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Experiencing ED on and off

Hello all.  before heading to the doctor, was looking for some opinions on this first.  To begin, I'm a fairly healthy 47 yr old male.  my cholesterol is a little high, 206, but not a concern.  I do have hypertension, and have been on lisinopril/hctz for about 3 years now.  been married to the same person for 28 years almost, and never had a problem before.  it started right before Christmas, abut 3 week ago.  most of the time my wife and I will have sex in the early morning, when one of us is getting up for work.  well, one morning I went to, and simply couldn't get an erection.  I didn't really think much of it, though it is exceptionally rare, it has happened to me once or twice.  well, the next when I tried again, same thing.    the day after that, I tried again and was barely able to.  now the thing is, I can get aroused through porn, or touching, or even fantasizing, but it frequently doesn't last, or isn't as hard a I feel it should be.  from that point, over the next 2 weeks, it seemed to be getting better and i was able to perform a couple times.  then this morning the same thing, though I finally was able to get it up enough to perform, but not very well.  when it first started I had a slight burning/pressure sensation, but that mostly went away.  I do fell it slightly when I'm erect, but not doing anything with it.  morning wood is hit and miss.  any thoughts?  it happened so suddenly I'm baffled.
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20620809 tn?1504362969
What were the results from the blood work?
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2 Comments
Opps, thought i had updated.  Well, bloodwork came back fine.  Cholesterol was a little high (206 or something)   but nothing of any concern.  ekg was also good.  Gave me a scrip for viagra, but haven't tried it yet.  Can still get an erection, still have sex, just not as often as before all this started, every 5 to 7 days I'd guess.  Though i might be able to with the viagra.  One thing that is better is, though not as often, the erections are back to what i would call normal.  Now its just a frequency issue
Glad to hear things have improved!
Avatar universal
Thx for the update, jd. Yeah, let's see what the blood tests reveal. I'm 100% sure the Viagra will give you quite a boost! Sometimes guys will feel like they got their mojo back after a couple good sessions w/ Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, and that does away w/ any thoughts of 'failure' & then things are back on track & they might not even need it again, or just save it for the next time they might need a little boost. Keep us in the loop...
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Avatar universal
to update, went to the dr yesterday as planned.  not much came of it, though my BP was at 156 or something, though that was most likely nerves due to why I was there.  extreme white coat syndrome you could probably say.  anyhow, the doctor asked some questions, said it could just be due to getting older. said it was a little bit of a concern that it happened so suddenly as it usually a gradual thing.   and did say that, as you mentioned, now it's probably in my head, and making it worse.  but he didn't really speculate as to a cause, and wasn't concerned about my blood pressure.  said he doesn't do anything based on one reading.  as for the medication itself, he seemed to discount that as I've been on it for 3 years with no problems during that time.
now that's not to say he didn't do anything.  did an EKG, and drew about a gallon of blood, lol.  going to run a lot of tests.  take it from there I guess.  and he wrote me a prescription for Viagra.  wrote it for the 100mg pill, said 50 should be enough but he does it that way because it's more economical and most insurance companies will cap it at so many pills a month.  and sure enough, even though my plan covers it and at only $10 copay, it limited me to 6 pills.
He also recommended I get a calcium cardiac scoring or something.  said it would see if I had any build up in my arteries.  he said if there are circulation problems down there, there's a chance of circulation problems up there.  plus, the is some family history there as my dad passed when he was only 53 from coronary artery disease.  said the insurance didn't cover it, but about $150, which isn't a big deal to me.

I really don't think it's stress or anything like that.  as I said, my kids are all grown and out of the house.  I'v been married to my wife for 28 yrs in may, so no performance anxiety or anything.  my wife and I have been in out jobs for over 20 years, have a solid upper middle income, and about 5 yrs left on the mortgage.  and, unrelated to how anybody feels about the current occupant of the white house, since he got elected and with what the markets have done my wife and I are probably 15 yr ahead of our plans on retirement.  I, like anyone else, has some stress, but there isn't anything that keeps me up at night.  at least until now, lol.
2 things of note though, while taking a shower this morning I was able to masturbate to completion,  and to tell the truth, I did it mostly to see if I could.  but when I was finished, I kind of felt, sore, so to speak, and a little swollen, if that makes any sense.  pain was at the tip.  kind of a burning kind of feeling.  not bad enough to call painful, but enough to notice.

guessing I'll have some results from the blood work tomorrow or fri, will update.  and haven't tried the Viagra yet
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Avatar universal
GuitarRox has given some very good advice here, I think. Also, some meds for high BP have a side effect of inhibiting erectile function (EF) - there’s an article on Web MD called ‘ Blood Pressure Medications and Erectile Dysfunction’ that speaks to this. HCTZ is one that can have that effect. But the article mentions some that may actually help w/ EF, so talk to your Dr.

I think in your case, it’s a combination of things - you’re a little older (but NOT ‘old’ !!), there’s the BP issue, plus the meds, etc. Then of course, once there’s a prblm, we’ll start obsessing over whether it’s gonna happen again, and the worry itself is a hindrance to good sexual function.

