Consider your treatment options

There are many ways to treat erectile dysfunction. Ask your provider if one of these options might work for you:

• Oral medicines. Erectile dysfunction medicines include sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis, Adcirca), vardenafil or avanafil (Stendra). Oral medicines are pills that you take by mouth. These pills can help ease blood flow to your penis, making it easier to get and keep an erection. Check with your doctor to see if one of these medicines is a safe choice for you.
• Other medicines. If pills aren't a good option for you, your health care provider might recommend a tiny suppository. You insert this into the tip of your penis before sex. Another possibility is medicine you inject into the base or side of your penis. Like oral medicines, these drugs increase blood flow that helps you get and keep an erection.

• Vacuum-erection device. Also called a penis pump or a vacuum pump, this device is a hollow tube you put over your penis. It uses a pump to draw blood into your penis to create an erection.

  Then, a band is placed at the base of the penis to keep the erection after the tube is removed. This hand- or battery-powered device is simple to use and low risk.

  If a penis pump is a good choice for you, your provider might prescribe a certain model. That way, you can be sure it suits your needs and is well made.

• Penile implants. If medicines or a penis pump won't work, a surgical implant might be an option. Semirigid or inflatable penile implants are a safe and effective option for many men with erectile dysfunction.