Erectile dysfunction (impotence)
Overview
Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is very common, particularly in men over 40. It's usually nothing to worry about, but see a GP if it keeps happening.
Causes
Most men occasionally fail to get or keep an erection. This is usually caused by stress, tiredness or drinking too much alcohol, and it's nothing to worry about. It can also be a side effect of some medicines. If erectile dysfunction happens often, it may be caused by a condition such as: high blood pressureorhigh cholesteroldiabetesdepressionoranxietyhormone problems There are also treatments for some of the causes of erectile dysfunction. For example: your doctor may switch you to a different medicine if it's causing your erectile dysfunctionhigh blood pressure, high cholesterol and hormone problems may be treated with medicinecounselling and therapy can help if your erection problems are linked to emotional or mental health problems – but there can be a long wait for these services on the NHS
Treatment
Treatment can usually help improve erectile dysfunction. The main treatments are medicines that increase the blood flow to your penis, called PDE-5 inhibitors. These include: sildenafil (Viagra)tadalafil (Cialis)vardenafil (Levitra)avanafil (Spedra) You can get sildenafil on prescription or you can buy it from a pharmacy. You need a prescription for the other types.