Dr. Dubin on trends in erectile dysfunction medication usage

In this video, Justin M. Dubin, MD, shares key findings from the study, “Beyond the prescription: trends and challenges in erectile dysfunction medications among young adult men,” for which he served as the senior author. Dubin is a urologist focused on men’s health at Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida.

Video Transcript:

What were the key findings from this study?

We had a total of 210 participants aged 18 through 40 years old. What we found was that about 57% of our subjects had erectile dysfunction per the IIEF, which is higher than the previously assumed number. What was also interesting was that, I believe it's 39% of men under the age of 40, had tried an erectile aid, whether it was Viagra or Cialis in the past for treatment of erectile dysfunction. When we're looking at where they got these medications, I was actually surprised by the results. The primary care was actually the most common; 47% had received a medication from their primary care in the past. But second was direct to consumer care. That was about 31.7%, followed by friends, family members, or partners, which was almost 20%. Then you have international pharmacies. And then at the dead last, we have urologists, which was 14.6%.

What was also interesting in our study was that when choosing a source of medications, we asked them, what made you decide to go with that option? And 62% of men said that they valued privacy above everything. Otherwise, it was cost, then followed by convenience. At the end was individualized care. We asked people why they were taking the medication. Was it true erectile dysfunction? Was it some other reason? Because like we alluded before, 57% is a high number for men under the age of 40 to have erectile dysfunction. When we asked why, the most common reason for men taking the medication was actually performance anxiety with a new partner, followed by persistent issues with erectile dysfunction, which sounds more like true erectile dysfunction, which was 46% of people; 56% said it was performance anxiety with a new partner, followed by a desire for improved confidence in the bedroom, which was 40%. Only about 20% of the men said that they had a known medical problem causing their ED. The good news was that a majority of them had reported counseling of the risks and benefits of the medication. So, it seemed like in general, they were being educated on the products. But, it seemed like a lot more people had ED. And even if they didn't have ED, it seems like they were using it for performance anxiety or for confidence issues for sure.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.