This information has been reprinted courtesy of the Erectile Dysfunction Information Center (www.erectile-dysfunction-treatment.org) for personal use only.

Temporary Erectile Dysfunction

Temporary erectile dysfunction (ED) frequently occurs in young men and can have a profound effect on self esteem, relationships and sexual partners.

Causes of temporary impotence

Stress, anxiety and depression are the leading causes of temporary ED, but other causes include:

• Prolonged, excessive smoking
• Excessive use of recreational drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin
• Medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, pain killers, sleeping aids, cold remedies and tranquillizers
• Prolonged bicycle riding
• Obesity
• Below normal testosterone levels

Interaction of causes

The physical and nonphysical causes of ED commonly interact. For instance, a minor physical problem that slows sexual response may cause anxiety about attaining an erection. The anxiety can worsen your ED.

Many kinds of emotional or relationship problems can inhibit the complex cycle of events necessary for a satisfactory erection.

Treatment for temporary impotence

There are some things you can do to help improve temporary ED or fully restore erectile function.

• Seek professional consultation to deal with any emotional or psychological issues.
• Engage in stress-reducing activities, such as exercise, meditation or even biofeedback.
• Increase communication with your partner to help relieve tension around the situation.
• Change your lifestyle by limiting or eliminating smoking and recreational drugs and losing weight.

Medications and temporary impotence

Always get your doctor's advice before you consider taking or changing any prescribed medication. Remember that the health conditions for which you are taking the medicine could also be partly to blame for your ED.

If you suspect your impotence is caused by over-the-counter medications and you decide to stop taking them, expect that it may take from six to eight weeks before the drug is eliminated from your body. This means that is unlikely that sexual function will be immediately restored when you stop these drugs.

Consult your doctor

If your ED persists, you should consult your primary care physician for erectile dysfunction can be one of the first signs of an underlying medical problem. If you choose to consult an ED specialist, tests may be conducted to determine if you have adequate penile blood flow and pressure, and satisfactory nerve function.

This page revised March 2005

Copyright 2005 Erectile Dysfunction Information Center . All rights reserved. This site contains information about erectile dysfunction (impotence) for men with ED and their partners. Nothing in this site may be reproduced without written authorization from the Erectile Dysfunction Information Center.