Erectile Dysfunction has become a pandemic disorder as it has successfully hit more than 60% of men.

Reports suggest that there are 6% of new cases every year, and the figures continue to stream up with the current lifestyle, diet, and sleep cycle.

With the conditions worsening every year, science is jumping leaps and bounds to take acute measures against the rising cases of impotence.

And it has devised some of the brilliant methods to treat the said disorder in men— the disorder which brings stress, humiliation, and devastated relationships.

As there is number of treating options than ever, the doctors conduct the clinical evaluation before referring any prescription to you.

Let’s check some of the drugs which have successfully treated impotence in the past, and vows to do the same in the current and coming time.

Topical Medication

It’s a type of medication which is applied on the surface of the body, i.e., on the skin of the body or the mucous membrane.

Topical administration generally includes spray, gel, foam, lotions, creams, etc.

Initially, researchers were skeptical about the topical medication for erectile dysfunction.

But the medication for erectile dysfunction didn’t get famous until the Journal Of Urology conducted a series of research around two decades ago.

The medication gel had a substance called ‘aminophylline,’ the vasodilator which when applied on the skin of the penis caused an erection. [1]

However, the medication also gave an unpleasant sensation on the shaft.

Today, Topical Gel by MacroChem has alprostadil— a substance which enhances the penile erection by using SEPA technology. [2]

The Nexmed formulation is another popular gel which has Alprox-TD— the child of alprostadil.

The introduction of topical gels has solved a lot of problems like skin infection caused by the injection, rule out the fear of respondents, and no other adverse reaction.

Intravenous penile administration

Although the bioavailability of intravenous penile is maximum, i.e., the rate of absorption and effectivity is highest; it poses dreadful consequences if not used under the proper guidance.

Before the invention of topical gels, medical content such as phentolamine, papaverine, and alprostadil was inserted in the penis using intravenous route.

The preferability of the given route has lowered with the accouchement of gels and other oral medications; however, a decent number of population resort to it due to the ineffective impact of other drugs.

Brindley— the injection named after Dr. Giles Brindley is one of the famous self-injection therapies for erecting the penis.

Virag Mini Injection— the turning point in the medical history for treating impotence— discovered by Ronald Virag, increases the blood flow in the penis.

The injection uses papaverine as a vasodilator which smoothens the muscle walls of the blood vessels.

Intraurethral agents

The medication deals with erectile dysfunction through the urethral opening.

It’s also referred to as a transurethral agent which uses medical pallets.

The medical pallets have alprostadil as the primary medication.

The urethral suppositories are inserted in the urethra— the fine margin narrow tube which conducts urine and semen.

As the chemical go directly into the bloodstream, pallets are highly effective in increasing the blood flow in the penis.

Although the use of intraurethral agents has reduced significantly due to oral medication, it is still a favorable option for the people who fear oral medication or who see no effect of the medicine.

MUSE— Medicated urethral suppository for erection is the sole intraurethral agent approved and recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

We are in the 4th generation of the medical treatment for erectile dysfunction.

It started with the intravenous route, then shifted to the topical administration, and later unleashed the doors for oral medication like Viagra and Cialis. Today, we have stepped in the fourth generation— the generic oral medicines— the most accessible medication at the cheapest cost.

The current generation is all set to change the mindset of how we perceive the disease.