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    Penile Injection Therapy - The Man Shot

    INJECTION THERAPIES

    Image by Sander Sammy

    PENILE INJECTION THERAPY

    Studies show that 96 – 98% of men report a very favorable response to Penile Injection Therapy (meaning they get hard and stay hard) without the reported side effects that often accompany oral medications.

    Penile injections can provide longer and fuller erections allowing you to maintain and improve your sexual health!  Penile injections, unlike most oral medications, can trigger an automatic erection in less than 5 minutes.

    THE HISTORY OF PENILE INJECTIONS

    Penile injection therapy has been in use for over 30 years and is the fastest acting and most effective therapy available for men with ED. Penile injections began being administered in 1983 and, according to the American Urologic Association, have proven to be the most effective non-surgical treatment for erectile dysfunction.

     

    Despite the high success rate, most consumers do not even know this effective treatment option exists, because most doctors do not commonly prescribe them. It is unclear why there is such a low prescribing rate, but it is likely due to the assumption that their patients would rather have an oral option over an injection.

    Penile injections are administered as a self-injection (you administer the injection yourself) and are considered the most powerful class of anti-erectile dysfunction agents. While the components, on their own, are indicated for a vast number of different conditions, the practice of bringing them together to treat erectile dysfunction has become commonplace in sexual medicine. They are now considered to be the go-to treatment if conventional phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 inhibitors), such as Cialis or Viagra are contraindicated, non-responsive or non-tolerated.

    It all started with Alprostadil (prostaglandin, PGE-1) in a stand-alone injection. Alprostadil works by relaxing certain muscles in the penis and widening blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the penis and helps to cause an erection within minutes, much like some of the current oral medications used for this condition.

    This injection is done using a very small needle, inserted into one side of the penis in the proper area along the shaft. The opportunity to use small injections of medicine to help with erectile dysfunction has evolved with several options now available.

    BENEFITS OF PENILE INJECTION THERAPY

    ⦁    Avoid undesirable side effects of oral medications
    ⦁    Erections are strong and reliable
    ⦁    Works consistently 
    ⦁    Helps eliminate performance anxiety
    ⦁    Works in 5-10 minutes and lasts 1-3 hours
    ⦁    Allows you to focus on the other aspects of sex

    PENILE INJECTION THERAPY OPTIONS

    BI-MIX INJECTION: PAPAVERINE HCL, PHENTOLAMINE MESYLATE

    Bi-Mix is a mixture of Papaverine (vasodilator) and Phentolamine (alpha blocker). This combination of medications works well together resulting in good erectile function for many patients. This mix does not include prostaglandins, which can lead to pain in some formulations. Bi-Mix is an alternative in the rare event you experience discomfort using Tri-Mix.

    TRI-MIX INJECTION: PAPAVERINE HCL, PHENTOLAMINE MESYLATE AND PROSTAGLANDIN E1

    Tri-Mix is a mixture of Papaverine (vasodilator), Phentolamine (alpha blocker) and Alprostadil (prostaglandin). This combination of medications work well together resulting in good erectile function for many patients. This mix uses smaller amounts of the prostaglandins, which can lead to pain in large amounts. The combination of the higher potency with less of the prostaglandins makes this a great starting injection and the most prescribed.

    QUAD-MIX INJECTION: PAPAVERINE HCL, PHENTOLAMINE MESYLATE, PROSTAGLANDIN E1 AND ATROPINE SULFATE

    Quad-Mix contains the same ingredients as Tri-Mix with the addition of Atropine. Atropine provides further smooth muscle relaxtion in combination with the other three ingredients in Tri-Mix. Patients who do not succeed with Tri-Mix would be considered a candidate for Quad-Mix.

    SUPER QUAD-MIX INJECTION: PAPAVERINE HCL, PHENTOLAMINE MESYLATE, PROSTAGLANDIN E1 AND ATROPINE SULFATE

    Super Quad-Mix contains the same ingredients as Quad-Mix at higher strengths. Patients who are not producing a satisfactory erection with Quad-Mix would be considered a candidate for Super Quad-Mix.

     

     

    Sometimes these injections work well when combined with an oral erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra or Cialis. 

    WHICH PENILE INJECTION THERAPY IS BEST FOR ME?

    All the injections can be used safely, but we like to start out on the medication that is best for your erectile situation. There are a variety of penile injections available including Bi-Mix, Tri-Mix, Quad-Mix and Super Quad-Mix.  As you can imagine, we usually start with Bi-mix and can always increase the dose or switch to one of the next stronger injections. 


    If you can produce a satisfactory erection on most occasions or if you can get an erection that loses its strength before orgasm, you should start with Bi-Mix. For men who are unable to obtain and maintain a satisfactory erection, our medical provider would consider starting with Tri-Mix. If you have not had success with either Bi-Mix or Tri-Mix in the past, make sure to let your doctor know so he can prescribe one of the Quad-Mixes to start.

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