I can not maintain an erection.
I can wake up with a firm erection, however when I have sex it deflates in a few seconds. I obviously do not reach orgasm and frustrates my wife. If I try to have sex at other times I can not get a firm enough erection and the same result often occurs. I am 51 years old and I do take 1 tablet per day for hypertension.What is the matter with me? Any information would be appreciated.
Hi Rob,
Do you associate the problem with your medication? Some meds for hypertension (e.g. propranolol, have erectile issues as a known side effect).
Another issue you did not address in your posting (sensitive I know) is whether you are able to masturbate and sustain an erection. If you can then the problem is unlikely to be physical and more psychological. If you can't then it does sound more like a physical issue. In truth however these physical/psychological things are frequently intertwined.
I can maybe point you to a few resources if you can hone the problem a little.
- Thank you for your input
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Jerry Kennard
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 07:12 AM
Sounds like performance anxiety. Of course there is the route of a qualified sex counselor, or some self-help literature, if you think either might be worth a try. You may have conditioned yourself to assuming things will go wrong and as a result they do.
Without wanting to dig into your personal life I wonder whether things are a little routine in that department and whether a few changes as to who takes the lead, whether it always has to be penetrative sex, whether a change in the time of day, sex toys, role play, whatever might be something worth discussing with your partner. If one or more of these helps then that's good news. If not, or you feel you can't go down that road, it suggests to me that relationship issues may be an issue. If this is the case you may need to rebuild the connection with your partner and discuss intimacy issues with someone who can help steer the process (sex counseling).
Hope this helps a little with your decision making.
Hi Jerry,
My problem pertains to both at times (sensitive situation as you put it). I personally do not think it is the medication as I do get an erection when I am asleep. It is the situation when I want to have sex seems to be the problem.