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Hi I'm 47yrs with a whole life time of ED, that I've been hiding away from since I was 15 yrs old. About 1.5-2 years ago I decided to actually get some proper help.

The issue - If I don't take PDE5's then I get zero night time erections and even trying to use the VED pump without PDE5's it is ridiculously difficult to get blood into it.
With no PDE5 if I'm lucky then it fills half way along where there is clearly a restriction.
Whether I take PDE5 or not there must be some significant venous leakage as it immediately goes. (1-2 seconds max)
I've never been able to get a condom on it before it disappears

I have Dupuytrens and have had a bit of mild Pyronies which has remained stable.
I've spend the last year in/out of Urology here in UK and they have physically inspected me (noted the mild pyronies), given me a lot of counselling, suggested I use the VED which I did for about 4 months
I've tried every single oral PDE5 out there. Cialis every day gives me really bad lower pain, I just can't tolerate it.
The hospital also had me try Vitaros cream (alprostadil) a couple of times, both instances caused penis/ball pain but nothing else. I've even tried out of desperation mixing this with PDE5's and different PDE5's together (low doses and building up) - slightly easier to get going but immediately disappears.

Q- Has anyone else noticed an increase in hemorrhoids and VED/PDE5 use? I only get them relatively mild anyway (once in 15 years) but I'm definitely getting a significant increase in problems lately and I'm the fittest and healthiest I've ever been
I'm not sure whether the VED and or PDE5's. I'm having to take a lot more PDE5's to use the VED every night.

The UK urology dept are telling me if I went an implant route then my erect penis would only the length of my current flacid length. This is not what I am hearing on these forums so I'm a little confused.

Q2 - Is there really no reliable surgery to fix venous leaks? It seems incredible that we live in times when its routine to fit a stent in someone heart artery (aorta) but we can't figure out a similar procedure for artery's into the penis or a implant for veins that will constrict in the veins (for venous leakage) that the user can control?!

Q3 - Injections. The urology department said that because I didn't respond to Vitaros (alprostadil) then no point trying injections?

Any help would be appreciated as this is consuming my life. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum, Biker21

Biker21 wrote:Hi I'm 47yrs with a whole life time of ED, that I've been hiding away from since I was 15 yrs old. About 1.5-2 years ago I decided to actually get some proper help.

I have Dupuytrens and have had a bit of mild Pyronies which has remained stable.
I've spend the last year in/out of Urology here in UK and they have physically inspected me (noted the mild pyronies), given me a lot of counselling, suggested I use the VED which I did for about 4 months

Please accept my sympathies for your conditions. Health problems of any sort are burdens to bear and sexually related ones have the embarrassment factor added. FrankTalk is a place to relieve yourself of the latter factor and get real advice for the former.

I cannot give much help to cure or treat your specific maladies, but my advice on dealing with them is free.

Biker21 wrote:even trying to use the VED pump without PDE5's it is ridiculously difficult to get blood into it.
With no PDE5 if I'm lucky then it fills half way along where there is clearly a restriction.

Are you trying to pump the vacuum with a constriction ring in place? (Some men do.) I am unclear about the restriction you mentioned. I assume it is internal to your cavernosum in your penis? Pumping vacuum for therapy is best done without a construction ring.

Biker21 wrote:Q- Has anyone else noticed an increase in hemorrhoids and VED/PDE5 use? I only get them relatively mild anyway (once in 15 years) but I'm definitely getting a significant increase in problems lately and I'm the fittest and healthiest I've ever been

The conventional wisdom for (prevention of) hemorrhoids is to stay well hydrated, eat foods with lots of soluble and insoluble fibre, avoid highly processed foods and take stool softeners.

Biker21 wrote:The UK urology dept are telling me if I went an implant route then my erect penis would only the length of my current flacid length. This is not what I am hearing on these forums so I'm a little confused.

With a decent, skilled surgeon your implanted length should be equal to your erect length immediately prior to the surgery. The surgeon cannot restore length lost, but there is no reason the implant should not fill your tunica albuginea as fully as your cavernosum tissues do the day before surgery. The urologist telling you otherwise is likely trying to reduce your expectations. Unrealistic expectations has been a long-time bane to implant surgeons. Men tend to remember their youthful erections with unrealistic optimism.

Talk to your surgeon about this. Get measurements (an injection should be able to do this and also prove whether or not injections would be functional for you for a time). Find out his/her attitude on how aggressively to size your penis/implant. If not satisfied with the answers you get, find another surgeon by any means available to you. (I suppose you are limited by the NHS?)

Biker21 wrote:Q2 - Is there really no reliable surgery to fix venous leaks? It seems incredible that we live in times when its routine to fit a stent in someone heart artery (aorta) but we can't figure out a similar procedure for artery's into the penis or a implant for veins that will constrict in the veins (for venous leakage) that the user can control?!

(Caveat: I have no medical basis for this opinion.)
Have you ever tried to fix a leak in a tire? First you have to find or isolate the leak (which can be difficult) inside a human body. In my case, I suspect that my venous leak is not in a vein at all, but in the tunica wall.

