Despite being one of the most common sexual health concerns for men, many people remain in the dark about what actually causes erectile dysfunction

With the holiday season fast approaching, many men are facing the reality of another festive period with erectile dysfunction. This can put a serious dampener on celebrations, and cause men to lose confidence and feel alone.

Yet, it is important to state that impotence is a widespread problem that can affect many men at some point in their life. One study from the Co-Op Pharmacy found that impotence affects 4.3 million men in the UK, the equivalent of one in five British men. But for such a common condition, many men are still unsure about what is actually at the root of their erectile problems. Understanding the condition is the first step to treating it effectively, which is why we’re here to clarify the science behind erectile dysfunction. Let’s take a look.

What causes erectile dysfunction?

An erection occurs when blood fills the penile chambers. This causes the penis to become enlarged and firm. However, in order to this to happen, a complex series of processes need to take place. An erection requires the release of a chemical called cGMP. This relaxes the blood vessels in the penis and makes it easier for blood to enter the penis and cause an erection.

When orgasm occurs and blood begins to drain from the area, an enzyme called PDE-5 is released to break down the cGMP chemical. However, in some men the PDE-5 enzyme is too active, stopping cGMP from widening the blood vessels before orgasm occurs. This makes it harder for men to reach and sustain a state of erection. This lies at the root of erectile dysfunction.

How does treatment work?

Once you understand the science behind the causes of erectile dysfunction, it becomes easier to understand how effective medication can work to treat the condition. Erectile dysfunction treatments broadly fall under the category of PDE-5 inhibitors. As the name suggests, these treatments inhibit the activity of the PDE-5 enzyme and subdue it, allowing the cGMP chemical to do its job properly. This intervention stops the blood vessels in the penis from contracting and makes it significantly easier to achieve and maintain an erection.

Popular PDE-5 inhibitors include treatments such as Sildenafil, Spedra, Levitra and, of course, Viagra.

Erectile dysfunction and mental health

While the bodily processes behind erectile dysfunction are largely physical, your mental health can play a huge part in increasing your symptoms.

Anxiety and depression can be significant factors in causing erectile dysfunction, and in some cases treating these wider conditions is necessary in order to improve your erectile issues. For most people, erectile dysfunction is the result of a vicious cycle between mental and physical health. Most erectile dysfunction is caused by physical factors, but when it occurs it can significantly increase feelings of performance anxiety, depression and anxiety in general. This can serve to make the condition even worse.

Treating the mental health aspects of erectile dysfunction can consist of something as simple as talking to your partner. Working together to make the bedroom a relaxing, inviting space rather than a pressurised one can be hugely important. Sexual health therapy or couples therapy can also be beneficial.

Certain physical health concerns can also increase your likelihood of suffering from erectile dysfunction, including diabetes. Poor lifestyle choices such as a bad diet, heavy drinking and smoking can also play a part in the condition.

This winter, don’t let erectile dysfunction stop you getting cosy in the bedroom. Explore the range of effective erectile dysfunction medications available from Express Pharmacy. For further guidance and support, get in touch with our team today using our discreet live chat service.

Erectile dysfunction is a condition that seems to be affecting an increasing number of men in their 20s and 30s are experiencing. But is there more to the statistics than meets the eye?

Indulging in a few festive tipples is understandable, but excessive alcohol consumption at Christmas can have severe consequences

Many of us like a few drinks at Christmas time, but it’s hard to deny the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Understanding more about the possible consequences of drinking is the first step in keeping your consumption balanced and under control. This will help you have a happier and healthier festive season.

The negative effects of drinking at Christmas

Excessive drinking at any time of year puts you at risk of both short term and long-term health conditions, some of which can be extremely serious. These include heart disease, liver disease, stroke, brain damage, nervous system damage and certain kinds of cancer such as mouth, throat and breast.

And since we tend to drink more at Christmas than at any other time of year, it’s important to consider the negative effects of drinking at Christmas, which can really put a dampener on your festive season.

Migraines

Multiple studies have shown excessive alcohol consumption to be one of the most common migraine triggers. Beverages such as red wine can put you at greater risk of suffering intense throbbing pain in the front or side your head. There is a wide range of effective migraine relief medications available from Express Pharmacy to help get you through the Christmas period.

Weight gain

On average, UK adults gain an extra 1.3 pounds during the holiday season, as we tend to see December as a time of indulgence. Alcohol is a major contributor to winter weight gain, putting you more at risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. More and more people are turning to weight loss medications like Xenical and Mysimba to help them shed excess pounds quickly and safely.

Erectile Dysfunction

One of the negative effects of drinking at Christmas for men is an increased risk of erectile dysfunction. This is often a result of a poorer diet, increased drinking habits, lack of physical activity and sometimes even Christmas-related stress. With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that sales of impotence medications like Sildenafil and Viagra double in the run-up to Christmas.

Guidelines for drinking at Christmas

Staying health conscious in your drinking habits over the festive period is, of course, partly about knowing how much to drink at Christmas, and knowing the up-to-date unit limits for men and women (14 units a week.) However, it isn’t just about knowing how much to drink at Christmas. There are other factors to consider.

Do your research

In order to encourage yourself to drink responsibly this December, brush up on the negative effects of drinking at Christmas. Hearing statistics such as alcohol being a causal factor in over 60 medical conditions will help you understand the importance of moderation.

Take days off

Even though it’s Christmas, you should still abstain from drinking on most days. Give yourself a rule to follow that you will spend more days of the week not consuming alcohol than you do actively drinking.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water between alcoholic drinks helps your body clear out alcohol. In fact, it’s estimated that your body needs four-parts water for every one-part alcohol.

Watch your urine

If your urine is a dark amber colour or smells strongly, this is a clear sign that your body is dehydrated and needs more water, less alcohol.

