Viagra Therapy

I'm about 2 months post-op and have been on Viagra (50mg daily) since the catheter was removed.  Sometimes my face flushes in 1 to 2 hours, sometimes I get no reaction at all. Is this normal this early?  How do I know that it is effective?  I'm somewhat confused at the moment. Prior to surgery I took Viagra occasionally.  I usually got some flushing in the face in about an hour accompanied by an erection.  Anyone out there on rehab, taking Viagra with any advice? I sure would appreciate your experiences.

Bootheel,

I was on Viagra daily for about two months. It did not help with erections and I too had the flushing sometimes and other times not. My urologist took me off daily dosages after two months as he said that if I was not having any erections from it by then it was time to move to injections and combine them with Viagra. I have since switched to Levitra which does not cause me any flushing but does give me a slight headache. It has had more impact to my erections then Viagra.

Tamu

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Diagnosed 7/6/06, 1 of 10 core samples, 40%,Stage T1c, Gleason 3+3

Hi there.

My op was Nov 13/07 and my uro has just now put me on 25 mg of Viagara daily. It has been two weeks now and no significant change. Have not had an erection since op. I have tried a full dose, 100 mg twice, still no erection.

Pux

Every doctor is different, My doctor has been around for a number of years and he said the daily dose and gives only the slightest advantage over a non drug taker and then only a few out of a hundred men. So I don't think it is a miracle treatment method but you should of course go with what you and your doctor think is right. You might hit the jackpot. He also added that he didn't expect any significant change until after 6 months and didn't want to talk injections until after that, but again, this is his opinion.

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12/06/07 DaVinci and open prostate surgery after difficulties in breathing stopped the davinci.
Walked a lot
90% control the day the catherter removed.
pad only for a sneeze before the week was out
No pads most of the second week.

I have had some benefit with Viagra, not a full erection but noticeable engorgement with 100 mg. It does cause facial flushing, which I don't like because of the sensation, and also causes nasal stuffiness.  My doc had me take the Viagra 3 times a week. Levitra and Cialis caused less of these side effects but don't seem to be as effective, and cause a headache on most occasions. Be sure to take the Viagra on a empty stomach for proper absorption. Started bi mix recently with promising results.

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Pre-Op PSA 9.9
1 of 12 cores positive, Gleason 3+3
DaVinci on 9/5/2007
Post-Op Gleason 3+6, Negative Nodes and Margins
Less than 1% of prostate involved with CA
3 Month PSA 0.01, 6 Month PSA 0.01
Incontinence resolved 9/15/2007, one day after cath removal
ED showing significant improvement, more notable over last month
with Viagra 100 mg.

Post Edited (Lungman) : 3/18/2008 6:48:06 AM (GMT-6)

Give yourself time to heal. We saw great improvement at 11 months post surgery (Da Vinci, nerve sparing). My husband just passed the 18 month mark and is able to obtain usable erections, often as good as pre surgery, with just 1/4 of a Viagra or Levitra.
Again, give yourself time!

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fibro, PTSD, depression/anxiety, mitral valve prolapse, high blood pressure,

I read an article a few weeks ago that indicated that Viagra (or similar) drug therapy has been shown to result in less fibrosis of the penis in the first 6 months post-op....so while it can also assist at some point in erections, there is another value from taking it.

Of course, pumps and injection therapy serve the same purpose of protecting the inner penile tissues.

Tamu,
Thanks for the info about flushing sometimes and not. I got the Viagra from alldaychemist and wasn't sure. I know a lot of the guys on the forum get it from there with good results. I should have ordered it pre-op to see if it worked as well as the prescription from my Doc.

Thanks again

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Age 65

Hey Bootheel,

I've been using Viagra substitute from AllDayChemist for nearly a year. For the first few months - nothing. Taking 50 mg daily didn't cause a noticeable reaction. Then, slowly, it began to work after about 6 months. I still need shots of Trimix to get a useable erection but when I take 50 gm of Viagra about 2 hours before the shot, I only need about .03 cc of Trimix to get up and ready to go for about an hour. Its as close to natural as I can probably get. Also I have never had any stuffiness or flushing even when I take 100 mg.  I also take 1000 mg of L-Arginine when I take Viagra.  It is a supplement (available in health food stores) that promotes blood flow. 

We are all different and have to find our own way in recovery...

Jim

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Age 73. Diagnosed 11/03/06. PSA 7.05. Stage T2C Gleason 3+3.

Post Edited (biker90) : 3/18/2008 4:54:45 PM (GMT-6)