My story and whether I should consider an implant

[ShouldIwait]

[Just want to say, Lost Sheep-Its guys like you that make this site so helpful. thanks]

[stephen54]

I wouldn't presume to weigh in on any aspect of the antidepressants, but I would absolutely recommend that you research, find, and align yourself with a physician who is highly capable on the genitourinary part of the equation to either rule physiology out or rule physiology in.

Find a capable, curious, open-minded doc (probably urologist, although you may ultimately find value in getting opinions from endocrinology as well). Be prepared with your complete medical history and with a well-thought out bullet pointed list of questions. Be prepared to take a lot of notes. And, before you go in, there's definite value in really trolling through this entire forum, searching by keywords, and reading, reading, reading...if something has happened connected to ED, there's someone on here who's intimately acquainted and who has shared information which you may well find of value. Plenty of us are happy to chat offline, also.

Obviously, the libido is a critically connected part of this, and you may or may not find that your new uro or endo or either is competent and ready to effectively help with libido.
So you may ultimately be like many of us who have multiple docs managing multiple angles of ED.

This is just my opinion, but jumping from PDE5's (whether Viagra, Cialis, whatever) straight to implant is a bit of a quantum leap. I'm not saying this may not be right for you...only suggesting that you consider, with your doc, a step-wise approach which may include injections. I know - a needle in your dick - not the most approachable, friendly sounding approach.

Until you find out what they may be capable of restoring for you.

A lot of guys get a lot of years of superman crazy sex out of injections. I went about 9 years injecting before implanting last fall and for most of those years injecting my dick did things via injection that are still hard to believe. Many guys are able to stay successfully on injections even longer, and avoid the implant path. Injecting has its drawbacks of course. Inconvenience of carrying around and preparing a syringe. The natural anxiety and mystery of injecting that area. Injection site discomfort is possible and probably, to one extent or another, guaranteed. The possibility of fibrous tissue developing is always there. There's a fair amount of process involved. If you do go down the injection path, same thing - identify a doc who clearly knows their stuff. Some do. Many do not. Likewise with the compounding pharmacy you select. These things are for sure not created equal.

Again, there are volumes written here on all these subjects. Pour a cocktail and settle in and read up! Good luck to you. Just keep pressing forward. Develop a really assertive, curious, results-oriented mindset as relates to dealing with the clinicians in your future. Don't accept docs who dabble. Cut bait as necessary and find top docs who are passionate and capable around ED. We absolutely love my implant...but I had thoroughly exhausted every other option. Just make sure you have, too.

Where do you live?

[Markc2008]

Thanks everyone for the great responses. They have been super helpful and informative. Yeah I don’t know what the drugs messed up but it has definitely messed with my libido and purely how my body and brain process sexual stimuli. I have been to a urologist and he was not helpful at all and really made the whole experience bad. I’ve had better luck with primary care doctors, but you guys are right, I definitely need to find someone who specializes in Ed. I’m not opposed to the injections but do worry about scar tissue. The pills still work to get an erection just not as well as Initially and it’s taking more of a dose and so more side effects and worrying about whether it’s going to work. And then their now not helping with PE so I get about five or ten mins of sex. Just not what we’re used to. I am located in Nashville, TN.

[oldbeek]

What other meds are you taking? I was on Regalan 20 years ago. It is supposed help you digest food. I lost all libido and desire to do anything. I was not allowed to be left alone. My wife knew I was very sick because I didn't want to have sex. We had a very active sex life. a phsycotrist said that was a side effect of Regaland. I stopped taking it. Immediate return to prior desire and sexual activity.

[Markc2008]

I am not taking any other meds other than cialis or viagra as needed. I am pretty sure I have a condition called pssd which is where when you stop a ssri antidepressant you either get worse or don’t return back to normal sexually. I have had this ever since within two weeks of stopping the viibryd a year and a half ago. I don’t even feel anything in my penis other than normal hot and cold sensations. Touch doesn’t even feel normal, and sure isn’t pleasurable. I do still have pleasurable orgasms though. I’ve had a mri on my head and lower pelvic area to make sure there wasn’t something underlying. I truly believe it was the medication and I’ve been told it could be permanent so I’m trying to cope best I can. I’ve only been married four years so it’s been a strain on our relationship because she doesn’t understand. Hell, I hardly do so I can’t expect her to. I was perfectly fine prior. So I’m trying to do whatever I can to work around this if it does indeed become permanent. The longer I’m like this the longer I think it is. I mean after a couple of years of it hasn’t improved will it ever? The only full work around I can come up with is an implant because I wouldn’t have flaccid shrinkage anymore if an implant is in there, I wouldn’t have Ed anymore, and I wouldn’t have to worry about PE or being spontaneous with sex. The pills work most of the time for Ed but I have to plan it and hope it works and doesn’t do anything for the PE. I do doubt insurance would cover it at my age. I thought about trying to get the damn drug company to pay for it since they caused it but I’m sure that would be a legal battle I would lose. I just want to be normal again. I am on trt for the past probably 8 months as we did find my test was low when I was trying to see what else underlying could cause this but I think that’s helped more than it’s hurt for sure, especially with erection quality compared to what it was.

[ViaSwiss]

I was just going to say, it sounds like PSSD- which is very similar in mechanism and symptoms to PFS and post-accutane.

I've had PFS for 15 years and finally ready to bite the bullet and get implanted. God willing my insurance situation works out in 2021 (it has not in '19 or '20).

I think its good you are considering this before things snowball with your wife. How does she feel about this all?

[Markc2008]

Yeah I believe it to be pssd. I was hoping with time it would resolve and guess it still could but again I’m sitting at a year and a half without much change, so it’s not looking good. I think she tries to understand but thinks a lot of it is in my head even though she would never say that. I’ve mentioned an implant and she acts like I’d be crazy to do that but the more I mention it the less she argues against it lately. I just want to be able to function when I want and have good sex again.. and keep her happy.

[Markc2008]

I was just going to say, it sounds like PSSD- which is very similar in mechanism and symptoms to PFS and post-accutane.

I've had PFS for 15 years and finally ready to bite the bullet and get implanted. God willing my insurance situation works out in 2021 (it has not in '19 or '20).

I think its good you are considering this before things snowball with your wife. How does she feel about this all?

So is insurance not covering it because of your age by chance? I’m sure I’ll be battling that too..I wander how much it costs out of pocket..

[ViaSwiss]

I am in a similar situation regarding the wife and her thoughts.

My insurance in '19 had an exclusion for implants. I did not have insurance in '20, and next year our company insurance is up in the air due to not enough people at my company signing up.

[Markc2008]

I’m sorry to hear that. I know what your going through. What makes it harder is having normal life and function for 36 years then suddenly having all that gone because of something that is supposed to be safe. Anyways, I look at it as women get breast implants all the time. To me it’s no different and if that’s what I have to do I will. I am hoping something happens and I suddenly heal from whatever happened but from taking to others in a similar situation it has seemed to pretty much be permanent. So I’m just trying to accept it and see what my options are to live a normal life.