Topical Options For Erectile Dysfunction
Topical Options For Erectile Dysfunction By Sarah Taylor, PharmD Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common patient concern, and its prevalence is strongly associated with age. Data from the US National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests that 8.2% of men between ages 40-49 years and 77.5% of men greater than 75 years old suffer from erectile dysfunction. 1 The prevalence of ED was also associated with other conditions such as diabetes mellitus, smoking, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity. 1 ED is most commonly managed with prescription phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors used orally such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. 1 Commercially available injectables for ED such as alprostadil or phentolamine mesylate injections are also sometimes used. Compounded options for ED often include combination injectable products such as phentolamine mesylate/papaverine HCl/alprostadil combinations, commonly referred to as “Tri-mix”. Tri-mix injections can