Biker21 wrote:Q3 - Injections. The urology department said that because I didn't respond to Vitaros (alprostadil) then no point trying injections?

They are probably right. But the spending the small cost of a single injection in the doctor's office seems to me to be a reasonable test to confirm whether injections might or might not work. Especially since the next thing to try is an implant. Invasive, expensive and irreverible (just in case an actual cure if found tomorrow).

I wish you well in your quest for treatment.

Hi Biker.
Injections are definitely worth a shot before going down the implant route.
I'm personally using Invicorp. It works differently to Caverject but I find it really effective. It also works to stop blood leaving the penis, so it should help to reduce your venous leak.
I'm in the UK too and can get this on the NHS so no cost if your urologist prescribes it

My personal experience with Vitaros/gel (and from what i've gathered, everyone else's here) is that it has 0 effect. It was actually removed from the public health insurance system because all trials had failed.
Obviously i am not a doctor, but IMO you should DEFINATELY try the injections before making an irreversible modification to your body.

@Benjohn - could you tell us a bit more about that drug Invicorp ? Your experiences, compared to Caverject / EDEX, price, etc ?
I've been searching for "trimix" solutions in Europe for years and somehow have never heard about this drug, and apparently the multiple uros i've consulted with during the years neither... I am so sick of the health system here in France

I wish I had known 26 years ago about implants, I would have marched right in to a surgeon’s office and pulled my pants down, and yelled, “DO ME!!!” Just hope I would be in the correct office…

Hunchback wrote:My personal experience with Vitaros/gel (and from what i've gathered, everyone else's here) is that it has 0 effect. It was actually removed from the public health insurance system because all trials had failed.
Obviously i am not a doctor, but IMO you should DEFINATELY try the injections before making an irreversible modification to your body.

@Benjohn - could you tell us a bit more about that drug Invicorp ? Your experiences, compared to Caverject / EDEX, price, etc ?
I've been searching for "trimix" solutions in Europe for years and somehow have never heard about this drug, and apparently the multiple uros i've consulted with during the years neither... I am so sick of the health system here in France

Hi @Hunchback,
Sure. I believe Invicorp is a fairly new drug. It came on the market in 2016. It works differently to Caverject/Edex as it only causes a semi-rigid erection, you must be stimulated to get completely hard. The erection is meant to fade away naturally after you climax, but I'm finding Invicorp so good that I can often go for round 2 if I like!
I'm no doctor so I'm not sure on the exact science behind the ingredients, but essentially they direct blood flow to the penis but also work to shut the veins (reducing venous leakage).
I think the cost is fairly similar to Caverject, around £50 for a box of 5 injections (call it €55 as you're in France). Although I get mine on the NHS so I don't have to pay for a monthly prescription.
I hope this helps

Benjohn wrote:

Hunchback wrote:My personal experience with Vitaros/gel (and from what i've gathered, everyone else's here) is that it has 0 effect. It was actually removed from the public health insurance system because all trials had failed.
Obviously i am not a doctor, but IMO you should DEFINATELY try the injections before making an irreversible modification to your body.

@Benjohn - could you tell us a bit more about that drug Invicorp ? Your experiences, compared to Caverject / EDEX, price, etc ?
I've been searching for "trimix" solutions in Europe for years and somehow have never heard about this drug, and apparently the multiple uros i've consulted with during the years neither... I am so sick of the health system here in France

Hi @Hunchback,
Sure. I believe Invicorp is a fairly new drug. It came on the market in 2016. It works differently to Caverject/Edex as it only causes a semi-rigid erection, you must be stimulated to get completely hard. The erection is meant to fade away naturally after you climax, but I'm finding Invicorp so good that I can often go for round 2 if I like!
I'm no doctor so I'm not sure on the exact science behind the ingredients, but essentially they direct blood flow to the penis but also work to shut the veins (reducing venous leakage).
I think the cost is fairly similar to Caverject, around £50 for a box of 5 injections (call it €55 as you're in France). Although I get mine on the NHS so I don't have to pay for a monthly prescription.
I hope this helps

what caverject/Edex drug strenght were you using before going over to invicorp?

phallus wrote:

Benjohn wrote:

Hunchback wrote:My personal experience with Vitaros/gel (and from what i've gathered, everyone else's here) is that it has 0 effect. It was actually removed from the public health insurance system because all trials had failed.
Obviously i am not a doctor, but IMO you should DEFINATELY try the injections before making an irreversible modification to your body.

