How Many Men With ED Seek Treatment?

For those dealing with erectile dysfunction, you are not alone. According to an article by the U.S. News World Report, a huge number of men with ED do not seem to seek treatment. In a study of about 6 million men above the age of 30, 75% of those who received a diagnosis of ED did not receive or fill their prescriptions.

Low ranking patients in the probability of getting treatment

According to the lead researcher of the study Dr. Brian Helfand, the least likely patients to get treatment for the condition were older men. According to the study, only a meager 18% of the men aged 65 and above got treated. For men with prostate cancer, the number fell to only 15% who got treated.

Why do men avoid ED treatment?

According to Dr. Helfand, there are several theories that explain why men fail to seek treatment for impotence. If a doctor fails to issue a prescription to a patient, then the main reason would be that the doctor has come to the judgment that the patient does not need the ED medication or ED drugs failed to bring about the required change in the past.

Helfand continues to explain that if a man did receive a prescription from his doctor but failed to get it filled at a pharmacy, the main culprit in the whole situation would be fear. Many men shy away from letting others know that they suffer from ED, making it near impossible to approach a pharmacy to purchase their medication.

Another reason would be the high cost of ED drugs. ED medication is very expensive, and most men cannot afford it. Some pills could sell for as high as $50 per pill, placing it out of the reach of most men.

Additional explanations

According to Dr. Jacob Rajfer, Los Angeles refuses to come to the conclusion that three-quarters of the men who are diagnosed with ED do not end up getting treatment. Dr. Rajfer is a professor of Urology at the University of California’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

In the article by the U.S. News World Report, he argues that the suggested numbers do not clearly reflect what he sees in clinical practice. He points out that accurate data on those that got treated and those that didn’t would require interviewing the patients. He also argues that due to the prohibitive costs of ED drugs in the U.S., most men may choose to get their medication from outside the country where it is much cheaper.