Could Viagra cure chronic pelvic pain?

[garyholc]

Does the body get used to these drugs over time and do you have to up the dosage ?

[Jay]

Does the body get used to these drugs over time and do you have to up the dosage ?

Hi Gary,

I did some poking around on WebMD and found this story about your question. It's a bit old, but interesting.

The person who conducted the study was following men who had ED from treatment of prostate cancer. It was a group of 360 guys. After four years of use, 96% of the men were still taking Viagra, and all but six of those said it was still effective for them.

They don't deny that tolerance could still be inevitable with Viagra, but if that should happen, they suggest that Levitra might be an alternative. This is an old article, so maybe someone can produce newer findings.

[J Dimitrakov]

Does the body get used to these drugs over time and do you have to up the dosage ?

Hi Gary,

I did some poking around on WebMD and found this story about your question. It's a bit old, but interesting.

The person who conducted the study was following men who had ED from treatment of prostate cancer. It was a group of 360 guys. After four years of use, 96% of the men were still taking Viagra, and all but six of those said it was still effective for them.

They don't deny that tolerance could still be inevitable with Viagra, but if that should happen, they suggest that Levitra might be an alternative. This is an old article, so maybe someone can produce newer findings.

It is also an entirely different patient group - post-prostatectomy ED - so the findings are not directly relevant or comparable to CPPS (where multiple mechanisms are involved).

Best,
JD

[Jay]

It is also an entirely different patient group - post-prostatectomy ED - so the findings are not directly relevant or comparable to CPPS (where multiple mechanisms are involved).

Best,
JD

Dr. Dimitrakov,

Admittedly, I was not looking for CPPS patients in particular when I sought an answer to his question. I was focusing upon Viagra tolerance in general. Sorry for the misunderstanding. :) Further proof that I am not a researcher!

[J Dimitrakov]

No problem, Jay! I just wanted to point this out since the results in the study you reported, even though looking at the same agent, might not be directly relevant to the CPPS population and patients might experience results which are vastly different.

Best,
JD

[boulder]

As promised, here's an update on my experience with Cialis (tadalafil). Please keep in mind that this is just the experience of one guy. I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice...

I'm taking Cialis 10mg/day, as prescribed by my doctor, and have been for 3 months now. Prior to that I took Cialis 5mg/day for 2 months, so altogether I've been on daily Cialis for 5 months. Speaking honestly, I would have to say that the results in my case have been inconclusive. I do think I've seen improved erectile function (especially with the higher dose of Cialis), and I have had some positive change in my discomfort-related symptoms ( ), but Cialis has not been a sudden "silver bullet" (as we all probably know by now, there just doesn't seem to be such a thing for CPPS at this time), and there are simply too many variables present for me to say with any certainty just what Cialis has or has not done for me. You see, I've made a number of lifestyle, treatment, and medication changes over the last half-year: differing workloads, changes in physical therapy, beginning psychotherapy and Elavil (amitriptyline) 25mg/night, changing some supplements/vitamins (for example, I added Milgamma N, a B vitamin supplement containing B12, B6, and a lipid-soluble form of B1- benfotiamine- 3xday), and increasing the time I devote to both relaxation and aerobic exercise (light jogging).

So I would characterize my experience as inconclusive for three reasons:

1) I'm just one guy: hardly a large sample and no control group! Large studies to check out would be those discussed in this thread, and this one that was in the press (and on this board) last month: viewtopic.php?f=39&t=6010&p=33576&hilit=cialis#p33576
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6030&p=33689&hilit=cialis#p33689
I'll be interested to see the Journal of Urology article detailing this study when it is published in October.

2) The changes I have seen have been mild, and may simply be part of the wax and wane of this condition.

3) Any number of the other variables I listed above may be responsible for changes in my condition.

The bottom line, I suppose, is that I don't think Cialis has been counterproductive and it may be playing some part in my slow recovery, so if you can afford it (it is expensive), you might consider talking to your doctor about it (no, I'm not getting anything from Eli Lilly for saying this- although that would be nice, they could pay me in Cialis! ).

One of the studies on this thread discussed Cialis in conjunction with alpha-blockers, and I do continue to take an alpha-blocker, Flomax (tamsulosin) 0.4mg/day. I don't say this in support of alpha-blockers (their efficacy in treating CPPS has been called into serious question recently), just as a point of information. Again, I'm not a doctor and none of this is medical advice.

On a general note, I'd just like to say to all you guys out there dealing with this, try to keep your spirits up and your wits about you, as hard as it can be at times. I've been dealing with this for a little over 3 years now, and, taking the long view, I really think I see a larger trend of improvement. I think the key, for me at least, is to not attempt anything too rash or "heroic", keep steady, and try to ride this out. I can actually imagine myself being largely symptom-free in, say, 6 months to 2 years, and that's simply amazing to me, considering what sheer hell my first year with this condition was. So, in short, have hope!

Best to you all,

Boulder

[hfisher]

Maybe once daily Cialis 5mg would be a good start on a trial run for CPPS-erection pain/ problems. Seems like improving blood flow to the area on a continued basis might help? Anyone who has tried this please post your results. I was thinking about going this route to see if things improve.

[NYanchuk]

I've tried cialis a couple of times and during, I was a lot happier, and felt more blood flow in ye olde gentials. All good things. Like everything else, its expensive, and only helps a tiny bit. Unfortunately it makes me a little flushed and I'm not covered for it, so not something I'm going to be taking 24/7...only if some unfortunate women is showing affection etc.etc.

I have however been reading lately about benfotiamine and methylcobalamin and am thinking about giving them a shot. Seems to help diabetic neuropathy a lot, and I'm pretty sure for me, all my pain is from nerve damage. I've read that diabetic neuropathy is usually caused by microvascular damage which chokes the nerves...I could see microvascular nerve damage (not from diabetes mind you) being the cause of my CPPS, so I'm interested in giving it a shot.

How did it work for you Boulder?

[boulder]

Hi NYanchuk,

Thank you for asking, as I'd been meaning to update this thread. I eventually decided that Cialis (tadalafil) did not seem to be having any great effect on my pain/discomfort (see reasons 2 and 3 in my post above above for why). However, it most certainly has been effective for me in treating what it's approved to treat: erectile dysfunction (ED)- especially when my CPPS symptoms are at their lowest. However, my ED has improved lately, so I no longer use Cialis (I do keep a few around the house just in case).

Of course, this is just my experience- I hope it's useful.

Best,

Boulder

[webslave]

Another study supporting Cialis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30574197