Advantages and Disadvantages
Defining the best treatment depends on what you mean by best. Oral medications are the best first-line treatment for most men due to their simplicity and the ability to use them only when needed. The most well-known of them is viagra. However, not all men can or will be willing to take oral medications. In an attempt to “cut to the bone,” each treatment is summarized in the following paragraphs.
Oral medications are the easiest treatment to begin, requiring only that the physician confirm the patient is an acceptable candidate and write a prescription the patient will have filled. However, they are expensive and carry the risk of a prescription medication.
Counseling is expensive and time-consuming, and it requires substantial emotional effort on the part of the patient and usually his partner. However, counseling can lead to permanent resolution if psychological issues are the primary cause of erectile dysfunction.
Constriction rings and vacuum constriction devices (VCDs) are the safest treatments known to man. In addition, a one-time affordable expenditure enables treatment as frequently as is desired. Unfortunately, they lack spontaneity and provide an erection that appears unnatural to some couples due to either coolness of the penis or the presence of the constriction ring. They are usually only tolerated by stable couples who are willing to put in the effort and who are not bothered by their mechanical nature.
