In short
Treatment starts with finding the cause, then usually combines health changes with a prescription medicine. A GP can assess you by telehealth.
On this page
Erectile dysfunction is treatable at any age. Treatment starts with finding the cause, then usually combines changes to health and lifestyle with a medicine. In Australia the medicines are prescription-only, and a GP can assess you and prescribe where it’s appropriate.
Step one: look for the cause
A GP asks about your health, your medicines and what’s been happening, checks your blood pressure, and often orders blood tests for blood sugar, cholesterol and testosterone. Erection problems can be an early sign of heart disease or diabetes, so this step matters. See what causes erectile dysfunction.
Treatment options
| Option | What it involves | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Health and lifestyle | Exercise, losing weight, stopping smoking, less alcohol, better sleep | Improves erections and heart health. Works alongside everything else. |
| Reviewing your medicines | Changing a medicine that’s contributing | Only with your doctor. Don’t stop anything yourself. |
| Tablets (PDE5 inhibitors) | Sildenafil, tadalafil and similar medicines, taken before sex or daily | They help blood flow when you’re aroused. They don’t create desire. Never taken with nitrate heart medicines. |
| Counselling or sex therapy | For anxiety, stress or relationship causes | Often used together with tablets at first. |
| Testosterone treatment | Only when blood tests confirm low testosterone | Doesn’t help erections if your testosterone is normal. |
| Vacuum devices, injections, implants | Options when tablets don’t work or can’t be used | Usually arranged through a specialist. |
About the tablets
- They work for most men, but not everyone, and not always the first time. A proper trial is several attempts.
- Common side effects are headache, flushing, a blocked nose and indigestion.
- They’re dangerous with nitrates, such as GTN spray or tablets for angina, and need care with some other heart and prostate medicines. Tell the GP everything you take.
- An erection that lasts more than four hours is an emergency. Go to hospital.
Our guide to sildenafil vs tadalafil compares the two most used.
Don’t buy them online without a prescription
Tablets sold without a prescription are often counterfeit, with the wrong dose or other drugs in them. They also skip the health check, which is the part that can pick up heart disease or diabetes.
Cost
For most men these are private prescriptions, so the price is set by the pharmacy and varies between pharmacies. Generic versions are available. Ask for the price before it’s dispensed.
Seeing a doctor about it
A GP is the right place to start, and telehealth works well because most of the assessment is a conversation. If tablets aren’t suitable or don’t work, a GP can refer you to a urologist or sexual health physician.
Next step: talk to a GP
Request an appointment and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time. A consultation doesn’t guarantee a prescription.
References
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Sexual and reproductive health
- Healthy Male: Erectile dysfunction
- Therapeutic Goods Administration: Buying medicines and medical devices online
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history. In an emergency, call 000.