ED following radiation treatment

[Mrkharn]

I had Cyberknife in January 2016 and noticed that 'morning wood' was affected after two weeks with a steady onset of ED.

To normal stimulation such as porno, all I get is the feeling of blood rushing but no movement per se. I can get a sort of chubby to masterbate (yawn).

OTOH if I take 20 mg sildenfil, I can actually get a stiffy with my so called partner.

My question is the following

Will I progress to total ED,

Does it even out so to speak where I will have some erectile ability or do erectile function go away totally,

Will occasional use of ED drug preserve ability of blood to flow through to the penis, and do I need to use it daily?

I am quite surprised and happy that sildenfil has the desired effect. But what do men experience in the long term?

Thanks!

Mark

[BerkshireBear]

I believe that the use of Viagra or Cialis should start almost immediately after treatment is over, perhaps even during some treatments. Its primary purpose is to maintain the health of the vascular system that supports the erections. Recovery from nerve damage is a major factor in getting erections (along with psych and blood flow and damage/ageing of other parts of the system). Look back at my reply to Manatee for some more details. I prefer Cialis/Tadalafil because of its longer residency in your system. Regaining erections like before treatment is not usual; most, although not all of us have to settle for something less. But it is too early for you to know. It typically takes a year or two for our systems to recover entirely. Clearly, though, there's a lot of wisdom in "use it or lose it", so keep trying and keep exercising all the appropriate parts.

[Mrkharn in reply to BerkshireBear]

I would settle for this but don't know if I'm going to have that option.

Mark

[Tall_Allen]

I started daily Viagra from the time I started SBRT until about 6 months post treatment. While radiation does not harm nerves, it can cause stiffening of blood vessels and impaired blood flow. ED meds protect the linings of the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis.

Daily doses would be 20 mg Viagra, 5 mg Cialis or 10 mg Levitra. They are cheap and good quality on alldaychemist.com. You can take a full dose when needed for sex. Some guys report that large doses of the amino acid arginine/citrulline help too. Frequent use protects the tissues too.