low, the Testosterone (TRT) Consultation is 25 minutes, for women and men, online by video call or in the clinic in Milton Keynes. We go through your symptoms and results and decide together what, if anything, to do about it. Follow-up appointments are booked as the same consultation. Read more about testosterone.

Treatment for erectile dysfunction and testosterone treatment do different jobs, and some men need both. We work out together which one helps you.

How do you get erectile dysfunction treatment online in the UK?

Send an Erectile Dysfunction request online. There's no appointment and no video call: you answer questions about your health, I review them, and if treatment is right for you, it's prescribed and posted to you.

The questions cover your erections, your general health and every medicine you take, including anything you've bought yourself. Some medicines don't mix, so answer that part as fully as you can. If something isn't clear, you may be asked a follow-up question before anything is decided.

Being a prescriber doesn't mean everyone gets a prescription. Whether treatment is right depends on your health, the medicines you take and what you want, and we decide that together. If it is right for you, it's sent through our pharmacy partners. If your prescription is approved before 4pm, it's usually with you the next working day.

Treatment for erectile dysfunction helps blood flow when you're aroused. It doesn't create desire on its own, so you still need to be in the mood, and it can take a few tries before you know how well it suits you.

If you'd rather talk it through, or there's more going on, such as a sex drive that's gone or weight you'd like to lose, an appointment may suit you better. The Testosterone (TRT) Consultation and the Weight Loss Consultation are both 25 minutes, by video call anywhere in the UK, or in the clinic in Milton Keynes. Book online.

Start an Erectile Dysfunction request

What can you do yourself that helps?

Quite a lot. What's good for your heart is good for your erections, and changes here can help alongside treatment or on their own.

• Move more. Walking, cycling or anything that gets you a bit out of breath helps blood flow. Lifting weights helps keep muscle on as you get older.
• Cut back on alcohol. A few drinks can make it harder on the night, and heavy drinking over years affects nerves and hormones too.
• Stop smoking. Smoking damages the small blood vessels an erection depends on, so stopping is one of the most useful things you can do.
• Look after your sleep. Short or broken sleep lowers testosterone. If you snore loudly or wake up gasping, mention it, because sleep apnoea (when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep) is linked to erection problems.
• Talk to your partner. Less pressure often helps on its own, and most partners would much rather know than guess.

If it's been on your mind for a while, there's no need to wait and see whether it sorts itself out. Start an Erectile Dysfunction request when you're ready, or read about the Testosterone (TRT) Consultation if your sex drive has gone too.

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Debora Tentis, Women's Health Pharmacist Prescriber.