@Benjohn - could you tell us a bit more about that drug Invicorp ? Your experiences, compared to Caverject / EDEX, price, etc ?
I've been searching for "trimix" solutions in Europe for years and somehow have never heard about this drug, and apparently the multiple uros i've consulted with during the years neither... I am so sick of the health system here in France

Hi @Hunchback,
Sure. I believe Invicorp is a fairly new drug. It came on the market in 2016. It works differently to Caverject/Edex as it only causes a semi-rigid erection, you must be stimulated to get completely hard. The erection is meant to fade away naturally after you climax, but I'm finding Invicorp so good that I can often go for round 2 if I like!
I'm no doctor so I'm not sure on the exact science behind the ingredients, but essentially they direct blood flow to the penis but also work to shut the veins (reducing venous leakage).
I think the cost is fairly similar to Caverject, around £50 for a box of 5 injections (call it €55 as you're in France). Although I get mine on the NHS so I don't have to pay for a monthly prescription.
I hope this helps

what caverject/Edex drug strenght were you using before going over to invicorp?

I haven't used Caverject/Edex. I'd be interested to know the strength of Invicorp in comparison though.

Hi. Thanks for the kind replies, I'll be honest I've hidden this so well from myself that when I confronted it a year ago I've been totally floored just with the entire life time of it never working and it's all I've wanted to get sorted since as my self image is in tatters.

OK injections - Invicorp. I'll definitely ask the NHS urology dept when I see them in 2 weeks. I am apprehensive about sticking a needle in it to be honest but then again plan B is to have the innards ripped out and an implant shoved in there!

The nearest I ever got to it 'working' (but not staying up for very long - 3-4 seconds was with 2.5mg Cialis morning and night with 50mg Sildenafil when I wanted action (with VED help). However side effects were chronic lower back pain from Cilais and whole body, head & ears red vision blur, headaches. There seems to be a connection with hemorrhoid flare up (correlation but not causation?) Not recommended.

VED - I just cant seem to tolerate the restriction bands, lots of pain no matter what the width and thickness of bands (I bought a LOT). And BTW the a$$holes at Somaerect, there's a product that hasn't been updated in 2 decades! The accompanying DVD guide is a scan from a video tape, he even says wind forward the tape : ) Anyway those bands are flipping evil, an artery on right hand side bulges out, pain bruising etc. They need to change the rubber seal at the end - its got 'ledges' in it - I mean why? - Clearly the R & D dept. got sacked in the 90's looking at that 'video' (hopefully)

Implant Q - Are there any cyclists (bicycles not pumps) out there who have had an implant and could still cycle a couple of hours or so. I'm well aware of the issues with saddle etc so I have to have a 'special noseless saddle' anyway. Its £250 by the time its gets through customs and I have two! No more numbness
https://bisaddle.com/

UK NHS - do they pay for the implant or do you have to?

Benjohn wrote:

Hunchback wrote:My personal experience with Vitaros/gel (and from what i've gathered, everyone else's here) is that it has 0 effect. It was actually removed from the public health insurance system because all trials had failed.
Obviously i am not a doctor, but IMO you should DEFINATELY try the injections before making an irreversible modification to your body.

@Benjohn - could you tell us a bit more about that drug Invicorp ? Your experiences, compared to Caverject / EDEX, price, etc ?
I've been searching for "trimix" solutions in Europe for years and somehow have never heard about this drug, and apparently the multiple uros i've consulted with during the years neither... I am so sick of the health system here in France

Hi @Hunchback,
Sure. I believe Invicorp is a fairly new drug. It came on the market in 2016. It works differently to Caverject/Edex as it only causes a semi-rigid erection, you must be stimulated to get completely hard. The erection is meant to fade away naturally after you climax, but I'm finding Invicorp so good that I can often go for round 2 if I like!
I'm no doctor so I'm not sure on the exact science behind the ingredients, but essentially they direct blood flow to the penis but also work to shut the veins (reducing venous leakage).
I think the cost is fairly similar to Caverject, around £50 for a box of 5 injections (call it €55 as you're in France). Although I get mine on the NHS so I don't have to pay for a monthly prescription.
I hope this helps

Thanks for the input Benjohn.
I managed to get my GP to study the drug and he's actually fine with me taking it. However, it seems to be unknown in France, other than that the local NHS trialed it and decided it's not worth paying for... so apparently pharmacies don't bother importing it either. At least it's not BANNED like trimix is, so there's hope to try it. I'll see if i can find it.

When you say "semi-rigid" and "completely hard", what exactly do you mean? When i first started using EDEX years ago i got pretty hard, but i believe it's not what healthy people would call "full erection". In the last couple of years injections have severely declined in efficacy so i always combine them with cockrings to obtain similar results... but still, it's different. Before i were less "engorged" but harder in the core of the penis, now i get pretty thicker but also softer. Definitely not "towel rack" but sufficient for good sex.
I wonder if combining Invicorp with Edex will provide a somewhat "real" erection, hmm...

Oh, does the drug come with syringes and needles like caverject/edex or do you have to get them on the side?



@Biker21 - Sorry for highjacking your thread mate. I can't answer your other questions since they are kinda UK related. A thing i can tell you is that lately i've been buying generic "sildenafil" tablets since all brand-name ones are not refunded. The generics (actual ones, not weird shit from India etc) are way cheaper and honestly work the same, if not better, than brand names (in terms of side effects). We use them for "fun times" when we don't necessarily plan to inject and have full intercourse etc but want to fool around on the sofa while watching a movie or something.