A preeminent cardiologist reports, for the first time in a large prospective study, that certain of his patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart problems can now safely use erection drugs that help up to 80% of men restore function and quality of life.
Dr. Graham Jackson, who established a unique clinic in England dedicated to providing sexual advice to men with cardiac disease and ED, conducted the largest scientific study of its kind, on 425 men with ED and cardiac disease. In the study, appearing in the July issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Dr. Jackson wished to see if stable coronary patients with ED could have their oral nitrates discontinued to allow for safe use of a PDE-5 inhibitor, such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis.
More than half of the men on oral nitrates who were clinically stable with good ability to exercise had their nitrates discontinued in the presence of continuing beta-blockade or calcium antagonist therapy and close follow-up. Over 90% of the men no longer taking nitrates were treated with a PDE-5 inhibitor which was effective in restoring sexual function in 85%. Importantly, there have been no adverse cardiac events in the group.