CIALIS: ineffective over 40 y.o.?

[Flavio]

I just stumbled upon this important piece information: according to Doctor Sam Robbins, it seems that Cialis becomes less effective in men over the age of 40. And why? Probably because of the decrease in testosterone levels.

This is exactly what happened to me: when I turned 40, Cialis became less effective and often didn't work at all. Today I'm 43 y.o., I'm now taking another PDE-5 inhibitor called Spedra (avanafil) and results are excellent.

Sam Robbins has his own brand of supplements and I have no idea if he's a reliable professional or not but his videos on ED are informative.

Here's the original YouTube video on Cialis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8oXRtZ ... k8njOTCOk7

[Simbarn]

The video appeared to me to be just an advertisement for his supplements. He has oversimplified why cialis may stop working for older men. It is much more complex than just low T levels. It has more to do with the loss of smooth muscle in the penile erectile tissues, which is caused by more factors than just T decline.
I am also skeptical about his statements about cialis losing effectiveness the more you take it. I have not read any studies confirming this. It is more probable that the deterioration in the penis worsens over time alongside aging causing PDE5 inhibitors to become less effective.
There is also, as I have mentioned many times, much scientific evidence that suggests that chronic use of PDE5 inhibitors can reverse some of the damage caused to the endothelium and reverse fibrosis and help restore smooth muscle in the corpus cavernosum; caused by oxidative damage and hypoxia.
The increase of sympathetic activity in the penile tissues also increases after each decade of life. This will also hinder PDE5 performance as compared to your younger years.
I can't comment on this miracle herb he has discovered, but I couldn't help noticing it was only his special version of the herb and his mix of other "testosterone boosters" that made the product work. Hmmm.
infomercial!

[once a writer]

Cialis worked for me through my late 60s. When it lost its effectiveness I switched to trimix.

[Old Guy]

Cialis did nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. Took it around age 58 when Viagra started to fail. Went to Trimix.

[Flavio]

[...] The increase of sympathetic activity in the penile tissues also increases after each decade of life. [...]

Any idea why?

[Flavio]

The video appeared to me to be just an advertisement for his supplements. [...]

Yes, I think so too. What intrigued me is that Cialis stopped working for me precisely at the age of 40.

[jn1421]

i'm 66 years old and i've been taking cialis for around 10 years and love it. i've never experienced any side negative effects. I have venous leak and need help achieving/maintaining boners, so i use cialis, cock ring and do penis exercises. the combination work very well.

[Simbarn]

[...] The increase of sympathetic activity in the penile tissues also increases after each decade of life. [...]

Any idea why?

From all the research I have read, the increase of sympathetic hyperactivity appears to be a result of oxidative stress and therefore impairment of sGC-cGMP pathway in the cavernosal smooth muscle. There are many other factors that could also contribute to this. Diabetics are particularly prone to the effects of the above as oxidative stress is an even greater issue for them.
The loss of smooth muscle as we age also compounds the problem.
I could go into this in far greater detail, but do not have the time unfortunately. The information is out there, I did give you one excellent study on the above:

"Oxidative stress associated with middle aging leads to sympathetic hyperactivity and down-regulation of soluble guanylyl cyclase in corpus cavernosum"

[Simbarn]

The video appeared to me to be just an advertisement for his supplements. [...]

Yes, I think so too. What intrigued me is that Cialis stopped working for me precisely at the age of 40.

Many things could be happening in your body at age 40. Not just a decline in T. Since you mentioned on the forum, that you have been using finasteride for 20 years, I was concerned for you, as it would be very difficult to determine what is now causing your erectile problems. There is as you are probably aware strong evidence, especially in the animal model of structural changes in the penile erectile tissues from the use of finasteride.

I also remember that you mentioned you have now switched to the stronger 5-alpha reductase inhibitor; Duasteride? This in my opinion is playing Russian roulette with your erectile function. Do you understand how important DHT is to a young man?

It is a possible sign, that when certain PDE5 inhibitors stop working, as I mentioned above, more smooth muscle loss, fibrosis and or deterioration in the NO/cGMP pathway has occurred. This is what finasteride has been shown to do recently in animal testing. I don’t think we have been able to see these deleterious changes histologically as yet in the human model due to obvious limitations and probable lack of funding.
The pharmaceutical company manufacturing finasteride for hair loss will not want to lose the big dollars if the above was confirmed in humans!

[Flavio]

[...] Do you understand how important DHT is to a young man?
[...]

That's the million dollar question: how important really is DHT?

I'm not a doctor and I honestly don't know what to make of this. Some claim that DHT is essential and even speak of the infamous post finasteride syndrome. Others describe DHT as 'bad testosterone'. Although it is undeniable that DHT has unfortunate effects (male pattern baldness, enlarged prostate, body hair), I suppose it may also play a positive role in our body (e.g. sexual function, muscle growth).

I do know for sure that everyone is different and reactions to these drugs vary greatly. And I do know for sure that Propecia and Avodart are extremely effective hairloss treatments: I used the former for 20 years and the latter completely stopped my shedding in less than 15 days.

I have no idea what the long term effects may be, though.