Learn why smoking can cause ED, and how soon to expect sexual health improvements after stopping the habit.
Quitting smoking is a great accomplishment for anyone, and it can help improve your general health and longevity by leaps and bounds.
For men, they may also experience some welcome improvements in their sexual health as well, including ED improvements.
Many men who stop smoking in order to reap the ED benefits are probably eager to start seeing the improvements as soon as possible. So, we will cover what sort of timeline you can expect once you put down the nicotine for good.
Below, we will review just how smoking can lead to or worsen ED, how much more likely it is for a smoker to deal with ED as compared to a non-smoker, lay out the ED improvement timeline once you quit, and also let you know about some medications that may be able to help you out in the meantime.
The nicotine in cigarettes or other forms of nicotine delivery systems can do a number on your vessels.
Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it physically narrows your vessels when you use it, it can also worsen general blood flow, and physically damage the lining of the vessels themselves. This makes the job of fast and efficient blood delivery (in the case of an erection), a much harder task than usual.
Having ED is much more likely if you are a current smoker. One study reported that current smokers in their 40s were about 174% more likely to have ED as compared to former or never smokers. For men who once smoked, but stopped, they were 42% more likely to have ED as compared to never-smokers.
The good news is, there are studies showing that ED symptoms and general sexual function can improve rather drastically in many men when they stop smoking for good. And, as far as timelines go, it can occur rather rapidly.
According to cancer.org, as early as about 2-3 months after you quit smoking, your circulation and lung function increase. For some men, this may mean improvements in penile blood flow and more stamina during sexual activity.
One study showed that after 6 months of no smoking, 50% of former smokers reported significant improvements in erectile function.
However, it is important to note that some studies show that these rather impressive ED improvements may be way more likely if you stop before the age of 50. With one study reporting that all erectile improvements from smoking cessation were within the group of participants that were under 50 years old.
If you are a smoker and you are dealing with ED, the absolute best thing that you can do for the condition is to stop smoking entirely. You may start seeing erectile improvements within just months of ditching the smokes.
However, if you still need some ED help in the interim or while you are getting your groove back, medications like Sildenafil (generic Viagra) or Tadalafil (generic Cialis) may be able to help.
At Strut, we offer Sildenafil and Tadalafil through our secure telemedicine platform that connects you with U.S. licensed doctors and pharmacies from the comfort of your own home.
Simply select the medication you are interested in, complete the free online questionnaire-based consultation, and checkout. Then, a doctor will review your information and put together a treatment plan (if you are a good fit for treatment). Then, a U.S. pharmacy will put your medication together and ship it to your front door with our free shipping.
If you have any questions or need to discuss dosing adjustments on future refills, feel free to reach out to our team and your doctor with our free and unlimited follow-ups.
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