Drink slowly

Drinking slowly gives your body, and particularly your liver, more time to metabolise and flush toxins from your body.

Never drink on an empty stomach

Drinking without eating floods your body with alcohol, forcing your liver to work particularly hard. Carbohydrates and fats are the best food groups for absorbing alcohol effectively, helping you line you stomach and avoid a hangover. By allowing food to absorb alcohol, there remains less alcohol for your body to absorb.

For more information on having a happy and healthy festive season, contact the team at Express Pharmacy. You can use our discreet live chat service or call us on 0208 123 07 03.

Did you know that sales of erectile dysfunction medication doubles in the run up to Christmas, perhaps reflecting the fears of thousands of men that their bedroom performance will fail them over the festive period

Erectile dysfunction affects more than 10% of men under 60, one in five men over 60 and almost a third of men over the age of 70. While the problem is widespread and should not be considered a cause for embarrassment, the fact is that many men’s fear of inadequacy can lead to a reduced interest in sex and overall negative feelings of anxiety and depression.

At Christmas, an increased pressure to engage in sexual activities combined with an increased food and alcohol intake creates a catch 22 when it comes to impotence. Excess alcohol consumption can significantly increase the likelihood of erectile dysfunction symptoms, as can a generally unhealthy lifestyle — which more of us experience at Christmas time.

So it may come as no surprise then that, compared to a typical month of the year, demand for impotence medication increases by as much as 61 per cent in the run up to Christmas, according to research.

These findings suggest that the reasons behind this increase in erectile dysfunction medication usually falls into one of two categories: the emotional strain of Christmas, or the increased desire to get intimate over the festive period.

Finding the best treatment for erectile dysfunction

For men who believe they may need the help of impotence medication, the choice of different products on the market can be somewhat confusing. While almost everyone is familiar with the market-leading Viagra, there are many different prescription medications available today that may be better suited to some men.

Oral tablets are the most popular form of treatment for erectile dysfunction as they are clinically proven to tackle symptoms and provide a reliable and fast-acting solution to impotence. Popular options are Viagra and Sildenafil. Sildenafil is medically equivalent to Viagra but is more affordable because it is not a branded medication. Both of these options, along with several other leading competitors, are available through Express Pharmacy.

Another popular medication is Cialis and its newly released generic alternative, Tadalafil. Like many other erectile dysfunction medicines, Tadalafil and Cialis work by increasing blood flow to the penis, helping men to achieve a firm, maintainable erection when sexually aroused. One of the most popular aspects of these two treatments is the fact that the active ingredient Tadalafil takes effect in just 30 minutes but can provide up to 36 hours of effectiveness – much longer than Viagra or generic Sildenafil.

For more information about treatment for erectile dysfunction, contact the team at Express Pharmacy using our discreet live chat service. Our simple three-step treatment service can get you the erectile dysfunction medication you need in time for Christmas.

Self care to tackle ED

In addition to prescription medication, it is important that men pay attention to their health and wellbeing at this time of year if they wish to avoid the problem of impotence. Generally speaking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, stress and anxiety can have a detrimental effect on gentlemen’s ability to gain and maintain an erection. Yet many men will spend December eating rich food and drinking heavily as the party season progresses.

Paying a close attention to the physical and psychological factors that can influence impotence and taking steps to avoid excess at this time of year can help to complement erectile dysfunction medication.

Want some confidential advice on erectile dysfunction medication? Try out Live Chat tool now.

Like many prescription medications before it, Cialis has benefitted from a patent that precluded other pharmaceutical companies from producing a drug with the same active ingredient.

As of 14^th November 2017, however, the patent on Cialis has expired, making way for a number of other drugs based on the same active ingredient – Tadalafil. These prescription medications are medically identical to the branded alternative and will be widely known as “Generic Cialis”.

What is Tadalafil?

Just like its rival Viagra, which came off patent in 2013, the restrictions on companies creating medically identical drugs to Cialis have now been lifted. And just as Sildenafil (Generic Viagra) became a popular medication in its own right, so we can expect Tadalafil to become a common prescription for men suffering from erectile dysfunction. patent terminated in November 2017. This has instantly led to a flood of generic pharmaceutical companies releasing drugs featuring the same active ingredient as Cialis.

Tadalafil is a form of impotence medication known as a PDE-5 inhibitor (short for phosphodiesterase-5). This type of ED drug works by inhibiting the enzyme that regulates blood flow to the penis, enabling men to achieve a hard and sustainable erection during the course of sexual activity. As with other ED medications, however, Tadalafil only works when sexually stimulated and should not leave a man with a permanent erection.

Among the key differences between Tadalafil and other medications based on different active ingredients is that Cialis may last for up to 36 hours, unlike the likes of Viagra and Levitra, which typically have a 4–12 hour window.

This has made Tadalafil particularly popular with men who want the freedom to enjoy more spontaneous sexual activity and are not able to specify a short window for achieving an erection.

Like Cialis, Tadalafil is also available in a Daily format, based on a lower dosage which can be taken continuously. This makes it well suited to individuals in long-term relationships or who are regularly sexually active.

Cost

While Tadalafil and Cialis are medically identical, Tadalafil will be available at a much lower cost than Cialis from the 14^th November. By their nature, generic medications are relatively cheap and cost effective.

Are generic medicines like Tadalafil safe?

Quality assurance for both branded and generic medicines such as Tadalafil is carried out by the European Medicines Agency and by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This should provide men with peace of mind that all erectile dysfunction medication supplied through reputable and fully regulated pharmacies like Express Pharmacy are safe.

Never buy any impotence drugs or any other medication from an unregulated website or provider.

Wish to find out more about Tadalafil, Cialis or any other erectile dysfunction medication? Why not use our free Live Chat tool for fast and discreet advice today?