Even tho many of us continue to function pretty well as we get older, sometimes anything that interferes can really set you back. As younger guys, it was prbly a little easier to overcome these issues, but with age, we have a little more working against us. It’s no surprise when you see the # of ads for Viagra & other ED meds, mostly targeted to guys in their 40s & beyond, but it can affect younger guys too...

The fact that you can get hard on your own is a positive sign tho, so you don’t seem to have major ED prblms in my opinion, and adjusting your meds may be all you need to get things back on track.

Keep in mind that most guys  have had occasional issues, especially as we get older - we might be tired, stressed from work, worried about finances, had a little too much to drink, etc., and anything that interferes w/ relaxation needed for good response can mess things up.

When ya think about it, it’s pretty remarkable this complicated system works as well as it does most times. There has to be good overall health & circulation, hormone levels need to be within the normal range  the signaling from the brain to the cavernous nerves, which generate Nitric Oxide release, good blood flow in the arteries that feed the Corpora Cavernosa (the 2 spongelike chambers that fill w/ blood & expand), the chambers need to be ‘elastic’ & free of hardened areas ( ‘plaques‘ or fibrosis), the veno-occlusive mechanism that prevents blood from draining back out has to work, etc. If even ONE of these systems is not operating close to 100%, an erection might not happen or might be weak or we get it but then lose it quickly.

One thing many women may not understand is, it’s often much easier when by yourself - there’s no pressure to ‘perform’ (terrible word!), we’re free to focus on the pleasurable sensations & of course, we don’t need to worry about pleasing our partner. I can understand that they might feel ‘insulted’ that we can get erect this way but not with them, but they shdn’t really - it’s just the nature of it. Almost EVERYONE - women too - functions better when completely relaxed, w/ no distractions, worries, etc.

So ask your Dr. about changing up your BP meds - that alone might be enuf to get things back on track...

Anyway, good luck to you & keep us posted...
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20620809 tn?1504362969
Sorry to hear!  Issues with erection for a man your age, which is still young, are sometimes psychological so they say. Are you under lots of stress (holidays and all)?  I think it's natural to start worrying about it too once it has happened a couple of times and subconsciously we then have issues obtaining erection.  That certainly does happen.  Not saying it is the case for you.

Definitely see a doctor.  There are also physical reasons for the sudden change. Do you still regularly chart your blood pressure or take it at home?  I'd wonder if it is not going up some.  Get your BP checked since you have a history. All issues like blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes can affect erection.  So, all of those need to be evaluated.  Got time for a full physical?  

Hormones also start shifting. Testosterone, for one. That can drop and does start to do so as we get older (although I still think you are pretty young).  Other mental health issues like depression can take a toll as well.

Did you start any new medications? (when did you start your bp med?  That in itself can affect importance).  How is your general health?  Getting the right exercise, sleep, are you the right weight or have any of those things recently shifted?

I would say that since you are waking up without a morning erection, the thought that your testosterone is off is most viable.  When can you get to the doctor?
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3 Comments
thank you for responding.  I have made a doctors appointment for tues.  I considered that it was in my head, but I haven't really been under any unusual stress or pressure.  no money issues, kids have long moved out, had them when we were very young.  grandson does spend a lot of time with us, but that's not really stressful.  though it probably is in my head some now.  I haven't been nervous about sex since I was 17, lol.  I no longer regularly check my BP, as it stays under 140.  because of my BP and that I drive a commercial vehicle for work, I basically get 3 physicals a year, and blood work done twice.  no new medications, just my lisinpril/hctz (lowest dose I think) which I've been taking for about 3 yrs now.  before i started my BP was high, 175 over 106 I think, but now stays about 132-134 over 80 or so.  get plenty of exercise though work, I have a blue collar job do physical labor.  now, sometimes I do get a morning erection.  sometimes it will even stand up at odd hours for no reason.  but it doesn't seem to be as hard as i feel it should be, and seldom cooperates when I need it to.  and the thing that's most unnerving is, once I loose it it's very hard to get back.  I can pretty much fire up some porn or something and get one whenever I want, but the minute I turn it off I loose it.  I've had times the last few weeks where I will have wood in the morning, start planning on sex, get up for a second to let the dogs out or something, and when I get back to the bedroom it's gone and I cant really get it back.
oh, and as far as health, aside from the BP nothing I know of.  about 5'10 160 lbs.  
Okay.  Glad you are seeing your doc on Tuesday.  I'd ask them to check your testosterone level.  While you seem a little young for that to be diminishing, it maybe is.  Patches help.  And they can give you an answer about your BP to make sure it is well controlled.  Maybe get your sugar level checked.  Even though it sounds like you are on top of your health.  Which is awesome.  

Grandkids are probably a lot of fun, don't think that would do it.  Your life sounds pretty good overall, glad of that for you.  Hopefully your doctor yields some answers to get it back on track!  Will you come back and tell me what they say?
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